China – Page 3

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, September 15

O how wondrous
is the foreknowledge of the divine heart
that knew every creature in advance.
For when God looked upon the human face
that he had formed,
he glimpsed all his works,
in that same human form, all summed up.
O how wondrous is the inspiration
that has thus animated the human being.

Hildegard of Bingen, “O quam mirabilis”

Creator God, your love for us is apparent in the wonder and complexity with which we are made. We are created with endless diversity, each face distinct, each personality unique, and yet we all bear your divine image. The inspiration with which you breathed us into life is displayed in so many ways:

In the perseverance and strength of athletes during the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
In the persistence of rescue crews in Bukoba, Tanzania, who searched for survivors of an earthquake, and crews who worked in Taiwan and China to evacuate families and prepare for the arrival of Super Typhoon Meranti;
In the devotion of over 1.8 million Muslims who traveled to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the Hajj pilgrimage;
In the compassion and courage of first responders in O Porrino, Spain, who worked to rescue victims of a deadly train crash, and in Tongi, Bangladesh, who battled a fire caused by a deadly factory explosion;
In the emerging hope for peace in Colombia, where FARC rebels have released a group of child soldiers and have promised to discontinue recruitment of children.

We know, Lord, that you rejoice with us when we embody the love and care for which you created us. And yet so often we fall short, seeing the gift of diversity as a threat and forgetting the divine image that we all possess. Fear, suffering, and broken relationships disfigure your divine image and damage your creation in so many ways:

In violent hate crimes perpetrated against Muslim mothers in New York, US and Bletchley, UK;
In a successful nuclear test in North Korea, which deepens tension among nations and adds to the number of nuclear-capable countries, including Russia, the US, France, China, the UK, Pakistan, India, and Israel;
In acts of terrorism designed to spread fear and perpetuate extremism in Minto, Australia; Shikarpur, Pakistan; and around the globe.

Forgive us for abandoning our primary identity as your beloved children. Bring hope and healing to our broken world. Give us strength and inspiration to look into the faces of our neighbors and see what you see: A glimpse of all your works, a glimpse of you.

Amen.

Note: Many Christians celebrate the feast of St Hildegard of Bingen on 17 September. Hildegard was a Benedictine nun and Christian mystic, writer, and composer in 10^th century Germany.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, September 8, 2016

Remember, O God.
Remember how you, O God, were determined to kill the Israelites
whom you had brought out of Egypt,
because they had turned against you and worshiped other gods.
Remember how Moses called you to account?
How he reminded you that you had made promises of faithfulness
to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel?
Remember…that you remembered. And changed your mind.
And abandoned the disaster you had planned to bring on your people,
and let them live.
(Exodus 32:7-14)

Remind us too, O God, of all the promises of faithfulness we have made to one another.
Let the memories of the promises – of kinship, of friendship, of business relationships, of mutual responsibility, of national and international peace –
let those memories outweigh all the ways we have turned against one another.

Let it be the memories of the promises of faithfulness, that sway the decisions of leaders and peoples:

In Syria, where the opposition has suggested a transition plan toward free elections
In Hong Kong, where youth protest leaders won seats on the Legislative Council – only to have China respond by warnings that anyone who speaks in favor of Hong Kong independence will be punished
In South Sudan, that has agreed to allow more peace keepers into the country
In Ethiopia, as political violence continues to delay the distribution of aid to four million people hit by drought and floods
In Kenya, where the new Community Land Bill establishes a means for impoverished nomadic communities to acquire titles to their ancestral lands – a process that experts hope will help end land conflicts, boost development and improve investor relations
In Colombia, after the FARC rebel group postponed its meeting to ratify a peace agreement with the government for another week
In Gabon, where President Ali Bongo’s narrow election victory has stirred up fears of violence

Let it be the memories of the longing for faithfulness, that color our prayers for those who have died:

For Mother Teresa of Calcutta, declared a saint this week in a canonization Mass held by Pope Francis in the Vatican
For Phyllis Schlafly, who died this week after decades of being one of the most prominent leaders of the conservative Christian anti-feminist movement in the United States
For all whom we remember this weekend, on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. – the terrorists, the innocent, the rescuers, the lives that touched so many nations

Make us into your own image, O God.
Make us creatures of memory – not of memories of betrayals and distrust,
but, like you, of faithfulness promised from age to age.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, August 18, 2016

World News in Prayer for Thursday, August 18, 2016

Isaiah 58:9, 10
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and God will say,
Here I am…If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted
then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom be like the noonday.

