Can we pray for someone to be punished?
When we suffer an injustice or someone has done us wrong, we feel a desire for revenge. We crave reparation and expect justice to be done. Unfortunately, human justice is fallible and sometimes insufficient, and cannot right all the wrongs we may have suffered. Turning to God through prayer, is a recourse to find the appeasement we need. God is a god of justice, who hears the cry of the oppressed, and God is also a God who repairs, heals and consoles. This is not a prayer for vengeance, a prayer for punishment or a curse sent "upon the wicked", it's about trusting in the divine justice that reads each person's heart.
Discover Psalm 94 to put into words the anger and sense of injustice you feel, a prayer to ask for justice and some advice on how to get out of the spirit of vengeance and move on after being wronged.
Psalm for justice
"The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth.
Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant?
They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting.
They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance.
They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.
They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?
Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?
Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile.
Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law;
you grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.
Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them."
Prayer of justice through the victorious Cross
"Lord, ever since you were entrusted with the Cross, trials aimed at destroying man have not ceased to be refined.
We are witnesses, Lord, to your Passion, which continues in those whom the world despises and with whom you have identified yourself.
Yet, Lord, your victorious Cross not only gives meaning to our suffering, but shines more brightly than ever as the sign of all hope.
Since your Resurrection, the instrument of your torture has signified your victory over death.
Your royal Cross casts the light of Easter on all violence, forever revealing its injustice.
As a challenge to human wickedness, your Cross tells us that God is faithful to his promises, and that, despite hardened hearts, merciful Love will have the last word.
So be it."
Prayer by Monseigneur M. Schooyans
3 things to ask God after an offense
When we've suffered an offense, beyond the suffering generated by the act itself, we can add the perfidious and tenacious pain of the evil's hold over us. Here are a few tips for moving forward, with God, on the path of reparation and appeasement , without running the risk of falling into the destructive spirit of vengeance.
1 - Ask God, in our prayers, to recognize the harm done to us, without trying to minimize or displace it (is the harm done to me merely physical, or also psychological? Is it merely material or also emotional?) or, on the contrary, to dramatize it. Acknowledging our suffering is a fundamental step.
2 - Ask God, for yourself, for graces of reparation, healing and relief from what has been done. It's not always easy to put the right words to our suffering, and it's no easier to identify exactly what would bring joy and peace to our hearts. Sometimes we think this can only be achieved by punishing the person who has hurt us. This may be the case, but sometimes it can also involve other things. God, as a loving father, knows this. Let's ask him with confidence to send us what we really need.
3 - Ask God for the strength to overcome this episode. Not to forget it, not to bury it, but to move beyond it. This can be difficult, because it may mean granting forgiveness and cultivating patience. But here too, we don't have to rely on our own strength: let's ask God to lead us along this path to liberation.
With Hozana, moving forward on the paths of healing and forgiveness
On Hozana, you'll find online novenas and journeys to accompany you step by step on the difficult but beneficial path of forgiveness. God guides us and gives us the strength to turn our wounds into sources of renewal.
- Discover the power of forgiveness and how it sets us free with ,
- Experience God's mercy with , featuring a daily meditation, testimony and special intention.
Entrust your sufferings and desires for justice to God with .
