Russia

World News this Week in Prayer, Thursday, November 12, 2020

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3-10

Dear God,

We know we are blessed. We know you have given us more than we could ever have imagined. You have given us people in our lives who we care about, more than we could ever say. You have given us love, nourishment, and our very lives. We have been blessed with neighbors around the world who are our siblings in you. As we sit blessed with so much, we also sit with so many people in our world who are suffering. So many who need your help. So many who need your blessing.

God, we ask for your blessing and your healing to those who are sick because of Covid-19. Our prayers for your dear people cannot cease until all are healed and your children stop dying even as we hear of surges world-wide. We are in need of your blessing as we care for those who are sick. Shield and sustain the nurses and midwives who tend the world night and day in this the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. We ask healing for our hearts especially as we grieve those lost to this horrible disease. Help us to hold up a candle signifying the light of abiding care as we celebrate this year the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.

God, we are grateful for a completed election in the US and as returns and counts and recounts continue. Sustain us. During this transition of political power, we ask that the burdens and sense of exhaustion be lifted for all of your children. We ask for your hope for a future that serves all people no matter who they are or from where they come. We pray that divisions are softened, knowing that love eternally prevails over hate. We pray for the transition in Bolivia as a new president is inaugurated. We pray that there might also be peace as new political leaders come into power. We pray that your people might have a blessed future of less division and more love.

We pray for your children in the UK as another recession is likely to occur due to Covid-19. We ask for all of those whose lives will likely change dramatically with the loss of income and jobs. We ask for your presence that you might bring a blessing to those who feel they have so little.

We pray for peace in Ethiopia as civil war unfolds again and a nation’s people are already spilling over borders for safety. As tensions continue to rise, we pray that somehow you may bring a blessing of peace to your dear people. May anxieties soften. May hope replace division and restore a community of love in your people.

We pray for those lives taken on a horrendous killing field in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Bring the world to action as we hear of the mounting heinous human rights violations in the name of combatting militants and opposition forces. We are sickened by the news of ISIS insurgents crimes as they set fire to several villages, beheading fifty people and chopping their bodies, while women from the villages were abducted. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Awaken us to the crime of inaction or too-late action as occurred during the Rwandan genocide over twenty-five years ago. We pray that this not be repeated.

We are so grateful, Lord, for peace in Armenia as the Prime Minister announced a peace agreement was signed with Russia and Azerbaijan to end war. We are so grateful, God, for peacemakers and we ask for your continued blessing as we seek peace to break division in a world filled with so much chaos.

We pray for our dear people in Hong Kong as the remaining pro-democracy lawmakers resigned in protest. We pray God that somehow your people might receive the rights they deserve and might be blessed with hope for a better future.

God, we know we are blessed, and yet we know there are so many who are in need of your blessing and your infinite peace. Guide us Lord that we might have hope for the future while we dwell in you. You alone are our greatest blessing, and in you we find our ultimate peace.

In your blessed name we pray.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thurs., October 29, 2020

We meet you in prayer this day, asking for hope and guidance during these times of great uncertainty.

We lift our hearts in prayer for all those protesting police brutality:

In Philadelphia, PA, U.S., where Walter Wallace, Jr., a black man experiencing a mental health crisis, was shot and killed by police.
In Nigeria amid the #EndSARS weeks-long protests, where dozens of unarmed demonstrators were killed this week at two different demonstrations.

We ask for Your peace, in place of our violence.

Less than a week before Election Day in the United States, many of us are nervously praying for a just election and for all who are able to make their voice heard at the polls.

We ask for Your calm, in place of our anxiety.

We pray for the world during this global pandemic as countries contemplate fresh lockdowns amid the surge of new Covid-19 deaths. Many of us feel completely discouraged.

We pray particularly for France, where there’s a record number of new cases.
And especially for refugee camps in Syria, where the cases have risen tenfold.

We ask for Your hope, in place of our despair.

We continue prayers for Syria, where violence is steadily escalating, and, this week, Russian airstrikes have killed more than 50, and injured many others.

We ask for Your love, in place of our hatred.

O God of all people, grant us open eyes, minds, and hearts: for all that we can learn during this uncertain time, for new understanding, for abundant generosity, and for more love, that we may learn to truly be Your beloved community.

Amen.