Lord of all languages, we pray with and for people all over this world…

for the laborers being exploited by businesses in China, India, North Korea, South Sudan and Sudan, especially the children forced to work long hours in order that we may buy less expensive goods.
for the citizens of Syria, where more than 250,000 have lost their lives in the ongoing civil war, where 11 million have been forced from their homes, where 4.5 million have become refugees fleeing their country, and where attacks on medical facilities are occurring every 17 hours.
for the citizens of Yemen, where the civil war has cost more than $14 billion, has killed more than 6,500 people, and has displaced 2.5 million more.
for the 65 victims of a deadly maritime disaster in Jianli, China, due to the capsizing of a river cruise ship.
for the people of Thailand, where a deadly wave of bomb blasts has occurred over the past several days in response to voters approving a new draft constitution.

Then we shall call and the Lord will answer; we shall cry for help and God will say, Here I am.

Holy One, your Spirit speaks in creation, calling us to listen, and so we pray…

for the people of Louisiana, US, where severe flooding has been responsible for the deaths of at least 11 people, where more than 30,000 people have been rescued from rapidly-rising flood waters, where more than 8,000 people remain in shelters, and where more than 40,000 homes have been damaged.
for the more than 1,000 firefighters who are fighting numerous wildfires in the state of California, US, including a fire burning north of San Francisco, where more than 4,000 people have been evacuated, including the patients of one hospital, and where over 175 homes have been lost.

Then we shall call and the Lord will answer; we shall cry for help and God will say, Here I am.

Brother Christ, you reached out to heal the bent-over woman, seeing her need, seeing her as a person of worth. Open our eyes to see the needs of women and girls throughout the world, and so we pray…

for the victims of the major human-trafficking ring shut down in Maryland, US, where girls as young as 15 were being forced into prostitution.
for the 218 schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria, kidnapped by Boko Haram, who remain captives – many of whom have been forcibly married to fighters, have borne children, and are living in dreadful conditions.
for Prime Minister Theresa May as she leads the United Kingdom to negotiate the complicated BREXIT.
for the many young women competing in the Olympic Games in Brazil, that they may serve as role models for girls and women around the world, offering the promise that girls and women can do anything.
for Pope Francis’ visit, as part of his Fridays of Mercy, to former sex slaves living in a housing center in Rome, Italy: Women trafficked from Romania, Albania, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Italy, and victims of severe abuse, which the Pope called “a crime against humanity”.

Then we shall call and the Lord will answer; we shall cry for help and God will say, Here I am.

Divine Truth, you reveal yourself to us in so many ways. Open our eyes to see and our hearts to rejoice in prayer…

for the rare 4^th century mosaic uncovered in Cyprus by a seven-person crew headed by archaeologist Fryni Hadjichristofi.
for the dedicated teachers in early childhood education who are making such a significant difference in the lives of poor children.
for 29-year-old Malaika, head nurse at Syria’s Aleppo Children’s Hospital, one of only a handful of health workers remaining in that besieged city, who continues to rescue the smallest of the small, even at the risk of her own life.

Then we shall call and the Lord will answer; we shall cry for help and God will say, Here I am.

Open our eyes to both the beauty and the ugliness in our world, Loving God. Open our ears to the cries of our sisters and brothers in every place. Open our hands to do your work in the world. Open our hearts to feel the pain and joy, the discouragement and hope of all who long for freedom and peace and justice. Open us, today and every day, we pray.

Amen and Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, July 14, 2016

There is a terrifying passage in ‘I and Thou’ by the Jewish mystic Martin Buber in which God says ‘I have sunk my hearing in the deafness of mortals’. If this should be even partly true what a tremendous responsibility it places upon us to listen, to listen to each other with our whole attention, with our hearts, but what a difficult thing to do. ~ Elizabeth Bassett in “Beyond the Blue Mountains: Wisdom and Compassion on Living and Dying” (p. 93)

Without forgiveness there can be no future for a relationship between individuals or within and between nations… Resentment and anger are bad for your blood pressure and digestion… My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together. ~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The news recently has been a cataloged of ever greater misery, tragedy, horror, and violence depicting the broken relationships between groups and nations. Hurt breeds resentment and violence arising from a sense of frustrated helplessness. This makes the truth of the essential need to truly listen to each other haunting. Challenge and inspire me. I can only hope to do this through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit to enable me to fulfill, however falteringly, the command of the risen Christ, “Follow me!”

