YOM HASHOAH

Holocaust Memorial Museum - Replica of a boxcar used to transport prisoners

Yom Hashoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Counterlight has a terrific post with pictures on the Shoah and its history on his blog, Counterlight's Peculiars.

Prayer by Elie Wiesel

I no longer ask you for either happiness or paradise; all I ask of You is to listen and let me be aware of Your listening.

I no longer ask You to resolve my questions, only to receive them and make them part of You.

I no longer ask You for either rest or wisdom, I only ask You not to close me to gratitude, be it of the most trivial kind, or to surprise and friendship. Love? Love is not Yours to give.

As for my enemies, I do not ask You to punish them or even to enlighten them; I only ask You not to lend them Your mask and Your powers. If You must relinquish one or the other, give them Your powers. But not Your countenance.

They are modest, my requests, and humble. I ask You what I might ask a stranger met by chance at twilight in a barren land.

I ask you, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to enable me to pronounce these words without betraying the child that transmitted them to me: God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, enable me to forgive You and enable the child I once was to forgive me too.

I no longer ask You for the life of that child, nor even for his faith. I only beg You to listen to him and act in such a way that You and I can listen to him together.

They are modest, my prayers, and humble. I ask You what I might ask a stranger met by chance at twilight in a barren land.

I ask You, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to enable me to pronounce these words without betraying the child that transmitted them to me. God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, enable me to forgive You and enable the child I once was to forgive me too.

I no longer ask You for the life of that child, nor even for his faith. I only implore You to listen to him and act in such a way that You and I can listen to him together.

From On Being Blog.

 Picture from Wikipedia.

A PRAYER FOR THE CROWN NOMINATIONS COMMISSION

Mr CatOLick offers for our personal use a prayer for the Crown Nominations Commission as they begin the process of choosing candidates for the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Dear Father,

Help the CNC members to put away their own agendas and let them know that they, and their tribes have had their time.

Help them to listen to people outside of London and not to just give lip service to the northern folk.

Father, we just ask that you show them how to get their secretarial work right and pass on information.

Father, put your protecting power around their photocopier so that documents can be read.

Father, help them to remember more and more that Oxford and Cambridge are not the only universities in England.

Father, help them to show compassion and love, cast out any spot of arrogance and high handedness, and protect them from snobbery and pomposity.

Father, let your Holy spirit come down and work amongst them.  Let them know that you know the secrets of all our hearts and know even the secrets of the CNC.

Amen.

PLEASE PRAY...

From David@Montreal:

beloved Giants
grounds for gratitude: my dear Mam who will be 90 this November woke from a nap to incapacitating pain in her back, yesterday after getting back from Church.unable to get out of her chair, there was a phone within reach and she called one of my sisters who lives out in the burbs near her and who has a car.
taken to the hospital, turns out she has a fractured spine, has been given medication for the pain and is staying with one of my four sisters overnight.
at her age it could have been a lot worse, so i am profoundly grateful.

i will be going out tomorrow to spend the day with Mam and get a better idea of what we need to do to support her during her convalesence.
in the meantime, I would also beg your prayers for the people of Syria and most particularly for the people of Homs who are being bombarded mercilessly by the tyrant, 24/7
a Muslim friend asks that you ask not only that the people of Syria be delivered, but that the extreme violence which has been inflicted on the people of Syria become a teaching moment for the Islamic leadership.

thank-you my beloved Giants
love always-always Love

From me:

For members of my family who are going through a difficult time.

For positive results from medical tests for me. (Don't worry - nothing life-threatening.)

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfil now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer)

Image at the head of post courtesy of Paul the BB.

PRAYER FLOWCHART

Thanks to Ann.

PRAYER FOR THE RIGHT USE OF TECHNOLOGY

For Our Facebook Group
By Josh Thomas

O God, thank you for new discoveries and technologies that strengthen our relationship with you by providing universal access in Word, song, art and prayer. Help us to use our Daily Office Facebook group, blogs and other internet tools and applications to glorify you and carry out your mission of justice, healing and peace, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you, Josh.

