World in Prayer

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, May 16, 2019

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35 (NRSV)

Loving God,
Jesus commanded the disciples to love one another.
But loving is so very hard!
Sometimes I am wounded by the words of others.
Sometimes I am abused by others.
And, it is so very hard to love when I’m hurting.

Jesus commands us to love as we have been loved,
sacrificially,
unconditionally,
radically.

Help me,
help us altogether,
help us each,
to proclaim,
to embody,
to incarnate,
your love for the world,
your love for our neighbors,
your love for ourselves.

Lover of Peace, turn our hearts from anger, strife, discord, and hatred, and let us pray at this time for those countries suffering at the hands of war and violence; to Burkina Faso where gunmen killed six people during Mass at a Catholic church; to Sudan where another six were killed in political protests and Sri Lanka where revenge attacks on Muslims are taking place in the aftermath of the Easter bombings. Let your love reign amongst and between us and be a shining example for us to emulate.

Seeker of the Lost, open our eyes to see those around us, and around the world, who are all-too-often overlooked.
Healer of the world, prod us to reach out to the unclean, vulnerable, and abandoned.
Resurrected Lord, remind us again of your transformative presence with each, and all, of us.

Let us thank you Lord, for the relief to the families of the 54 women and children in Nigeria who have been freed from Boko Haram this week and for the many charities dedicated to supporting and working for the many countries in dire need of emergency aid, especially in North Korea where up to ten million are in urgent need of food assistance in their worst drought in 37 years.

May the world know us,
May the world know you,
Because of the love you have for us,
Because of the love we have for you, for one another, and for ourselves.
—Amen

 

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, April 25, 2019

Holy One,

Your Name is above all names, it is so high that we cannot attain it, yet still we seek it. And when we cannot find you, when we do not understand what is happening, when our hearts quake with fear and our spirits tremble with unknowing, when we stumble and search and seek after your face, a beloved face that seems so far from us, that is when YOU call us by name. As you did with Mary on Easter, you pierce through the mystery and call us, claim us, love us. As you did on Easter, you reveal that you are not removed from the world, but that you are here, with us, through death and life, in the tomb of decay and the garden of growth, you are with us here in the world.

Reveal yourself to us today.

Where we see violence and destruction in the bombings of churches throughout Sri Lanka, where we watch the aftermath of shootings, as in New Zealand, reveal the wings of your comfort, the shelter of your arms, the balm of your care.

Where we see vigilante militias along the United States border treat refugees and asylum-seekers as criminals, reveal the power of your justice, the commitments of your love, and the renewal of your protection.

Where we see the violence in Libya where hundreds are dying and over one thousand wounded in the battle for control of the capital, Tripoli, reveal your compassion and wisdom to bring these fighting factions to achieve peace for the country’s people.

Where we see the brutality of domestic abuse and the secrets of family pain, as with the family found in the cave in Spain, reveal to us how you grieve the loss of your children, how you rage at the ways we abuse each other or do not to see the abuse of each other, how you call us to commit again to caring for your vulnerable ones.

Where we see political protests in places around the word, like Sudan and Hong Kong, reveal how you lift up the lowly and bring down the mighty from their thrones. We know that not all shouting voices should be given the megaphone, yet we also know that what we think of as power and might, will pass away as grass in your sight.

Where we see the erosion of environment and the increasing anxiety over resources, with loss of rainforests in Brazil and months of drought in Australia, reveal how you have poured your care into every aspect of Creation, and how you demand that we more faithfully steward this world entrusted to us.

Where we see tragedy and death this week from the natural elements in the Philippines from earthquakes, landslides in Columbia and floods and mudslides in South Africa, reveal your consoling arms to surround these victims and their bereaved loved ones in love and strength to endure their loss.

Where we need to see your face, Lord, we pray that you will show up before us and remind us again that nothing, not even death, will separate us from you.

You have called to us before. Call to us now.

Amen.

