John Henry Newman [1801-1890] A Prayer for Unbelievers

O Lord Jesus Christ, upon Cross you did say: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And this surely, O my God, is the condition of vast multitudes among us now. They deny that there is a God, but they know not what they are doing. They renounce all faith in You, the Saviour of man. They mislead the wandering, they frighten the weak, they corrupt the young. Others, again, have a wish to be religious, but mistake error for truth – they go after fancies of their own, and they seduce others and keep them from you. They know not what they are doing, but you can make them know. Teach them now, open their eyes here, before the future comes; give them faith in what they must see hereafter, if they will not believe in it here.