World News this Week in Prayer, Thursday, October 22, 2020

“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Dear God,

Our world is changing in ways that we never imagined. We are in need of your unwavering love. We live in a world which holds so much pain and need – need for hope, peace, expressed love, justice and heartfelt understanding. Comfort us. Strengthen us. God, our world might be changing, but you are changeless. You remain with us. Help us to find new ways to live and to love acknowledging our diversity and honoring differences.

God, relationships seem to be everchanging. When things fall apart, we ask that you bind us up, heal our spiritual brokenness and pain. We know, Lord, that you are a part of all of us, and so we know that you deeply care for all of our relations. Whether connections with family, friends, work mates and neighbors or in our expanding interactions around the world we ask that you bring your peace to one and many. We pray for the liaisons between China and the United States as tensions continue to rise. May peace always prevail and may conversations be stateswoman-like and more fruitful. We ask that you be with those in the United Kingdom and countries within the European Union as the economy is being affected and so many are already in need of help. We also pray for relationships that spiral into violence. We ask for your healing presence for those in Nigeria where anti-police violence protests continue. As demonstrators have been horribly wounded in Lagos, we pray that somehow all of your dear people might be protected and comforted.

We need your help, Lord, with our relationships. We are so grateful that although our human relationships might be shaken or fall severely apart at times, we know your spirit is woven into every part of our lives.

God, as new forest fires in Colorado destroy homes and force hundreds of people to evacuate, and fires are burning in Utah, United States we ask for your comfort. We ask that peace and safety be rendered to those who are suffering from natural and man made disasters throughout the world. Shore up the essential workers, firefighters and logistics teams that work day and night in great peril. Guard those who steward and safeguard parks, wetlands, preserves, great rivers and watersheds.

God, we are in need of your constant and abiding presence as we see Covid-19 cases and deaths sweep upward. With over 40 million cases worldwide, we are weary of knowing how best to help neighbors and distant kin. As we sort through ways in the UK, France, Spain, and Italy and around the world on how to disrupt the spread of this virus, help us to bear witness that your love encourages and strengthens. Although we are in deep need of change in this world guide us to find ways to protect our dear people. We ask for your cooling breath to come upon us all. May your shining presence always be there even as we forget that “yes!” you are always alongside us.

We pray for critical watch and diplomatic action as cyber attacks by Iran have targeted countries in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as hundreds of individuals and entities in 30 additional countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Guide us as we negotiate in this changing world.

God, sometimes it is so hard to not be dismayed and anxious and so we ask that you carry our fears and lift these burdens. Lead us God as we try to be spreaders of hope, peace, and understanding as we kindle new connections and rebuild old relationships. For your infinite love we are forever grateful.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

World News in Prayer- Thursday, October 15, 2020

1 Thessalonians 5: 1 – 3

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!

* Writer’s note: The writer to the Church in Thessaloniki was writing to a people who had thought the Roman empire would bring peace and security, but had found events turned out very differently. I reflect, Creator God, on my mother’s response to unexpected events. Her generation had, in the previous decade, lived through the 1939-45 war, supposedly the war to end all wars. So news of earthquake, volcanic eruption and armed conflicts sent her into fear that the world would dissolve in nuclear disaster.

What is it, Creator God, about humanity that we consistently desire peace but in our own image? We cannot seem to learn to live in your security, with a peaceful mind among disastrous events knowing that you have us engraved upon the palm of your hand.

There is a jumble of such thoughts and news in our minds at present, as we struggle to disentangle human engagement from natural disasters; otherwise we would be forced to face our own complicity in “natural” events.

We hold before you the floods and lives lost in southern India and wonder why the storm did not spin the other way over the fire on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. We pray for Hyderabad, India and for the firefighters, residents and students in Tanzania in the area of the National Park; for those threatened by and those fighting the continuing wildfires in California, U.S.A.; for those on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. battered by yet another hurricane.

As tentative talks on the Lebanon/Israel maritime border begin, we await the outcome as it is already blighted by thoughts from Israel that talks are not worthwhile if Lebanon’s economy collapses. We pray for the diplomats in these talks.

Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir, and other politicians detained by Indian authorities, following the revocation of the region’s autonomy last year, have been released. A year on from India’s scrapping of its agreement over Kashmir land-grabs and rising unemployment, we wonder about Nagorno-Karabakh: are there lessons the world should take there? We pray for the people of Kashmir and Nagorno-Karabakh.