World News in Prayer – Thursday 18 April 2019

Holy One,

As Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France burned this week, so many millions of us were bound together in heartbreak. As Notre Dame emerged damaged but not fully destroyed, so many millions were bound together in hope. As we consider Paris and Notre Dame, we pray for fulfilling and fruitful work of healing and rebuilding; we pray that this rebuilding might continue to draw us all together in a community of care.

We realize that such unity is how you hold the world at every moment. You gaze upon us with such sorrow when we destroy the world that you created. You gaze upon us with such delight when we work to save and strengthen the kin-dom you promise. You hold us all in your embrace. We seek to be united as we were this week – but rather than united by bonds of horror-filled helplessness, we pray that we might be united by bonds of awestruck, peaceful rejoicing. Teach us how to care for this world that you loved so deeply that you died for it.

Lord, hear us and answer our prayer.

Teach us how to love this world through the bleakness of Holy Week and into the earth-shaking radiance of Easter morning.

Lord, hear us and answer our prayer.

As we read the Easter story, teach us how to care for women who are not believed when they tell their stories; for men who hide their fear and despair in order not to be seen as “weak”; for authorities who make decisions that send unseen ripple effects through the generations.

Lord, hear us and answer our prayer.

As we consider this world that you love, teach us how to care for those grieving after the bus accident in Madeira, Portugal for those affected by rockets in Tripoli, Libya; for those protesting in Khartoum, Sudan after political unrest; for those caught up in tension over the upcoming election in Ukraine; for those living with economic crisis in Venezuela, for those living with widespread violence in Yemen.

Lord, hear us and answer our prayer.

And this week particularly, teach us how to care for other sacred places under threat – for the 3 historic and historically black churches that were burned by a terrorist in Louisiana, USA; for the Al-Aqsa mosque that burned in Jerusalem, Israel; for synagogues after last fall’s mass shooting in Pittsburgh, USA; for the religious lands of indigenous people across the globe, which have been sacrificed countless times across the years for new developments and pipelines.

Lord, hear us and answer our prayer.

This week we acknowledge that darkness is real and that death will make a stand.

Lord, hear us and know that in the midst of such darkness and conflict, we trust in your light, love and power.

Yet this week we also declare with prayers and shouts, instruments and song, that death shall not have the final word. You are doing a new thing, even when all seems lost.

We pray these things because you are alive and with us. Living Lord, unseal the tomb, roll away the stone, and reveal to us how you are transforming the world.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, August 16, 2018

God, today is one of those days when it is hard to pray. One of the days when life feels so overwhelming that shutting down might seem like the best option. And on days like today, we have this community of prayer that lifts us up. Right now, we pray for each one reading this prayer right now, each one hearing this prayer right now, and each one needing prayer right now. Although we may be unknown to each other, we are known to you, O God of all people.

Whatever our daily lives may bring, it can be easy for us to get caught up in ourselves and forget You and Your beloved children. We often look past the struggles of others and choose frustration rather than empathy. We often see one another as competition rather than brothers and sisters. Help us to really see, and know, each other – that we may feel our connection to You and to Your world more and more each day, we pray.

Holy One, we lift up our prayers for your Divine creation all over the world:

  • For the 48 people who have been killed and the 67 who were injured in the suicide bomb explosion at an education center in Kabul, Afghanistan.
  • For the 39 victims of a collapsed bridge in Genoa, Italy, and the survivors of the 40 vehicles that fell 45m (148′) in Tuesday’s collapse.
  • For the thousands of victims of the abuse by more than 300 priests accused of sexual abuse in Pennsylvania, USA, over several decades.
  • For the 47 or more people who overdosed on synthetic marijuana, or K2, in New Haven, CT, USA on Wednesday.
  • For the more than 21 victims of the boat carrying school children that sank crossing a flooded area near the Nile River in Sudan, Africa.
  • For the more than 100 people thought to be dead in devastating monsoon floods in India – the worst in almost a century.

