Prayers for Peace and Justice

Chris Saade's prayers open hearts and infuse them with a new sensitivity to God, the God of the oppressed, one who cries with those who are broken and asks us to dedicate all that we have and all that we are in service of a world that reflects beauty, compassion and justice. -Adam Bucko, co-author of Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation and co-founder of The Reciprocity Foundation for Homeless Youth In this lovely book, Chris Saade marries exquisite beauty with the passion of living from a place that is more than simply an organ in the chest. He takes us to the core of our being with its fears, frustrations, sorrow, despair, and ecstasy---compassionately assisting us in restoring the connection with our precious, sacred essence. Your mind must read this book, and your heart must revel in its tender and tenacious enchantment. -Carolyn Baker, Ph.D. author of Collapsing Consciously: Transformative Truths For Turbulent Times PRAYERS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE Prayers for Peace, and Justice is a brilliant collection of prayers to be read, prayed, re-prayed, and enjoyed by soulful journeyers from all traditions. Saade's inclusive prayers appeal to all who believe in God, the Divine, or a Presence beyond us without giving any special treatment to any specific religious system. Written in a style that expresses an intensity of love and a passion of heart, these prayers are an open, frank, and intimate dialogue with the Divine-prayers that will resonate intimately with the reader's heart. Saade beautifully, powerfully, and poetically brings together the ideas of individual freedom, love of the Divine, and passion for justice. Purposefully written for people who care deeply about spirituality and the fate of the world, these prayers reach beyond the traditionally personalized spirituality-or the "me" centered spirituality-to global participation and historical responsibility. These prayers exude the longing for freedom, authenticity, solidarity, and the desire for greater social justice and eco-justice. At this time when the world is challenged to the core with religious violence, ecological devastation, a dangerous and growing economic divide, and an untenable spread of poverty, such prayers are tremendously important. THE AUTHOR, CHRIS SAADE Born into a Christian family in Lebanon, Chris Saade experienced firsthand the devastation of the Lebanese war, where he was involved in peace work for over a decade. His peace-building involvement led him to develop a great respect for diversity, a passion for peace and justice, and to become the director of three non-profit organizations. He is the founder of the Institute for Life-Leadership and Coaching, and is the senior trainer for their heart-centered psychological, social and spiritual-leadership programs (www.theilc.org). Chris Saade is the co-director of The Olive Branch Center with his wife, Jessie Thompson, where he teaches courses on the freedom of authenticity, engaged spirituality, and the mysticism of inclusion (www.TheOliveBranchCenter.net). He is the author of Second Wave Spirituality: Passion for Peace, Passion for Justice and Prayers from the Heart. He has collaborated with author Andrew Harvey on two audiobooks: An Evolutionary Vision of Relationships: the Spirituality of Romantic Love and the audio version of Prayers from the Heart.