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Most religious traditions put an emphasis on the practice of gratitude. This multifaith prayer litany inspires gratitude for the unique and diverse gifts of 14 of the world’s spiritual traditions. It can be used for private reflection or as an opening prayer in a meeting, lecture or conference. This litany has proven to be a very effective component of a multifaith prayer service.
Organizers should feel free to include additional religious, spiritual, philosophical and secular traditions in this litany and thus highlight the gifts of more traditions.
Leader: We give thanks for the world’s religions and the richness they bring to our lives.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Baha’i brothers and sisters, for their genuine openness and desire for unity.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Buddhist sisters and brothers, for their sense of peace and relinquishing of self.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Christian brothers and sisters, for their message of love and ethic of compassion.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Hindu sisters and brothers, for their open-hearted acceptance of others and kindly disposition toward those of other faiths.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Humanist brothers and sisters, for their emphasis on the dignity and worth of all persons.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Muslim sisters and brothers, for their commitment in prayer and faithfulness in worship.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Jain brothers and sisters, for their deep respect for life and practice of nonviolence.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Jewish sisters and brothers, for their enriching symbols of worship and cherishing of tradition.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Native brothers and sisters, for their reverence of nature and their ancient and still-living culture.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Shinto brothers and sisters, for their affirmation of ritual and awareness of the natural world.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Sikh sisters and brothers, for their warm hospitality and public witness of faith.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Taoist brothers and sisters, for their sense of the connectedness of all things and pursuit of harmony.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Unitarian sisters and brothers, for their openness to truth and commitment to freedom, reason and tolerance.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Reader: We give thanks for our Zoroastrian sisters and brothers, for their devotion to right thought, right speech and right action.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Leader: We give thanks for every faith tradition, named and unnamed, for the variety and richness of their spiritualities, for their united quest for truth, for their common dedication to the pursuit of peace, reconciliation and healing of the spirit.
Congregation: We give thanks.
Ever unite us as one community of joy ,hope, love and peace.
Ever inspire us to live more genuinely and authentically,
Celebrating diversity,
Affirming unity,
Pursuing peace,
Not just for better relations among philosophies,
But for a new and more just world.
Amen.
Adapted from All in Good Faith: A Resource Book for Multi-faith Prayer, Jean Potter and Marcus Braybrook, eds., a worship service of the World Congress of Faith Conference 1993, The World Congress of Faiths, Oxford:1997, pp. 111, 112. Rewritten by JW Windland, Encounter World Religions Centre, www.worldreligions.ca