A PRAYER FOR THE AGES - ÓSCAR ROMERO

It helps, now and then, to step back
and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own
Amen

Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (15 August 1917 – 24 March 1980)[1] was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding Luis Chávez. He was assassinated on 24 March 1980. Wikipedia

A FEW WORDS FROM BROTHER LAWRENCE

From The Practice of the Presence of God:

That when an occasion of practising some virtue offered, he addressed himself to God, saying, 'Lord, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me,' and then he received strength more than sufficient.

That when he had failed in his duty, he only confessed his fault, saying to God, 'I shall never do otherwise if you leave me to myself; it is You who must hinder my falling and mend what is amiss.' That after this he gave himself no uneasiness about it.

And I say, 'Amen!'

Thanks to Laura at Lay Anglicana for calling to mind the wonderful little book. I still have my yellowed paperback which I bought many years ago, which I've read a good many times, and which I will now read again, since Laura's mention in her latest post on a book on private devotion which changed her life.

Brother Lawrence's book changed my life. I learned from him to keep in mind that God is always present and available and to stop beating myself because I don’t have a regular quiet time set aside. Most days, I pray the short form of individual 'Morning Prayer' and 'Evening Prayer' from The Book of Common Prayer, read the Lectionary readings of the day, and offer prayers of petition and thanksgiving. Some days I forget even the Lectionary.

I turn to God fairly often during the day, most frequently to ask for help, but also to give thanks. And sometimes, I just delight in God's presence quietly for brief periods. Those are my non-scheduled quiet times. You see why Brother Lawrence's words give me such comfort, even though the good monk probably spent more scheduled quiet time with God than I do.

Another quote from the book:

That with him the set times of prayer were not different from other times, that he retired to pray, according to the directions of his superior, but that he did not want such retirement, nor ask for it, because his greatest business did not divert him from God.

I can't say an honest 'Amen' to those words, because I'm all too often diverted from God by busyness and other matters. As I said, I'm no Brother Lawrence, simply a grateful disciple.

SICK AT HEART - THE RIOTS IN ENGLAND

The riots, violence, looting, and destruction in London and other cities in England, a country that I love, makes me sick at heart, especially since I was there as recently as the end of last month. There is no excuse, repeat, no excuse, for citizens to take the path of violence and destruction to effect change in their societies. But when we ask why such violence and destruction take place, we must note that at least some of the participants are probably those who have little or no hope of ever having a reasonable stake in the societies in which they live. They are less likely to care greatly about the disorder and destruction and more prone to get caught up in the mob and actually become partners in the destruction of the very communities in which they live.

By no means do I rule out the presence of the criminal element, who, no doubt, take every advantage of the chaos to profit from it, but the rioters probably include 'people of no hope', people who see around them the rich prospering in the greed-is-good mentality of untrammeled capitalism, even as they are left behind. Is it really surprising that some of the 'no-hopers' get caught up in the mob mentality of the riots?

My words could apply to other countries in the West, including my own, where the ever-widening gap between rich and poor and the erosion of the middle class continues apace and will lead us nowhere good.

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer

UPDATE: Bishop Alan Wilson of Buckingham and Counterlight both posted reflections on the rioting in in England which I think are worth a read.

PLEASE PRAY FOR...

...Tom, aka Grandpère. Poor baby has an abscessed tooth. Our dentist saw him this morning and gave him antibiotics, but he doesn't do the kind of work Tom needs. If he can stand the pain, he will wait until Tuesday to see another dentist in town. If the pain gets too bad, he can see someone in the next town over on Monday.

UPDATE: Tom saw the endodontist this morning, who discovered that he had two abscesses, instead of one. The endodontist did two root canals, and he (Tom) is feeling much better. I'm sure the endodontist is feeling much better, too, because he make quite a bit of money off Tom. Still, we're not complaining.