As scientists say the Australian Great Barrier Reef is damaged beyond repair and dead sea life constantly washes ashore in Russia’s Kamchatka province, we pray for the scientists trying to turn the tide of our unwillingness to change our comfortable lives.

We thought pandemics didn’t happen in the modern world. Now, many European countries are returning to full or partial lockdowns and a number of pharmaceutical firms have halted their Covid-19 vaccination trials, and so we pray for all our world. Lord, hear our prayer and let our cry come to you.

Engraved upon my palms, yes, written on my hands in letters spelled out large for all to see, your name is marked forever, will never be removed. I’ll not forget that you belong to me.

As a mother tends her tiny child, I will care for you. You shall never be forsaken, never left alone. I’ll enfold you with my arms of love. I will comfort and surround

I love you with a love far greater than you’ve ever known. Right from the start I held you, I steadied your first steps, I led with cords of love that will not break, I took your hands and guided, I healed you with my touch. know I’ll be with you every step you take.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thurs., October 8, 2020

Editor’s note: World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated internationally on 5 October each year since 1994, commemorating the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers, which establishes standards for teacher rights and responsibilities, as well as teacher preparation and support. This year’s theme, “Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimaging the Future,” acknowledges the additional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic for teachers worldwide and seeks to remind us that we must support teachers, protect the right to education, and celebrate the accomplishments of teachers in responding to this current crisis and building the resilience needed to shape the future of education in our world.

A reading from the Psalms, chapter 86, verse 11: “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.”

And a reading from the Letter to the Colossians, chapter 3 verses 16 to 17: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Wise Teacher, you call us to learn to live in right relationship with one another. Political tensions deepen in places like Kyrgyzstan, where the contested and potentially corrupted results of a recent election have led to violence and unrest, and the United States, where similar violence and unrest have followed in the wake of disordered and inconsistent pandemic responses and racial inequalities.

Teach us to guard our hearts, to use our political and social power on behalf of the powerless and vulnerable, and to treat each other as the beloved children of God that they are.

Just Teacher, you call us to learn to live in right relationship with your creation. Storm Alex has proven deadly in the face of heavy rains and flash floods in south-eastern France and north-western Italy, yet so many of us refuse to acknowledge the ways our behavior affects the climate of this world we call home. The Pacific waters along the shore of Kamchatka, Russia, are so polluted that the water is discolored and dead sea life washes onto shore every day, but so many of us fail to connect our well-being and our very survival with good stewardship of the environment.

Teach us to tend your garden in the way you intend for us, with selflessness, love, and deep gratitude.

Loving Teacher, you call us to learn to live in right relationship with you. Open our eyes to see you in the faces of those who suffer, including mentally-ill children in Nigeria who are being discovered after years of abuse and neglect by their parents, the hundreds of Myanmar children who have been driven into illegal work in the seafood industry after the closure of migrant learning centers in the southern province of Ranong, and the impoverished millions who face starvation as the human-made famine in Yemen enters its fifth year.

Teach us to number our days, to understand who we are to whom we belong, so that we might apply our hearts, hands, and voices with wisdom.

Patient Teacher, you call us to learn, to teach, and to grow in our faith in you and in our love for others. Teach us respect and honor you, fill our hearts with the word of Christ, form us so that whatever we do, in word or deed, we might do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, September 10, 2020

May you be well,
And all whom you love,
And those you work with,
And all who eat of the crops you handle.

That has been my prayer/mantra at least one afternoon a week for the past month, as I joined with other volunteers to prepare 100,000 Covid-19 prevention kits to be given to agricultural workers in this part of California (U.S.). One washable cloth mask, one small bottle of hand sanitizer, several small multi-lingual instruction cards in each zip lock bag. One bag, one prayer. Fifty completed bags in each box; another prayer. Looking at the stacks and stacks of boxes ready to be delivered to the agencies who will pass the kits out; another prayer.

For all who face the risk of Covid-19, or extreme heat, or smoke, or drought, or flooding in order to feed themselves and others; for all who work in the fields, and harvest the seas, and nurture the livestock; for all who gather and transport and package and prepare the food we eat; for all who have barely enough food to survive, and those who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and those for whom mealtime is a feast of abundance:

May you be well,
And all whom you love,
And those you work with,
And all who share in the fruits of the planet.