Comfort those experiencing grief and loss. Relieve those who are suffering. Bring strength to those who are hospitalized, confined to homes, or undergoing tests. We pray the day when we all recognize that no matter where we are from in the world, what we look like, or what we believe, we are bound together as one human family.

Eternal God, by whose power we are created and by whose love we are sustained, although we know You are always with us, on the days when it is hard to pray for ourselves, on the days when Your love may feel a little further from us, may we be lifted up by our sisters and brothers, who You have created for this very purpose. And on the days when we feel strong, may we be moved to honor Your creation with our thoughts, prayers, and actions.

We ask all of these things in Your many Holy names. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, May 10, 2018

Lord, we come before you

Prayer is communication that invites at-one-ness with You, the source of our being.  We call you God, and as revealed in the flesh, Jesus.  We ask for empowerment. Transform us with the life-giving force of the Holy Spirit.  Make us channels of the your Eternal Love, Light, and Grace. Help us to continue this work of transformation, of ourselves and of all creation.

Lord, in your mercy hear us

As You are One, You call us to this oneness yet we are so divided by what should unite us, our religious beliefs, diverse cultures, resources and desires. You have shown us glimpses of Yourself according to what we are willing and able to receive, then, too often, we become exclusive and possessive.  Thinking we own the truth, we denigrate others.

We see this in the tensions in India between Hindus and Muslims leading to the torture, rape and murder of young girls.  Coptic Christians being attacked in Egypt. Conflict and sectarian violence continuing in Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Nigeria and elsewhere around the world.

Lord, hear us and forgive us

You call us to care and nurture all creation, yet so often we treat it cavalierly and out of greed, abuse our resources. The continuing deforestation of huge swathes of Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, and even in protected ancient forests such as Poland. New gigantic off-shore platforms near Australia are drawing natural gas resources to meet our insatiable greed for energy.

Lord, teach us stewardship and how to touch the earth lightly for the benefit of all and generations to come.

Lord, hear us and forgive us.

We give thanks for the work in the United Arab Emirates by scientists from Norway who have developed a method to pump liquid clay nano-particles into sandy desert so that crops are planted in seven hours instead of seven years. Water required to grow these crops is also reduced by up to 50%. The blooming of the desert is a closer reality.

We give thanks too for the female armed rangers in southern Zimbabwe who are protecting highly endangered elephants from poachers.  Unlike their male counterparts, they are not succumbing to corruption or pressure but are arresting poachers even from their own villages or families.  Often having survived abusive relationships, these women can now send their children to school and support them.

Lord, continue to strengthen those taking such creative action in solving problems we humans so often have created.

Lord, we bless your holy Name: hear us and bless us.

We continue to remember all who fear. Remember those experiencing natural disasters such as in Hawaii, U.S., and dust and electrical storms in India.  Guide our leaders as we watch such political posturing as between North Korea and the rest of the world. Give us discernment in the Iranian nuclear discussions and in the latest financial crisis in Argentina.  Comfort those experiencing the devastating wave of knife crimes in London, England among the young. Be with those imprisoned throughout the world without trial or justice, those lonely, those who feel they have no self-worth.

Help us to reach out as need presents itself in all its forms.  We have heard your Truth. Prompt us to act on it and live it in our daily choices and decisions.

Lord, hear and answer our prayers for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ who opened the way for Your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. 

World News this Week in Prayer – April 5, 2018

An Aftermath Prayer

(Luke 24:32-33)

Holy God, You defeated doubt and death on Easter morning. You turned the world of what is possible and impossible upside down. You gave us Resurrection.

Now comes the aftermath.

In the aftermath of many things in life we often fail to follow through with our joy, our intentions, our beliefs, our commitment. On that first Easter day some of Jesus’ followers struggled to believe. In the aftermath their tests were many.

God of Easter we count on You in all the days after, when Easter joy fades and circumstances challenge our faith.