PRAYER FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY TORNADOES IN THE SOUTHEAST

From the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama:

Loving Father of all,

We humbly pray you to look graciously upon our hurts and heartaches, and especially upon those in the greatest need in this time of trouble. Grant that we may put our whole trust and confidence in your mercy; bind us together in mutual love and service, and make us instruments of your healing and peace, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And we all say, "Amen!"

If you would like to help:

Checks should be sent to the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, Carpenter House, at 521 20th Street North, Birmingham, Alabama 35203. Contributions may also be made online through the diocesan website by clicking the “Make an Electronic Contribution” button.

Or you may help with a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development. The national office is supporting the dioceses of Alabama, Atlanta and East Tennessee as they begin their efforts to help with recovery from the devastation from the tornadoes.

Thanks to Ann for sending the prayer.

PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

From Yahoo News:

Firefighters searched one splintered pile after another for survivors Thursday, combing the remains of houses and neighborhoods pulverized by the nation's deadliest tornado outbreak in almost four decades. At least 290 people were killed across six states — more than two-thirds of them in Alabama, where large cities bore the half-mile-wide scars the twisters left behind.

The death toll from Wednesday's storms seems out of a bygone era, before Doppler radar and pinpoint satellite forecasts were around to warn communities of severe weather. Residents were told the tornadoes were coming up to 24 minutes ahead of time, but they were just too wide, too powerful and too locked onto populated areas to avoid a horrifying body count.

"These were the most intense super-cell thunderstorms that I think anybody who was out there forecasting has ever seen," said meteorologist Greg Carbin at the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

I was at a meeting for most of the evening, and I had no idea such loss of life and devastation had taken place. Lord have mercy!

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks prayer in response to natural disaster. (Edited)

Adon ha-olamim, Sovereign of the universe,

We join our prayers to the prayers of others, for the victims of the the tornadoes in the Southeast, which have brought destruction and disaster to many lives.

Almighty God, we pray You, send healing to the injured, comfort to the bereaved, and news to those who sit and wait. May You be with those who even now are engaged in the work of rescue. May You send Your strength to those who are striving to heal the injured, give shelter to the homeless, and bring food and water to those in need. May You bless the work of their hands, and may they merit to save lives.

Almighty God, we recognise how small we are, and how powerless in the face of nature when its full power is unleashed. Therefore, open our hearts in prayer and our hands in generosity, so that our words may bring comfort and our gifts bring aid. Be with us now and with all humanity as we strive to mend what has been injured and rebuild what has been destroyed.

Ken Yehi Ratzon, ve-nomar Amen.
May it be Your will, and let us say Amen.

From Beliefnet.

UPDATE: If you'd like to help, Episcopal Relief and Development is working with churches and dioceses in the areas affected. I know from past experience with hurricanes that the Salvation Army is quite often amongst the first of the large organizations on the spot to give help.

PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE IN JAPAN

From the New York Times"

An earthquake of 8.9. magnitude struck off the coast of Japan on Friday, the strongest ever recorded in the country. The quake churned up a devastating tsunami that swept over cities and farmland in the northern part of the country and threatened coastal areas throughout the Pacific and as far away the west coast of the United States and South America.Fragmentary early reports of the toll indicate that hundreds of people have been killed. Japanese police officials told the Associated Press that 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai, a port city in the northeastern part of the country and the closest main city to the epicenter.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks prayer in response to natural disaster.

Adon ha-olamim, Sovereign of the universe,

We join our prayers to the prayers of others throughout the world, for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami which this week has brought destruction and disaster to many lives.

Almighty God, we pray You, send healing to the injured, comfort to the bereaved, and news to those who sit and wait. May You be with those who even now are engaged in the work of rescue. May You send Your strength to those who are striving to heal the injured, give shelter to the homeless, and bring food and water to those in need. May You bless the work of their hands, and may they merit to save lives.

Almighty God, we recognise how small we are, and how powerless in the face of nature when its full power is unleashed. Therefore, open our hearts in prayer and our hands in generosity, so that our words may bring comfort and our gifts bring aid. Be with us now and with all humanity as we strive to mend what has been injured and rebuild what has been destroyed.