It is so, so hard to pray for those who want to hurt us or endanger the lives of those we love. The Russian and Chinese (and probably other) agencies using social media to foment unrest and influence elections in other countries. Whoever started QAnon, and all the social media and dark web sites that are allowing its conspiracy theories to spread. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government, who have threatened to override elements of the Brexit withdrawal agreement with the European Union – even though that would violate international law. The Niger army that, instead of protecting civilians, has now been accused by Niger’s human rights commission of executing dozens of civilians during counterinsurgency operations.

Countries treating dissent as treachery: China, arresting people in Inner Mongolia who protest against the edict that Chinese language textbooks must replace Mongolian language ones; opposition leaders in Belarus who have been terrorized, detained, and threatened with deportation.

United States President Donald Trump, who has made more than 20,000 lies or misleading comments during the past 15 months – including, it has now been proven this week, lying repeatedly about the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, and repeatedly denigrating those who serve in the U.S. armed forces. And U.S. legislators who have failed to extend financial relief to the millions who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 and are now facing eviction and homelessness. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro giving in to international pressure to protect the rainforest against fires by imposing a 120-day ban on fires and deploying the army to badly-hit areas – while simultaneously declaring the fires a lie.

It is so, so hard to pray for them. And yet, it is like watching a teenager engaging in a risky activity despite everything you can do to dissuade them: you hope, and hope, and hope they will come to their senses before anyone gets hurt. Despite being terrified and furious, despite the desire to lock them in their room without privileges until they turn 30 (at least), still you pray for them to escape the worst consequences of their rash actions.

And so we pray for all governments and corporations and individuals who are endangering lives, and for those whose lives are endangered:

May you be well,
And all whom you govern,
And those who rule over you,
And all who must choose ways to live together in mutual benefit.

In California, Oregon and Washington (U.S.), the skies are orange, the sun invisible, and smoke and ash from the 56 major wildfires currently burning over 3.7 million acres is making the air unhealthy to breath; thousands have been evacuated. Greece is struggling to find shelter for the 13,000 migrants who had been living in the overcrowded Moria camp on the Island of Lesbos, until it was destroyed by fire earlier this week. Sudan is trying to protect its 2,300-year-old pyramids in Meroe from unprecedented flooding by the River Nile, which has also made thousands homeless. Yet, experts have known for at least 20 years how to manage forests and grasslands to prevent massive wildfires. We know how to treat migrants with dignity and safety. We have learned how to restore wetlands and floodplains to mitigate flooding. We are learning how to plant and farm in order restore depleted groundwater and break the cycle of desertification.

For those who are fighting natural disasters; for those waiting to hear if their homes have survived, for those living in fear, and those wondering how they will once again find the strength to start over; for those whose warnings and advice have been ignored, and those who know what to do but not how to rally massive support and resources:

May you be well,
And all whom you want to protect,
And the earth that we cherish.

Several well-known figures died this week. Chadwick Boseman, the U.S. movie actor who starred as Black American icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown, and inspired audiences worldwide as the regal Black Panther, died at age 43. Through him, many Black children for the first time were able to see themselves as strong, beautiful, worthy, and able to change the world. English actress Dame Diana Rigg, who starred in Game of Thrones and as Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, died at age 82. But it was her role as Emma Peel in the original Avengers that led a whole generation of young women to imagine themselves as bright, inventive, funny, and powerful against evil. Top South African human rights lawyer George Bizos died at age 92. He represented some of the country’s best-known political activists during the apartheid years, including defending Nelson Mandela, and became one of the architects of South Africa’s new constitution.

And then there are the living heroes whom virtually no one has heard of. In Nigeria, math teacher Basirat Olamide Ajayi came up with a way to help 12th graders prepare for crucial final exams despite the Covid-19 school closures, by offering free, 5-minute video classes online via Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram. She now has more than 1,800 students – and not only from Nigeria. Also in Nigeria, Anthony Mmesoma Madu, an 11-year-old male ballet dance student in a country where ballet is almost unknown, won the hearts of the world after a video of him dancing in the rain went viral. This week, he was awarded several scholarships to continue his studies in the United States, and his teacher, self-trained Daniel Ayala, also received a scholarship for a two-week intensive U.S. training program for ballet teachers. In Sweden, a secret group of artists is sneaking stunning miniature installations for mice into public spaces in the dead of night. The clandestine collective ― called Anonymouse ― has installed 25 pieces*, mostly in cellar windows, across Sweden, in France and on the Isle of Man. In Jerusalem, Israel, hospitals are enlisting those who recovered from Covid-19 and are antibody positive, to visit hospitalized patients who would otherwise be in isolation. In Singapore, two mothers who lost sons to suicide have started the PleaseStay movement, urging a national strategy to address youth mental health and suicide, to break the taboo against talking about these topics, and – most poignantly – to urge troubled teens and youngsters, to “please stay.”