In the aftermath of hurricanes across the Caribbean nations, the United States and it’s territories, help us not to forget the work of rebuilding and long recovery.

In the aftermath of refugees escaping Syria, Libya, Eritrea and Myanmar help us not to forget their need for peace and freedom from fear.

In the aftermath of families torn apart by immigration policies help us not to forget their love for each other and your love for the world.

In the aftermath of gun violence help us not to forget our stewardship of life.

In the aftermath of a martyrs assassination 50 years ago and as the tolling of the Clayborn Temple bell echos around the world help us not to forget that the work of freedom and justice calls us.

In the aftermath of misrule in Zimbabwe and Venezuela help us not to forget the yearnings of people to live free.

In the aftermath of religious persecution in China, North Korea and Pakistan help us not to forget the sacred in each worshipper.

In the aftermath of plant closings, wag discrimination, downsizing and outsourcing, help us not to forget that all work has dignity, that all workers need and deserve respect.

In the aftermath of atrocities and continuation of the horrendous civil wars in Sudan and Burkina Faso and Yemen help us not to forget the Prince of Peace who lives still.

In the aftermath of age-old enmity in the Balkans and in the Middle East help us not to forget the truth of Amazing Grace.

In the aftermath of this life, in this age, we pray that we experience your Emmaus-like presence and find our “hearts burning within us” (Luke 24:32-33), compelling us to declare “It is true. The Lord has risen.”

In our aftermath may we live the Good News. Amen.

World News in Prayer – April 20, 2017

 “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 Peter 1.3

Lord, giver of life, let us live our lives to the full, with humility, care and compassion and in your Son’s image. Let us forgive where forgiveness is sought. Let us strive to ease the burdens of others and in so doing lighten our own load. We ask of you in your infinite wisdom, to cherish us all in this world you created and protect those who cannot protect themselves. During this Easter season let us pray, as Jesus taught us, for our brothers and sisters around the world and remember the very power of that prayer.

  • We thank you Lord for the safe recovery of 6,000 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea last weekend and the continued efforts of those involved. Let our thoughts and prayers turn to all refugees whose lives are lived in the desperation of poverty, in the fear of illness and treatment, in the struggles for freedom and justice, in the weariness of war, and in the bleakness of despair. We imagine you, Holy God, seeing the precious lives of your loved ones in each nation, each with their own struggle and pray that if they, and we are your children, as was our risen Christ Jesus, that you help us to see clearly who and what we are to one another.
  • We pray for all those countries involved in continuing conflicts; for the violence in South Sudan where tens of thousands have been killed and thousands more are fleeing the border from targeted ethnic killings perpetrated by mostly government forces; for the rising tensions over North Korea where the United States is desperately seeking to solve and ease relations after a failed missile test on Sunday by the totalitarian regime, and for the ongoing conflict in Syria. As we hear that the death toll from a bomb attack on a crowded bus convey near Aleppo, Syria has reached at least 126, to include 68 children, we pray for those innocent souls caught up between the warring sides. Let us think of all countries’ service personnel in active duty around the world and ask that you will keep them safe until they return home to their families and those they love.
  • In Sri Lanka, we pray for those dead and missing from a landfill collapse which occurred as people celebrated their New Year and for the crew of a cargo ship that went down in heavy seas off the Black Sea coast near the Crimea. We pray for the five killed in a light aircraft crash near Lisbon, Portugal and for the 12 Saudi solders who died in a helicopter crash in Yemen. In the Philippines, we pray for the 24 people killed when a bus plunged into a deep ravine and for the three men fatally shot and another wounded in a suspected race attack in Fresno, California, US. Lord, have mercy on those who mourn, who feel numb and crushed, are filled with the pain of grief and whose strength has given up. Lord, in your steadfast love give us peace and courage and take away our fear through the dying and rising of Jesus your Son.