LET GOD…be Parent…speak…liberate me from my prisons…direct my path…infuse me with grace and love.

How do we reconcile God’s grace and love with our world where at least 80 are dead in Nice (pron. Neece), France as a result of a rampage driver, weaponry, and a hate-filled heart? Who did this? Why? What matter does it make? Hate and violence and death… Death and violence and hate…

The killings between black and white, police and citizens in the U.S.A. and in Kenya;
Bombings and murder of Christians and other minority faiths in Iraq;
The seizing of Christian villages by Kurds;
The bombings and warfare in South Sudan;
The territorial advancement by China onto militarized coral reefs and artificial islands in the South China Sea as platforms for their nuclear arms;
Over a thousand people have ‘disappeared’ without trace and 40,000 have been arrested and tortured in the last 3 years in Egypt according to Amnesty International;
Hunger and lack of food in Venezuela that is being tackled by the army because it is so pervasive.

Lord, help us to persevere in the face of so many discouragements to do whatever little bit of good we can wherever we are. Together these small acts form channels for your love and grace to be freed to transform our brokenness and overwhelm evil. Lord hear us and bless us.

With a new government and a second female Prime Minister installed in the UK, we pray for the challenges to be faced together, from people of very differing viewpoints and convictions, so that the good of the country – as well as bridge-building to repair shaken if not broken relationships with other groups and countries – can be undertaken in honesty and integrity.

We pray that all those, everywhere, may listen to each other before leaping into superficial response and action. Our heavy use of social media often makes this a default position rather than pausing, reflecting, and even daring to take time to pray… We continue to pray for the often bitter and divisive presidential electoral campaign in the U.S.A. So often at times like this we seem to revert to appealing to the lowest common denominator instead of offering a vision of the best… Forgive us when we get seduced by the attractiveness of power – thinking it glamorous rather than often seedy and corrupting.

Remind us, O God:

Good is stronger than evil; love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is stronger than death. Victory is ours, through him who loves us…Child of God, known by name, and whose very hairs are numbered. Praise and adore God and thank him for ever and ever. ~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu in “An African Prayer Book”

LET ME…be son or daughter…listen…walk out of my prisons through opened doors…follow your guidance…open up my being to your grace and love…Study and imitate…the perfect sonship of Jesus the Christ…the universal brother…or all other sons and daughters.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, July 7, 2016

This has been one of those weeks, God…one of those weeks in which too many things have been happening- in my own life and in the lives of the rest of your children throughout the world.

Here in the United States, we are reeling with not one, but two shootings of black men by police officers, seemingly without reason, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. And late this evening comes the news of four police officers killed and at least seven others wounded by two snipers in Dallas, Texas, during a protest against the killings by police in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis. We want to have faith in, to trust those who have been commissioned to “Serve and Protect”; we want to have faith in those who protest the system; but it becomes more and more difficult to do so when, over and over again, that trust has been eroded.

And all we can say, with tears streaming down our faces, and our hearts filled with grief and confusion, is:
Lord, have mercy.

The citizens of Great Britain continue to reel after the Brexit vote, as everyday people wonder what this will mean for their lives, as the British pound is at its lowest level in more than 20 years, as young people wonder how this decision made by their elders will impact their lives in the years to come.

And all we can say, with tears streaming down our faces, and our hearts filled with grief and confusion, is:
Lord, have mercy.

In China, continued severe flooding has impacted thousands, while flooding in the state of West Virginia, U.S., has destroyed countless homes and lives which will have to rebuilt from scratch. And wildfires continue to rage in California, U.S., with hundreds of homes destroyed and thousands fleeing.

And all we can say, with tears streaming down our faces, and our hearts filled with grief and confusion, is:
Lord, have mercy.