For all heroes, alive and dead, great and small; for the hope they give us; for those whom they inspire:

May you be well,
And all whom you help,
And all whom you inspire,
And all who gladly enliven the world.

For all of who you read, and share, and pray these prayers:

May you be well,
And all whom you love,
And the great, wonderful, terrifying and awesome world you surround with your prayers.

Amen.

*Ok, we can’t resist: here’s a website where you can enjoy some of Anonymouse’s creations: https://www.instagram.com/anonymouse_mmx/?utm_source=ig_embed

World News this Week in Prayer, Thursday, August 13, 2020

Holy Creator,

You are at our Beginning and our Ending, the one who wakes us in the morning and settles us to sleep at night. When we move through the fog of uncertainty, bring a piercing light of a clarity, even if just for a moment. When we want to plop down in heaps of grief, abide with us until we are granted the strength to go on. And when we want to dance with excitement or joy over something that might seem insignificant to others, show us how to celebrate truly. Even while socially distanced, reveal the ways that we do not dance and rejoice alone. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving Lord, We pray for our world, as we move through more days, more deaths, more recoveries, and more challenging conversations around Covid-19. This week we pray particularly for those working with coronavirus in India, the UK, the United States, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa. No one person is experiencing this on their own. No one community makes decisions by themselves. Teach us how to live and move and experience our being as your people, whose responsibilities are bound with each and other, beings whose lives are wholly dependent upon you. Reveal your presence to those who are grieving or anxious and in social isolation. Guide each of us towards a fuller understanding of this disease and our interdependence on all of Creation.

We pray for our neighborhoods around the world, where protests by community members over life and death concerns continue, even after media vans have moved away. We pray for every village or city where people seek to safely gather in the name of peace, asking for recognition and reparations for their neighbors. This week we pray particularly for those in Belarus, Hong Kong, China, and Portland, USA. Show us how to speak words of solidarity that matter. Illuminate for us how to take actions that make a difference. Center us in you. Grant us your vision and hope. Teach us how to walk with each other down the long road of justice.

We pray for Beirut, Lebanon and all Lebanese people, as their communities are convulsed by the aftereffects of the ammonium nitrate explosion. Hold the people close through their devastation. Guide all government proceedings through their tumult. Bind up the brokenhearted and give strength to the rescue workers. Teach us how to support and accompany their journey towards recovery and justice. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Advocating Spirit, As students, teachers, parents, and communities face decisions around the start of school—all around the world, and particularly throughout the United States–grant wisdom, discernment, and compassion to those who are making decisions on behalf of our most vulnerable.

As our world continues to wake up to the effects of climate change, help us learn how to combat the harm from the recent oil spill in Mauritania. We hear of the split, collapse and now free-floating Milne ice shelf – the last in the Arctic a marine protected area known as the Tutvaijuittuq in Nunavut, Canada.

Show us how to live alongside and aid climate refugees all over the world. As we open our eyes to the world’s needs, we pray that you will abide with those whom we do not know by name, whose stories we read on a quick scroll through our feed. Be with those affected by the mud slide in Kerala, India. Be with those caught in the cross fire of violent battles in Mocimboa da Praia, Mozambique. Be with those living through the emergence of deadly conflicts in Port Sudan, Sudan. Breathe into the lives of these, your beloved children. Bring your comfort, your power, your love, where your children are crying out.

We sometimes do not have words to pray as we ought. Pray through us with your Spirit.

In all these things, we discover again our finitude. In all these moments, we place ourselves back into your arms of mercy and grace. Show us how to delight in what is good, to confront what is cruel, to heal what is damaging. Give to us a discerning strength to move into the next moment, the next day, the next act of compassion and courage.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

In all these things, abide with us, O Spirit and Word of Comfort and Truth.

Amen.

World News in Prayer – Thursday, 30th July 2020

I never anticipated that now, in the midst of an abundant summer following a beautiful spring, we would still be living out a winter spirituality. But the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought this upon us.