Ken Yehi Ratzon, ve-nomar Amen.
May it be Your will, and let us say Amen.

From Beliefnet.

PLEASE PRAY FOR ORMONDE

Feb. 23 I go into Ochsner for a catheter ablation to cure focal atrial tachycardia (rapid heart beat caused by a spot in one of my atria, which fires off odd electrical impulses). The doc will put a catheter up one of my arteries and into the right atrium, locate the pesky spot (if possible), and zap it out of existence. He assured me the procedure was “low risk”—only 1 % die.

Ormonde

Pray that Ormonde is in the 99% (I know he will be!) and that the procedure will be successful in stopping the atrial tachycardia.

Almighty God our heavenly Father, graciously comfort your servant Ormonde in his illness, and bless the means made use of for his cure. Fill his heart with confidence that, though at times he may be afraid, he yet may put his trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ormonde blogs at Through the Dust.

UPDATE: Ormonde Plater says:

I'm back, released from the hospital, and the good doc zapped not one but two bad spots. Thanks for the prayers, everybody.

Excellent news, Ormonde. Prayers of thanksgiving. Thanks for letting us know.

PLEASE PRAY...

From David@Montreal Ore

beloved Giants

i'd ask your prayers please for my cherished cousin Frank out in Brittish Columbia struggling with the effects of his long fight with lukemia.

dear Mam received a call from Carol this afternoon, and in the process also got to speak to Frank for a very short while.

able to control the spread of the fungus in his lungs, but unable to beat it with his immune system so seriously compromised by the most recent gene therapy transfer, they have sent him home from the hospital. not fully mobile, my cousin is a robust fellow and Carol is going to have to get help for handling him.apparently he spends much of the time sleeping at present.

as he is still intubated there will be medical staff going in daily to maintain it, and Frank will be returning to the hospital weekly for as long as he is able.

so i'd ask your prayers for both Frank and Carol, knowing that through the unfailing grace of that 'Love beyond our wildest imagining' they will be given what they need.

i'd also ask your prayer for dear Mam, his godmother, who at eighty-nine is finding it challenging, the possibility that her beloved godson/nephew could be dying before her.

in other quarters, i'd ask your prayers for the people of Tunisia, Egypt and Sanaa; that they indeed are able to claim that 'life more abundantly'. prayers particularly please for our Coptic brothers and sisters in Egypt- for their protection and safety. prayers please for the repose of David Kato, the gay Ugandan martyr, and for our LGBT brothers and sisters at risk wherever they might be.

prayers for the Great +Katherine and her brother primates in Dublin. prayers for Gabby and Mark and for all those struggling to heal in Tucson.

thank-you beloveds

love always-always Love

Lord, hear our prayers.

PRAYER FOR THE PRIMATES' MEETING...

...from the Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town.

Lord Jesus Christ, you washed your disciples' feet,
and called them to follow your example.
Bless the leaders of our churches as they gather at the Primates' Meeting.
As they take counsel together, give them grace to grow in prayer and fellowship,
so they may bear one anothers' burdens and share one anothers' joys,
and find mutual support in their heavy responsibilities of servant leadership.
Refresh and encourage them as they meet,
and empower them to lead your people
in lives of faithful worship, witness and service,
that bring your redemptive gospel to this broken and needy world.
Amen

The meeting starts today, January 25, in Dublin, Ireland, and runs until January 30.

H/T to Torey Lightcap at The Lead

PRAYER FOR THE PRIMATES' MEETING...

...from the Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town.

Lord Jesus Christ, you washed your disciples' feet,
and called them to follow your example.
Bless the leaders of our churches as they gather at the Primates' Meeting.
As they take counsel together, give them grace to grow in prayer and fellowship,
so they may bear one anothers' burdens and share one anothers' joys,
and find mutual support in their heavy responsibilities of servant leadership.
Refresh and encourage them as they meet,
and empower them to lead your people
in lives of faithful worship, witness and service,
that bring your redemptive gospel to this broken and needy world.
Amen

The meeting will take place in Dublin, Ireland, January 25-30.