The people of Turkey are reeling from the bomb attacks at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, with more than 50 dead and hundreds wounded; while the death toll in suicide bombings in Baghdad, Iraq, has risen to 292.

And all we can say, with tears streaming down our faces, and our hearts willed with grief and confusion, is:
Lord, have mercy.

In the midst of all this devastation and heartache is the reality of the plight of refugees worldwide – the millions who have fled their homes because of war, out of fear for their lives, leaving behind everything but what they could carry. Fleeing in the hope that, somewhere, there would be a welcome and a home for them – but often, encountering hate and prejudice and xenophobia at every turn.

And all we can say, with tears streaming down our faces, and our hearts filled with grief and confusion, is:
Lord, have mercy.

And so, in this difficult and painful week, bathe us with your healing balm, we pray. Be with all those who have lost a loved one; those who have lost all their earthly possessions; those who have lost a limb or lost their life. Be with all those who are fighting the fires and floods; those who are reaching out and rescuing, even at the risk of their own lives. Be with those – like us – who are being confronted on every side by things we do not understand but which lay us bare, leave us vulnerable, unable to see the light, even as we look toward you, who is that Light.

Heal us, Gracious God; heal this hurting world. And show us how to BE your light and healing, wherever we are.
Amen and amen

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, April 28, 2016

Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.’

God of comfort, God of peace, we are often fear-filled people. We regard our world through eyes clouded by tears of fear and frustration, making it difficult to see anything which can bring us peace. And yet, in our anguish, we turn to you, opening our fear-filled hearts in prayer. We pray about:

The beheading in the Philippines of Canadian, John Ridsdel, by militants linked to the radical Abu Sayyaf group.
The EU’s toughest asylum law, adopted by the Austrian parliament, aimed at immigrants from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, in their belief that refugees threaten national security.
The death of composer, singer, and musician, Prince, in the United States.
The struggle in Brazil to get ready for the Summer Olympics in the midst of political turmoil and economic recession, along with fears about the Zika virus.
The thousands of Nepali women being trafficked to China, India, and South Korea each year as sex workers and bonded laborers.
The controversial voter ID law upheld by District Judge Thomas Schroeder, as he stated that it does not disproportionately affect the poor and minority voters, something alleged by the U.S. Justice Department.

Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.’

You come to us in the midst of our fears, Gracious God, bringing us good news of hope; calling us to open our eyes to what is truly good in our world. And, so, even in the midst of our anguish, we open our hearts in prayer. We give thanks for:

Fifteen-year-old Omaima Hoshan, a Syrian refugee living in Zaatari refugee camp, who, inspired by the book, I Am Malala, is waging a campaign against child marriage.
Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, introducing new regulations to protect the waters around the Galapagos Islands as a marine preserve to protect endangered wildlife such as penguins and sharks.
The government of Columbia nearing a peace agreement with rebel forces to end a half-century of fighting, one of the longest conflicts in the world.
A key suspect in the November Paris bombings being handed over to authorities in France so that he can stand trial.

Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.’

And so we entrust our hearts and minds and lives to you, God of comfort, God of peace, and ask that you fill us with the peace that passes understanding, the peace that only you can give. Let it be so. Amen and amen.

World News This Week in Prayer- Thursday, April 7, 2016

He comes to us as One unknown,
without a name, as of old,
by the lakeside, He came to
those men who knew Him not.
He speaks to us the same words:
‘Follow thou me!’ and sets us
to the tasks which He has to
fulfill for our time. –Albert Schweitzer

You come to us, God, and yet we fail to recognize you, caught as we are in the trials and tribulations, in the sorrows and sins, of this daily life of ours.

You come to us in the rival Christian groups who are working together to save the holy site in Jerusalem described as the Tomb of Jesus.
You come to us in all refugees, in those migrants facing deportation to Turkey from Greece, in the more than 260,000 refugees of various nationalities in Yemen, in those fleeing violence in Honduras and El Salvador and seeking asylum in Mexico. We pray for those fleeing war, abuse, and poverty.
You come to us in those suffering from yellow fever in Kenya and China, in those suffering from curable diseases because they cannot afford the necessary medications.
You come to us in those who are drawn to or pressed into violence and terrorism throughout the world.

You come to us, O God, calling us to be agents of reconciliation, of health and healing, of justice and peace in our world, wherever we may be.

