At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matthew 18:1-5)
Imminent God, we know your presence is everywhere, so we pray for our world, and, in this past week we especially lift up our children around the globe.
June 19th the Obama Presidential Center is opened. The world is invited to play on basket ball courts, create music and grill on the grounds on the south side of Chicago, USA.
As school summer break begins in much of the United States of America this week, we remember that education is still out of reach for too many children. According to UNESCO, the worldwide number of children out of school has risen for the 7th consecutive year, reaching 273 million currently.
As Europe entered the summer season with the solstice on Sunday, we pray for all those suffering in the record heatwave, and particularly lift up France, where tens of thousands of homes lost power, and where children are still in school in the unbearable heat.
As the spreading disease of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda may be the worst outbreak ever, according to the DRC CDC, with hundreds of deaths so far and hundreds more infected, and with children being the most affected by this strain, we pray for all those working to help stop the spread. We also lift up the Ebola response worker who traveled from DRC to France is first in outbreak to test positive outside of Africa.
As Nigeria has endured more than a decade of conflict, we pray for the women working to end gang violence by helping to change minds and hearts rather than relying solely on arrests and security crackdowns; we are grateful for those community leaders working to persuade youth to walk away from violence.
As years of exam scandals continue, with persistently high unemployment, and opportunities slipping further out of reach, simmering frustration from the youth of India is leading to a demand for accountability that can no longer be ignored. We are grateful for Indian graduate of Boston University, Abhijeet Dipke, who is helping to turn this generation’s anger into action.
As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to equip his navy with nuclear weapons and build larger warships, we pray for all the innocent children affected by violence and war.
As the United Nations commission finds that Israel has been deliberately targeting children in the ongoing genocide against Palestinians, even as we pray for an end to this killing, we are grateful that young surfers in Gaza seek solace from war in the Mediterranean Sea, and the children who splash in the sea beside them.
As Sudan‘s war refugees have endured horrors in Egyptian jails, we lift up in prayer 18 year old Al-Nazir Al-Sadig who died of pneumonia after three weeks in a filthy Cairo jail, where he had suffered beatings and abuse.
As the children in ICE custody in Dilley Detention Center in Texas, USA continue to suffer horrifying conditions because of no fault of their own, we are grateful that Pope Leo venerated St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants, who spent her life serving immigrants, and the first naturalized American citizen to be canonized.
As the police in Mississippi, USA shot and killed 1-year-old baby Kohen Wiley because they wrongly believed his mother stole a package of diapers, may our cries that Black Lives Matter be when police violence against black bodies continues to surge, and may our cries turn to action that makes change.
Loving God, we pray that you help us to see that we are all your children, and we all need compassion and care. Help us to realize that your children of all ages make mistakes and give us the courage to both forgive and to keep trying.
Help us to know that whether we are wearing clergy robes, t-shirts, or sequins when we pray; whether we’re 8 or 80, you love us just the way we are.
Help us remember and visualize the way a child’s smile can light up a room, and lead us to be that light in your world. A light that shines on injustices, a light that lifts your people up, and a light that guides this world toward love.
Amen and may it be so.
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