But…We’re All in This Together, Right?….except….

Lowering of pollution that first month—the air so crisp and clear and breathable. Everything stood out in beautiful colors.

The pandemic has starkly revealed the economic, racial and social inequalities of the status quo in so many countries of both hemispheres which makes for poor physical and mental health in all sections of the population, an increase in injustice and unstable communities. We remember the people of Portland, Oregon, USA and other cities where political machismo is rampaging over elected officials and the populace; for the democracy candidates in Hong Kong being imprisoned and denied their right to stand; for activists in so many countries standing up against corruption and violence, losing their lives and disappearing without trace: be close to those in China, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Russia, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Lord, you are the God of justice and truth: lead us from darkness to light

We have seen that people of color and the poor have borne the brunt of the crisis: much higher rates of virus infection and morbidity as well as greater economic devastation. Help all those researching in the UK, the USA, India and elsewhere for the reasons for this. May we all embrace the proven results and change what is wrong and protect our brothers and sisters of all colors and creeds.

Lord you created us all in your image. Open our eyes to see the beauty in the diversity you have created and celebrate our differences as well as similarities. Together we make up a beautiful image reflecting You.

The Pandemic has laid bare the gross social inequities in our nations and the many things we have taken for granted which have failed us.

Help us to embrace that the new “now~” has to be different from the old “normal” if we want our children to have a future on this wonderful blue marble we call home, Earth.

Sojourners Magazine calls this Kairos time—”a propitious moment for decision or action.” Certainly we have seen an alarming escalation of hate crimes (especially targeting Asians) in many countries whether the predominant population is white or of color. We name for healing our own countries… but also South Africa, Russia, China, Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, Greece, Hungary.

We give thanks for the generosity and welcome of individuals daring to stand out from the crowd to share your Love and welcoming heart to those fleeing violence, war and starvation. Thankfully we have also seen a broad shift in attitudes and perceptions around the nations. Mercifully and providing a source of hope, the new generation is choosing not to tolerate what has been accepted for too long by too many people. This is very encouraging, but I must remind myself of the shortness of attention spans and the limits of bureaucratic imagination. Will our changing cultural consciousness have a real effect on laws, policies or practices of our flawed social structures?

The bottom line is: We cannot go back to “normal” because “normal” is what got us here.

A statement from URI (United Religions Initiative USA) regarding this moment of choice sums it up for us:

“We choose love.
We choose compassion.
We choose non-violence.
We choose equality.
And we choose to dedicate our lives to creating cultures of peace, justice and healing.”

We choose to follow you, Jesus, Prince of Peace. Send your Holy Spirit to fill us with hearts brimming over with love for one another and the planet and all its component plants, resources and creatures which you have created for each one of us to enjoy and have our needs not our wants met.

‘God of grace, you invite the despised,
you touch the unclean,
you lift the head
of those who are brought low:
give us that hope against all hope
for a world transformed
by your healing touch;
through Jesus Christ,
the mercy of God. Amen. ‘

(Steven Shakespeare, Prayers for an Inclusive Church)

(Inspired by and adapted from
The Canticle, July 2020, Voice of the Community of St Francis, Province of the Americas)

World News This Week in Prayer- Thursday, May 21, 2020

Even as the world turns, it seems the world has stood still in the shock of the pandemic. But we know this is not truly so, even as we know that you, Lord, hold all in your hand and love what you have created.

Science tells us that hurricanes and cyclones will continue to get more powerful – this week we are told that the ozone friendly chemicals we turned to thinking they would protect our atmosphere are themselves harmful. Lord, help us get our responses right.

As Cyclone Amphan makes landfall (Wednesday afternoon) on the Sundabans off Bangladesh / India with an expectation that it will track across Bangladesh and India as far as Bhutan. In this supercyclone, the first in the Bay of Bengal for 20 years, people are already dying. Lord help us to remember that science is not always the answer, but only provides a way for us to begin to understand the world you have made.

With shock, we pray for the residents who have been evacuated in the state of Michigan in the United States where dams have collapsed following days of heavy rain. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for areas near the Tittabawassee River after the Edenville and Sanford dams burst.

Even as heavy rain lashes these areas, so drought builds across parts of Europe and wildfires burn in Arizona, Florida, Britain. Lord, help us get our responses right.