You come to us in neighbor and stranger, in those who look like us and those who look very different from us, in those who speak our language and those whose language sounds so foreign to our ears.
You come to us in the faces and lives of abused women and children, of victims of rape and child marriage and female genital mutilation, of those living year after year in refugee camps, of those who are perpetually hungry and thirsty and see no relief in sight.
You come to us in the voices of those calling for justice- in Burma, in Somalia, in the United States, in Syria, in Palestine, in Afghanistan.
You come to us in the cries of those demanding that their vote count, those demanding integrity on the part of their elected leaders- in England, in Iceland, in Russia, in China.
You come to us in the hopelessness of those living in poverty, wherever they may be, even as they look at the wealth which seems so far out of their reach.

You come to us and we fail to recognize you, caught as we are in our own cycles of self-pity and apathy. Yet you do not give up on us, even as you do not let us off the hook from doing your work in the world. Your voice speaks to us: ‘Follow me!’…on paths of justice which may be difficult and even dangerous, on journeys of compassion which may pull from us every ounce of courage and commitment. And you remind us, ever remind us, that we do not walk alone, for you are with us, guiding and guarding, leading and loving. Free us from the fears that bind us, that we may bring new life to the world.

You come to us, O God. May we be open to hearing your voice and to following your lead on this often-difficult journey we call Life. May it truly be so. Amen

World News This Week In Prayer – Thursday, January 7, 2016

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;…”
“I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Do not be afraid, for I am with you;” Isaiah 43: 1 & 5

“Why did he come? He came down that we may have love, … peace, … joy.” Cameroon (Africa) Carol

As we celebrate the Baptism of Christ our Orthodox brothers and sisters, those of the Coptic Church in Egypt, Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa are celebrating Christmas (7th January). We give thanks for the insights and depth of spirituality they share with us giving differing insights into our shared faith. We pray for those suffering oppression in Egypt, Somalia and Ethiopia as well as those millions of Iraqi Christians together with many Muslims, Yazidis and other faith groups, forced to flee the barbaric violence of Islamic State fundamentalists. So many refugees are starving in Iraq, in Syria and so many other places in our beautiful shared blue planet. As you and your parents were refugees, spur us to care for our brothers and sisters who are homeless, jobless, lonely, without hope or resources – and children going barefoot and hungry, often in deep snow.

Why did you come? Lord, you came down that we may have peace. Let peace start where we are and with those around us and reach out to those in need. Lord, hear us and help us.

Lord, forgive us for misusing and twisting the wonderful truths you have revealed to us especially through the Incarnation. Help us to understand the radical re-thinking of what is powerful in your eyes, a life of love.

We give thanks for the inspired approach in Nigeria de-radicalizing Boko Haram members in prison using sport (banned by BH), simple math education and teaching them how to think for themselves and not just parrot-like repeat teachings whether religious or political. Continue to help all those working with people seduced by false messengers that truth and justice will prevail. We rejoice for all opportunities given to those who feel as though they are nothing. Help us to value each other, encourage and enable each of your children – regardless of creed, color, culture or gender – to be the best they possibly can be. We give thanks, too, for the efforts of President Obama of the US to increase the responsible ownership of guns and reduce the epidemic of killing, especially of our young people. Sometimes we find it hard to recognize the need to limit our own wishes or desires for the greater good of all, especially the voiceless.

Why did you come? Lord, you came down that we may have peace. Let peace start where we are and with those around us and reach out to those in need. Lord, hear us and help us.

A few days into a new year and already there is economic turmoil with chaos in the China market hitting global share values. Help us to make economic decisions based on justice and equity, without exploiting others less protected than ourselves so we can have greater “convenience” in food, clothes, technology, and so many areas of our lives. We give thanks that Pope Francis is fighting to abolish child labor wherever it takes place describing it as an “authentic plague” even when in Uganda some children, to pay for their schooling, are being exploited on church-owned land leased by tea companies. Help us with the complexities of life.

