We want what is best for our loved ones, especially for our family. They may be our immediate family, our circle of friends, our close relatives, and even our partners in life. We strive and pray for their welfare. But in the uncertainty of life, challenges and difficulties arise to test the foundations of our relationships, the strength of our bond, and even our faith in God.
We ask for peace in our family. A peace which stills the tumultuous waves of our relationships. A peace which lights our muddled minds. A peace which comforts our troubled hearts. We pray for peace which only Christ can give. May this prayer appease our souls and increase our faith in Him.
Prayer for peace in our family
Our Father in heaven,
Your divine providence never fails to protect and bless your people. Throughout the journey of the Israelites in the desert, You led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. You filled their hunger by giving them bread from heaven. You quenched their thirst with flowing water from a rock. Amidst their countless complaints and groanings, You never left them.
I come to you with my troubled heart to be with my family as we face this adversity that we experience. I admit that there were times when we neglected You. We sought comfort and joy in Your creation instead of Your consoling presence. We have neglected You, who should be at the center of our life as a family. Let this barren experience of ours be an opportunity to purify our devotion and strengthen our faith in you.
I thank you, dear Father, for the family that I am in. In our vulnerability, You have opened our minds to understand one another. You have opened our eyes to allow tears to flow freely. You have opened our hearts to love each other deeply.
May this humble petition of mine be granted, accomplishing your plans for my family and me. I ask for the grace of openness to receive anything that comes from You. Continue to bless my family and me as we continue on with our journey towards the promised land, a life filled with Your grace and surrounded by Your peace.
I beg this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Short prayer for family peace
Loving Father, grant peace within me and within my family. May You always be with us as we face the uncertainties of life. Guide us with Your providential hand towards a life filled with Your grace and surrounded by Your peace. I beg this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The Word of God
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer, for God thought, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness bordering the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle.
Exodus 13: 17-18; 21-22 NRSVUE
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
John 14:27 NRSVUE
Prayer to Saints Louis & Zelie Martin for peace within the family.
Saints Louis and Zelie Martin our model of family life, I seek your intercession to have peace within our family. You have become our radiant example of a family with firm trust and rich devotion to God. I come before you seeking strength and inspiration as my family and I face these difficulties which challenge our relationship with one another and our relationship with the Father in heaven.
Your family was never spared from the hardships of life. Overcoming the pain of stillbirth and raising a rebellious daughter, your faith was unwavering. You continued to practice piety and devotion, to excel in charity, and to live in harmony.
Through your intercession, I also hope to obtain such graces from God, our loving Father. For peace to reign in my family, let openness influence our minds, let understanding soften our hearts, and let love be our guide.
Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, our model of peace in the family, please be with us. Guide each member of my family to fulfil God’s plan for our lives. I earnestly seek your guidance and intercession for peace to be restored in our family.
Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, pray for us.
Amen.
Further Reflection
Our family can be our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. Strength for we have people to lean on. They know us through and through. They understand us. They are willing to support us in whichever endeavor we wish to undertake. These inspire us and make us endure all of life’s challenges. But on the other hand, our family can be our greatest weakness. When relationships are shaken, trust can be shattered. When difficulties arise, confidence in one another can fade. When we experience a sudden loss, our faith in God can fall short.
Whenever we pray for peace within the family, we do not wish for a quiet home where no one talks with each other. We pray for peace within the family, which can be seen through stories shared at the dinner table or laughter filling the living room. Oftentimes peace can also manifest in the sympathies shared in heartbreaks or simply by listening to one another. We beg God for a kind of peace evident in the harmony of His creation.
May we never waver in asking God for peace to reign in our family. Like Jesus, who Himself is the Prince of Peace, continually sought and communicated with God through prayer. And as He was growing up, His life wasn’t peaceful at all. His life was threatened from the very beginning of His conception as Mary and Joseph were challenged to look for a suitable inn at the end of Mary’s pregnancy. Only to be able to give birth in a stable, it posed health hazards to the exhausted Mary and vulnerable baby Jesus. Life was never easy for the Holy Family, and yet peace reigned within them because they never lost sight of God.
May our effort to pray be our first step in attaining peace within ourselves and ultimately in our family.
