On this Memorial Day, we pause to remember so many who gave their lives in so many ways. Pax Christi USA asks us to reflect on Franz Jägerstätter, the Austrian Catholic who was martyred on August 9, 1943 for refusing to serve in the armies of the Third Reich. From Pax Christi USA: "As we approach Memorial Day and to commemorate Franz's life, let us pray for the day that no soldier will die in battle for their country, and that in the interim, those soldiers of faith who are opposed to any or all wars, can act on their individual conscience without needing to accept the ultimate verdict bestowed on Franz Jägerstätter."
PCUSA Prayer for Memorial Day: God of peace and love, throughout this Memorial Day weekend, let us remember those who have died in war or who have suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and moral injury, sometimes ending in their taking their own life through suicide. Let us pray and act with the cry "War No More", and until we reach that day, empower us to work to avoid war. Let us help U.S. soldiers whose consciences are awakened to the moral depravity of war to be able to act on their individual conscience without having to suffer the price that Blessed Franz paid. We ask all this through Jesus, who gave us his peace so that we may be people of peace. Amen.
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