The news continues: different countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, representing separate strands of Islam, fight each other and seek to obtain Africa’s loyalty through trade agreements. In Libya, police recruits are bombed and murdered. China seeks to encroach on neighboring countries’ territories. Questions simmer over a possible North Korean hydrogen bomb explosion. And the routine violence against women is still a major issue in many parts of the world especially in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Remind us of “the apocalypse of God’s love”, in Archbishop Justin Welby’s memorable phrase: the Incarnation, Love born as one of us, that totally explodes the myths supporting our cruelty towards each other rather than the challenging and life-changing as well as life-affirming choice to live according to God’s rule – of loving one another as He has and continues to love us.

Why did you come? Lord, you came down that we may have love. Let love start where we are and with those around us and reach out to those in need. As we try with your help to do this, reveal to us your joy. Lord, hear us and help us.

AMEN.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, November 12

Having but recently celebrated that moment “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month month” 97 years ago when the belligerents of World War I agreed to armistice, to the cessation of harmful deeds even in the absence of an agreed formula for a fully organized peace, let us lift hands and hearts in a spirit of armistice at our own 11th hour.

We pray for the end of:

death by suicide bomb in Beirut, Lebanon and anywhere else,
genocide in Burundi or anywhere else,
female genital mutilation in Kenya or anywhere else,
lethal travels for refugees from Syria or anywhere else,
torture in China or anywhere else,
legal, physical, political, and economic abuse.

God of prophets who have stormed in their critiques, we know such things are wrong. We pray you strengthen us to be your agents in ending such evils.

God of hearers of prophecy who have recognized error and changed their ways, we pray you use us to support others who are even more directly the agents in ending these wrongs.

We know that armistice is not enough. It is not enough that genocide and murder and mutilation are illegal. It is not enough that nations signed treaties or governments enact laws to protect children, to prohibit discrimination, or to guarantee security. We celebrate the end of the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, but without impassioned attention to public health, an epidemic will come again. Forgive us for the weakness that tempts us to think that if dangers recede, then they must have disappeared. Energize us with the vigilance we need to end the scourges of infectious disease. Equip us with the willingness to care for the desperate refugees who would come among us. Instill in us the creativity to confront drought and desertification. Let us never accept the slow starvation of famine.

And yet we pray as well that you give us a cheerful spirit to meet not just challenges we have named but even challenges whose nature we may not even guess. Give us a proper respect for free elections in Myanmar and let us be forthright in celebrating the ability of former enemies to transfer power legally and peacefully. Let us greet the efforts of young men in the United States and in Kenya and in Australia to protest the continuing racism that scars the faces of our societies. Let us welcome the willingness of individuals and of corporations to apologize for errors and to set themselves on corrective paths.

In this as in every hour, we need the direction of your purpose to make our own lives meaningful. In this as in every hour, the world needs us to act as your servants. In this as in every hour, we seek your blessing.

Amen

World News in Prayer This Week- Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015

Gracious and Good God, we come towards All Saints’ Day with darkness in our world and with hope for your light.

We pray for the saints who have entered your kingdom who healed individuals and neighborhoods. We pray for those angels among us: those who feed the hungry, comfort the aggrieved, and love their neighbors. We pray for the dying, the sick, and the hopeless, especially those who are alone in their pain and despair.

We pray for the saints who have entered your kingdom who improved the lives of children and families. We pray for families across the world who mourn the loss of children due to disease, malnutrition, and displacement. We pray for the families in China, where the one-child policy has ended. We pray for foster children and for their families. We pray for those who are unable to conceive.

We pray for the saints to have entered your kingdom who were travelers, who proclaimed your goodness, who founded communities, who were martyrs, and who brought peace into the world. We pray for South Sudan, where new reports of crimes against humanity are emerging. At least seven ceasefires have been agreed to and broken since conflict started in December 2013, and more than two million people have become refugees.

We pray for the saints who have entered your kingdom who were people of the cloth and people for the people. We pray for Nepal, which elected its first female president.

We pray for the saints who have entered your kingdom who were artists: musicians, poets, gardeners, teachers. We pray for the victims of school violence in Aberdeen, Scotland and in Columbia, South Carolina, USA. Help our schools to be safe havens for children, staff, and families. Help our cultures of violence to become cultures of love.

Since last All Saints’ Day, many of us have mourned the loss of someone who was a saint in our lives or in the lives of our loved ones. May we feel their heavenly presence more than their earthly absence. May they be missionaries of your love and protection.

We have darkness in our world and hope for your light. Amen.