Lord, hear the cries of those in regions we don’t often hear about. Local officials in Russia’s Dagestan region have described the situation there as a “catastrophe”, with reports of a rising death toll and serious shortages of equipment. Officially the region has recorded 36 deaths from the Coronavirus with more than 3,600 cases but health officials say hundreds more have died of pneumonia, including 40 medics.

We pray for the migrant workers of India, faced with walking many hundreds of miles home and dying of exhaustion on the way. Without their labor, modern India would not be built. Lord, the worker is worthy of his hire ; you hear and know the cries of the desperate. Lord, help us get our responses right.

We pray for those whose Government’s response to the Covid 19 crisis is less than compassionate; for the people of Brazil who are faced with “fake news – this is only a mild flu”; for the people of Britain and the U.S. whose governments had dismantled pandemic procedures previously in place; for the residents of Sweden’s care homes who are not being hospitalized when taken ill.

There is good news; we give thanks. On the remote Australian island, the Norfolk Island morepork owl, with an estimated population of only 45-50, has had two owl chicks survive to fledgling, the first to do so in more than a decade. White storks have hatched for the first time in over 6 centuries in England while, on world bee day, Monmouth in Wales has officially become the first ever “Bee Town”

We hear that scientists in Australia may have found a way to prevent coral bleaching – a killing event caused, in part, by ocean warming

Following the maternity ward attack on the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing at least 24 people, including newborns, mothers and nurses, we give thanks for the nursing mothers who have visited the hospital to feed the orphan babies. Lord, help us get our responses right.

Lord of all and every situation we place all this, our environment, our selves in your hand, may we respond to you in love so that our responses are loving and right for your world. Let it be so. Amen

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World News in Prayer – Thursday, 12th March 2020

Every little thing is sent for something, and in that thing there should be happiness and the power to make happy. Like the grasses showing tender faces to each other, thus we should do, for this was the wish of the

Grandfathers of the World. Black Elk, (1863-1950)

Oh God, we read these words from a holy man who lived not so long ago. We have heard in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus’s words to his disciples of certain strength in the meek. We are reminded of his teachings to care for the poor and the least or marginalized. We remember that Jesus came humbly and joyfully into Jerusalem on a donkey with her colt – not the horse a symbol of war.

The ways and acts of peace are tender. They seem fleeting and small. Help us like the very grasses to act with hearts shining toward each other. As we turn to each other we ask that we may we see the other. Help us to pass the peace and love you have offered us through your son Jesus Christ.

We are grateful for the communication systems that connect each country through reporting and analyzing data to understand the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is on our minds night and day.

We are grateful for the common sense public health measures and call to action of simple hand washing not hand wringing.

We pause in our hearts. We grieve for the families whose elders have been swept away by the virus. Replace fear during increasing lockdowns with focus and quiet action. Help us in unforeseen ways to grow in our understanding of our connectedness. Safeguard the emergency and health care teams and families exposed across the continents. We name them out loud thinking of the peoples in locked down regions…knowing the list will grow.

Africa – Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa

Americas – Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Guadalupe, Mexico, United States

Eastern Mediterranean – Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates

Europe – Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Herzegovina, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia (23%), San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Southeast Asia – Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Western Pacific – Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, North Korea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia (77%), Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam

In celebration of International Women’s Day this past Sunday there comes singing, clapping and dancing, tears and laughter. Help us to receive the wisdom from indigenous women of the Ecuadorian Tribal Nations of Kofan, Siona, Siekopai and Waorani peoples as we hear their voices: “We are at the forefront of our peoples’ struggles and victories against the exploitation of our natural resources of extractive industries. From monitoring our territories and confronting emerging invasions to leading sustainable economic alternatives to resource extraction and shaping a vision for the education of our children and grandchildren, we are creating solutions for the long-term protection of a forest we all depend upon for life. And now, we are also training to become journalists and filmmakers in order to share our stories and struggles from a female perspective.” Lord we ask you to amplify their words: “We come with love and peace, we, women from four indigenous nations of the Western Amazon in Ecuador, are fighting against the threats to our forest.”

We end this weeks prayers for the hungry – the over 820 million people who have suffered from hunger in 2018, the greatest number since 2010 as reported by the World Meteorological Organization released this past Wednesday.

We ask for your mercy in these times.

Increase our compassion.

Sustain us in doing your will.

Amen.