Father, may we feel and realize your presence in the coming week, and in the magnificent strength it commands, let us think of the stone of Christ’s tomb and as it was, so roll away the stones of illness, despair, worry and fear and pour the light and joy of his resurrection into our lives. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thurs., Jan 26, 2017

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
– Jesus, spoken as he was being crucified (Luke 23:34)

For almost 17 years, World In Prayer has been posting prayers based on international news, trying to say and show that every human being, in every country, is beloved by God. Trying to find the words over and over again to care, to long for healing and peace. To offer up to God this planet, this world; from the its tiniest atoms to its greatest mountains; every plant, every creature, every person, every nation. To know, in some way beyond the deepest knowing, that prayer – our collective prayers – somehow matter, somehow become part of how God weaves the universe together.

Those of us who take turns writing the weekly prayers come from several countries on two continents. We try, in as much as is humanly possible, to see beyond the concerns of our own nations, and listen for the needs of the world. Yet I, who write tonight’s prayers, am an American. And in view of the horrors that have been unfolding in this country since the installation of our new president last Friday, today I can only pray through the lens of what’s been happening here.

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

In my lifetime, step by incremental step, the U.S. has become increasingly committed to the civil rights of its citizens. We have guaranteed voting and educational rights and banned discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or sexual preference. We have enacted laws to make businesses accessible to the handicapped. We have prevented health insurance companies from refusing to cover those with pre-existing conditions, or setting lifetime coverage maximums.  We set limits on pollution, and abuse of consumers by mortgage lenders and other big businesses. We were starting to seriously talk about systemic racism and economic inequities. It wasn’t perfect (it could never be perfect), but when I look back over the past 50 years, wow, had we come a long way.

Yet in one short week, under the new administration, this has all been overturned or is under threat. The U.S. has unilaterally withdrawn from the Trans Pacific Partnership. The president has said that we will leave NATO and the United Nations, and made statements in favor of torture, and use of nuclear weapons. He has reneged on promised foreign aid, jeopardizing the health and survival of millions. He has ordered a wall to be built along our border with Mexico, and when the Mexican government refused to pay for it, has threatened a 20% tax on all goods imported from there. He has said the U.S. will no longer accept refugees, blocked travel to the U.S. from Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Iran, Libya and Sudan for at least the next 30 days (even for those who already have visas or family in the U.S.); has repeatedly talked about a registry for Muslims in this country; and promises to hire 10,000 more immigration officers to remove all illegal immigrants from the country. Consumer safeguards have been rescinded; plans for two hotly-contested oil pipelines (considered by many to be environmentally dangerous) have been sped up; environmental protections and commitments to work against climate change have been ended.  Ethics and conflict of interest concerns are being dismissed. Health care access has been cut back and an estimated 20-30 million may lose their health care as a result; education is under threat; federal agencies have been ordered not to release any scientific studies or speak to the press or public without prior approval from the administration; blatant lies and outright falsehoods are being touted as legitimate “alternative facts”.  Several states are following suit in proposing or passing legislation that is against the U.S. Constitution and prior Supreme Court rulings.

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

For those in any country who put profits above persons,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

For those who seek self-aggrandizement,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

For those who deny science, education, knowledge,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

For those who trample on the needs of the poor, the ill, the elderly, the disabled
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

For those who uphold nationalism against mutual humanity,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

For those who perpetuate hatred,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
They do not know the harm they cause.
They do not know the joy of compassion.

They do not know…
…that even within the damage they are wreaking,
the seeds of the Kingdom of God have been planted
and are growing strong.

They do not know…
…that the time will come when
The poor will be blessed,
and the grieving, comforted.
The meek shall inherit the earth,
and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.
The merciful will receive mercy,
and the peacemakers will be revered as children of God.

