For the Nation
Almighty God, giver of all good things: We thank you for the natural majesty and beauty of this land. They restore us, though we often destroy them.
Heal us.
We thank you for the great resources of this nation. They make us rich, though we often exploit them.
Forgive us.
We thank you for the men and women who have made this country strong. They are models for us, though we often fall short of them.
Inspire us.
We thank you for the torch of liberty which has been lit in this land. It has drawn people from every nation, though we have often hidden from its light.
Enlighten us.
We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety. It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again.
Renew us.
Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun. Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime. And hasten the day when all our people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy Name.
Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer, pp. 838-839
With thanks to Margaret for the inspiration.
Image of Louisiana wetlands from Wiki.
You can't beat the BCP for some things.
ReplyDeleteThis provided a moment of reflection in my afternoon. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful, appropriate prayer!
ReplyDeleteI thank Margaret for urging her visitors to read the prayer. I don't think I ever had before. Once I saw it, I had to post it, with a picture of our marshlands, which are disappearing so quickly, partially due to our abuse of God's creation.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to make a donation to Wiki. Their information is not always 100% reliable, but it's getting better. And I have used their pictures many times, because they are all in the public domain, and there's no worry about copyright.
Thanks for the good words.
Grandmere! You really did go and read 'em! God bless you!
ReplyDeleteIt is a good prayer, isn't it.
blessings Grandmere.
Margaret, you're a priest. I always do what the priests tell me. Tee hee.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful that we have just a little over 6 months before George Bush is out of office.
ReplyDeleteWell, yes, Dennis, but that's still too long. But nothing to do but watch, and wait, and pray.
ReplyDeleteYes, Mimi, and thanks for the reminder of the beauty of the lowlands. The river bottoms where I grew up are very like that, with Cypress, and 'gators, but all freshwater.
ReplyDeleteDavis Mac-Ilyalla Arrested on the Eve of Pride London
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ReplyDeleteLovely picture! Part of the Mimi estate?
ReplyDeleteMike, I believe part of that information may not be correct.
ReplyDeleteDP, I wish. However, our estate may resemble the picture, if another bad hurricane comes our way.
Mimi, I'll have to do a search for more information on that post. I've only seen the two sources quoted in my post so far.
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ReplyDeleteMimi, there's nothing currently on Google contradicting what happened to Mac-Iyalla yesterday that I can find. What have you found?
ReplyDeleteMike, I'd like to say more, but, as of now, I can't.
ReplyDeleteMimi- woman of mystery!
ReplyDeleteFran, indeed!
ReplyDeleteMike
ReplyDeleteDavis applied for asylum last week and was kept in detention until last night.
He was not "arrested" or "incarcarated" and he was certainly not treated as a "common criminal".
At this moment he is participating in Gay Pride London, where he will use the opportunity to clarify this and to affirm that he has been treated with politeness and friendliness throughout. He will also stress that he was released as soon as it became clear that he should not have been in detention, and that this release took place before the bail hearing scheduled for next week.
I have since researched "Gay Pride" and discovered that the supposedly appalling treatment of lgbt asylum seekers from homophobic countries is a major topic this year. That might explain the very hostile tone of the article you quote.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you for posting the link to the article on this blog. It what that which alerted us to the way his story was reported and which will enable him to set the record straight in London this afternoon.
Ah ... thanks for that Erika. As soon as I can find clarification I can quote and/or link to I'll put that on my blog.
ReplyDeleteErika, nothing is showing up yet, but as I was doing some reading I ran across the following which you may or may not have come across when you were doing some reading earlier today.
ReplyDeleteDiscreet gays should be safe in Iran claims Home Secretary
Mike, that lovely. If they are "discreet" and if everyone who knows them is "discreet".
ReplyDeleteOmar Kuddus called it right:
To say that homosexuals are safe as long as they are discreet and live their lives in private, is to say that Anne Frank was safe from the Nazis in World War Two as long as she hid in her attic, there is no difference.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete(Editing out a typo)
ReplyDeleteYes, that's exactly so, Mimi. What happened to Davis seemed, at least at first, to fit into this overall pattern. That probably explains Peter Tatchell's reaction, at least in part. He always does go for the drama. He's the UK equivalent to Larry Kramer, I think.
What I find incredible is that someone whose asylum request has been refused is, by definition, now no longer unknown to the authorities he/she is being deported back to, and so the fact of deportation is a primary cause of the subsequent danger to his/her life!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand.... leaning out of the window.... should anyone who is gay automatically qualify for asylum regardless of whether he/she has been threatened?
I'm not making a "thin end of the wedge" argument, but I would like to ask whether, in principle, asylum laws should apply to those whose lives are in actual danger, or also to those whose lives are in potential and theoretical danger "only".
Erika, if I were in charge, I would err on the side of compassion and give asylum to any gay person from a country whose government is known to have policies of doing or allowing violence to gays and lesbians. And I would examine what the authorities DO, and not necessarily believe what they say. So, yes, if there's a good possibility of potential danger, give them asylum. Alas! I am not in charge.
ReplyDeleteMimi -
ReplyDeleteAs usual, late to the party, but we are using the Thanksgiving for National Life as our Prayers of the People tomorrow at St. Thomas's since we did have a Eucharist on July 4 itself. But next year we may!
RFSJ
RFSJ, it's a lovely prayer. I'm pleased that Margaret directed me to it.
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