Thank you for praying and fasting with us these 40 days.

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Fr. Michael leads a Guided Examination of Conscience based on James 4:1-2  inviting us to trade self-reliance for gratitude, trust, and peace. Let the wars within give way to healing that radiates outward.

"Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask."
 — James 4:1–2 (NABRE)

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Fr. Michael offers prayers for Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan in this culminating prayer for our 40 Day Novena of Prayer and Fasting for Peace.

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Still your hearts and minds and find inner peace in Christ Jesus.

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Saint John Paul II, one of the most influential voices for peace in the 20th and early 21st centuries, tirelessly proclaimed the dignity of every human life as the foundation of a just and peaceful world. Throughout his papacy, he called on individuals, nations, and the Church to build what he called a “civilization of love,” where justice, solidarity, and forgiveness triumph over hatred and division.

In his many addresses for the World Day of Peace and writings like Centesimus Annus, Evangelium Vitae, and Solicitudo Rei Socialis, he taught that true peace is rooted not just in diplomacy or policy, but in the conversion of hearts, the respect for life, and the recognition of each person as a child of God.

This prayer is drawn from those teachings. It seeks to echo his urgent call to become peacemakers in a world torn by violence, fear, and injustice—by becoming people of compassion, truth, and mercy, beginning in our own hearts and homes.

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
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Fr. Michael leads a guided meditation inspired by Pope Francis' writings on care for our common world. 

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
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Barrington, IL 60010

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In this 4th week of our novena for peace we  invite you to pray on the writings and  teachings of our late beloved pontiff, Pope Francis. He  consistently taught that peace is rooted in justice, dialogue, and care for all, especially the poor and vulnerable. 

In the third year of his pontificate, in 2015, he issued his landmark  encyclical Laudato Si’. In it, he links care for creation to peace, warning that environmental destruction fuels conflict. He urges religious leaders and all people of goodwill to work together for reconciliation, forgiveness, and the dignity of every person.

In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis calls for a culture of encounter, solidarity, and fraternity beyond borders. He condemns war, nuclear weapons, and the arms trade as failures of humanity. Francis emphasizes nonviolence as a political and personal path, echoing the Gospel’s call to love enemies. 

Our prayer this week is inspired by Pope Francis’ teaching in especially these two encyclicals. It’s written in the form of a call and response litany. If possible, we encourage you to pray it with others. Or you may wish to simply pray it by yourself. 

Thank you for joining us in this 40 day Novena of Prayer and Fasting for Peace. 

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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Fr. Michael leads a guided imagery prayer for peace inspired by the apparitions of Mary at Medjugorje and his own pilgrimages to that holy site.

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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This week's novena prayer for peace is inspired by Our lady's message of peace appearing at Medjugorje.

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Barrington, IL 60010

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Fr. Michael introduces the apparitions at Medjugorje and the impact they have had on the world and how they have sustained him as a priests.

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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Fr. Michael leads a guided imagery prayer for peace inspired by the teachings of Pope Leo XIV.

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420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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Prayer for Peace Inspired by the Teachings of Pope Leo XIV

Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and Shepherd of all nations, look with mercy upon this world so often torn apart by pride, indifference, and violence.

You who calmed the winds and stilled the waves, speak Your word of peace over our hearts and over every place where hatred has taken root.

Send forth Your Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth and reconciliation, to renew the face of the earth. Convert the hearts of those who plot destruction. Strengthen all who labor to build bridges between peoples and cultures. Comfort those who mourn their loved ones, whose lives have been stolen by war and terror.

Lord, teach us never to grow accustomed to the suffering of our brothers and sisters. Awaken in us a holy restlessness, that we may not remain silent before injustice, nor numb before the cries of the innocent.

O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, remember the land of Your Promise. Grant that swords may be turned into plowshares, and all Your children may dwell secure in Your peace.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of Peace, wrap Your mantle around all nations. Intercede for us, that hatred may yield to understanding, revenge to forgiveness, and war to peace.

May the day soon dawn when every people and nation lift their voices together in a hymn of praise, and all humanity recognize in one another the image of our loving God.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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Given on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Fr. Michael shares two images that Jesus gives for His sacred heart: the sun bursting with love and the vulnerable heart, pierced and on fire with love.

from Luke 15:3-7
Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes:
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,     
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'

Read the full scripture passage: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062725.cfm

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
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Listen as Fr. Michael guides us in this imagery prayer for peace.

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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Prayer for Peace in a World at War

God of All Nations,
You created every person in Your image—
each one beloved, each one bearing Your breath.
Yet today Your world groans under the weight of war.
So many lands are scarred with violence,
so many hearts torn by loss,
so many children know fear instead of play.

Lord of Mercy,
We cry out to You for peace.

Stretch Your hand over the earth, O God.
Let Your Spirit hover again over chaos,
not to destroy, but to heal and to renew.

Disarm the hearts of those who wage war.
Convert the thirst for power into a hunger for justice.
Break the bows and burn the chariots,
and let the nations learn war no more.

Inspire leaders with the courage to seek peace,
not the peace of silence or suppression,
but the peace born of dignity, dialogue, and truth.

Comfort the grieving.
Protect the innocent.
Strengthen the peacemakers—
those who serve in dangerous places,
those who speak truth in trembling voices,
those who shelter the displaced,
those who dare to hope.

Let Your Church be a light in dark times,
not allied to any flag or faction,
but bound to Your Gospel of love,
a voice for the voiceless and a balm for the broken.

And when the night feels long,
remind us, O Lord:
You are still the God who brings life from tombs,
and peace from the midst of storms.

We pray in the name of Jesus,
Prince of Peace and Hope of the world.
Amen.

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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Today marks a powerful convergence of grace—the feast of the birth of Saint John the Baptist, the 24th anniversary of Fr. Jim Willig’s entrance into eternal life, and the anniversary of the Blessed Mother’s first appearance in Medjugorje. In this spirit, Fr. Michael invites you to begin a 40-day novena of prayer and fasting for peace. With heartfelt conviction shaped by his own pilgrimages and decades of prayer, he offers this introduction as a call to action in a world torn by war and suffering. Listen now to discover how you can take part and become a channel of peace, starting tomorrow.

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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"It shall come to pass. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams.  Your young men will see visions." Joel 3:1

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
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“Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven…”  Matthew 5:12

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“…Jesus replied… ‘Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not spoken of myself; it is the Father who lives in me accomplishing his works.’” John 14:9-11

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“We do not fix our gaze on what is seen but on what is unseen. What is seen is transitory; what is unseen lasts forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
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"For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”  Isaiah 55:10-11

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
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“Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries.  Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
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“But now thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
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“Jesus then said to His disciples: ‘If anyone wishes to come after me, they must deny their very self, take up their cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps. Whoever would save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.’” Matthew 16:24-25

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Heart to Heart, a Catholic Media Ministry: htoh.us
420 W County Line Rd, Suite 200
Barrington, IL 60010

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