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
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 4th 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 – Thurs., April 14, 2016

“While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”
–Luke 24:15-16

Risen one, you are here. Here, as we look at the video released this week by the Boko Haram group in Nigeria, that appears to show some of the 276 girls kidnapped two years ago in Chibok are still alive. You are here, among those girls – and among the 400 others kidnapped seven months later in the Nigerian village of Damasak, an attack that virtually no one heard of until now, because the survivors were too frightened of reprisals to speak out. You are here, among the kidnapped, among the parents, among the kidnappers.

Risen one, be known to us in the breaking of the bread.

Risen one, you are here. Here, as we read a UNICEF report issued this week that says that over the past two years, 1 in every 5 Boko Haram suicide bombers has been a child, three-quarters of them girls, many drugged. You are here as we see videos and interviews of ISIS child soldiers – 7 and 8 year olds, laughing, thinking killing other human beings with a rifle is as much fun, as much a source of pride, as building a tower of Legos or hitting a softball home run.  Child soldiers – in Jordan, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine. You are here, laughing, killing, playing, dying.

Risen one, be known to us in the breaking of our hearts.

Risen one, you are here. Here, in Attawapiskat, a Canadian First Nation town of barely 2,000 people in Northern Ontario, where some 28 people, mostly teens, attempted suicide in March, with 11 further suicide attempts just this past weekend. You are here among the desolate, the hopeless, those filled with unbearable pain. You are here among those trying to stem the tide – family members and friends hastily removing knives and guns and medications from reach; the mental health workers hastily dispatched to the area; the police now on 24-hour suicide watch patrols.

Risen one, be known to us in the breaking of our dreams.

Risen one, you are here. Here, in Mozambique, which this week announced a national plan to end child marriage, a practice which affects nearly half of the country’s girls. You are here, in the girls as young as nine who are taught how to please a man in bed. You are here, in the men who take them as brides, and the parents who assent. You are here in those campaigning to break the cycle by improving girls’ access to education, reproductive health services, and legal reforms.

Risen one, be known to us in the breaking of our ways.

Risen one, you are here. Here, in The Philippines, which this week launched the world’s first public dengue immunization program, with the goal of reaching 1 million students across the country this year. Dengue, also known as “breakbone fever”, has spread rapidly around the world in recent decades, and about half the world’s population is now at risk. You are here in the healthy, the suffering, the ill, the recovering; in the doctors and caregivers and researchers.

Risen one, be known to us in the breaking of our bodies.

Risen one, you are here. Here, in India, where a stray firework from a nearby celebration exploded at a Hindu temple in Kerala, killing more than 100 people. You are here, in the village of Nanniyode 50 miles away, where more than half of the 500 families either own or work in the fireworks manufacturing businesses located there. Here, where in preparation for upcoming Indian festivals, this should be peak production season, but all the factories are shuttered, and many fear they will lose their livelihoods.

Risen one, be known to us in the breaking of our lives.

Risen one, you are here. Here, among the farmers in the drought-torn nation of Burkina Faso. You are here, among the “plant doctors” trained as part of the innovative international Building Resilience to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) program. You are here, as the farmers stand in line in the market places to get the advice of the plant doctors on how to keep their plants – and families – alive, despite the drought.

Risen one, be known to us in the breaking of our land.

Risen one, you are here. Here, in Vatican City, where this week the participants of a first-of-its-kind Vatican conference have bluntly rejected the Catholic church’s long-held teachings on just war theory, saying they have too often been used to justify violent conflicts and the global church must reconsider Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence. Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, Uganda, one of the participants, said, “It is out of date for our world of today. We have to sound this with a strong voice,” said the archbishop. “Any war is a destruction. There is no justice in destruction. … It is outdated.” Risen one, you are here. Here, in the call to non-violence. Here, in the nations still embattled. Here, in the nations still suffering the aftermath of wars that ended decades or even centuries ago. Here, in the fearful. Here, in the enraged. Here, in the hope-bearers. Here, in the peace-makers.

“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.”
–Luke 24:30-31

Risen one, be known to us in the dawning of our joys.
Amen.