H/T to Torey Lightcap at The Lead

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING FOR RICH

From Wade:

Thank you so much for the prayers, Rich's bypass was a success and he's home and reasonably comfortable. He was greeted very enthusiastically by his 85 pound Golden Lab Emmett, who really missed his Daddy, even though I give better treats!

{HUG}

--Wade

PLEASE PRAY FOR PAUL THE BB

From Paul:

I have had three root canals in as many months. This Tuesday I will have sinus surgery to drain all the infection and repair a deviated septum at the same time. They will be working in three sinuses on my right side. It is day surgery and Bill will be with me that day and night. The doctor will remove plastic stents when I see him ten days later. So I will be out of commission for the next two weeks. Your prayers are requested and appreciated.

Between this and holidays and too many doctor appointments paychecks have been slim and medical expenses high. I give thanks that I am insured and still employed and think of those who lack work and seek it, those without insurance, those who are homeless. Let us hold them in our hearts also and seek to make our social systems better.

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Paul the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Three root canal surgeries for tooth problems, even as he suffered from sinus problems. Poor baby. Better times await him!

Still Paul doesn't forget those who are less fortunate, so let us join with him to remember them in our prayers.

As a bonus, if you click on the link above to Paul's blog, you will find a delightful picture of his large family of children.

UPDATE: JCF said...

I also have a Problem Tooth, about which "Something Will Sooner-or-Later Have to Be Done": if you can spare any, I'd love some prayers as I discern this...

Of course, we will include you and your Problem Tooth in our prayers, JCF.

PLEASE PRAY FOR FRANK AND CAROL

From David@Montreal

cherished Giants:

I've just had a call from Carol, the heroic wife of my very dear cousin Frank who, as you'll remember has been putting up a heroic fight against lukemia and the compications it brings.

unfortunately Frank and Carol have had a pretty horrendous holiday season. the original plan to admit him before Christmas was abandoned when the hospital found themselves with some pretty serious viral outbreaks and Frank was sent home for his own protection. since then, they've been treating him daily as an outpatient with Carol having to drive to and from Whitrock BC to Vancouver each day and eight hours in the hospital, seven on seven.

in addition to the rapidly depleting white blood cell/platlets, the primary foe of the moment is an aspergillis fungal infection in his lungs.
with no spleen and a non-existent immuse system as his body still recovers from his second genetic transplant on Sept 22, the hospital is throwing everything they have at the fungus without success so far.

with a two hour drive each way, eight hours in the hospital each day, a recent fall by Frank and a nurse who inappropriately suggested it might be time for them to give up, Carol was really quite raw when she phoned,but before she had to go we were able to discuss getting some psycho-pastoral support for her and some practical help at home. working my computer while we spoke I even managed to find a Roman Catholic priest in hospital chaplaincy who it turns she knows slightly and she has promised to contact him for resources.

unable in my own financially precarious state to call her back, my heart knows that more than a call from me what my cousins need are prayers, and I couldn't ask for better than you my beloved Giants of prayer & practice

David

For Frank:

May God the Father bless you, God the Son heal you, God the Holy Spirit give you strength. May God the holy and undivided Trinity guard your body, save your soul, and bring you safely to his heavenly country; where he lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

For Carol:

O merciful Father, look with compassion upon your servant, Carol, for whom our prayers are offered. Remember her, O Lord, in mercy, nourish her soul with patience, comfort her with a sense of your goodness, lift up your countenance upon her, and give her peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY

From Dora (aka Rudo):

Thanks for your prayers. My dad continues to be in need of prayer because he had another stroke on Wednesday. He is now in hospital and his blood pressure continues to be high. Pray that he gets the new medication soon and that he responds well to it.
Thanks,
Dora


O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Dora's dad the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.