Each Thursday at noon in Jerusalem, Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to celebrate the Eucharist, to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, and to pray for the specific needs of this region. Following the 2006 Sabeel International Conference, the Friends of Sabeel coordinators met and discussed the idea of "Waves of Prayer." The premise is that in their respective time zones, individuals and groups around the world will pray together at 12:00 on Thursdays, in solidarity with Sabeel in Jerusalem and with "Friends of Sabeel" worldwide. Starting in Australia, passing through Palestine, and on around the world we will pray for Peace with Justice and focus on specific issues each week.
Wave of Prayer for Thursday, April 7, 2011
► As we celebrate Palestinian Children's Day on April 5, we pray for all the children whose experience of a normal life is disrupted by military occupation, but who nevertheless are the hope and future of peace in this land. We especially remember the children in the Daughters of Charity St. Vincent home for children, who enjoyed an afternoon with participants on Tuesday through a Sabeel joint Community-Clergy Lenten program.
► Our prayers are with all those whose homes have been demolished or threatened with demolition. According to UNRWA, March saw the third consecutive month of record highs for Palestinian buildings in the West Bank demolished by Israeli authorities. The past month's demolition of seventy-six homes caused the forced displacement of 158 people, including 47 children. We pray for an end to this destructive policy that devastates the heart of a family's life and secure foundation for the future.
► We remember in prayer the residents of Beit Ommar, a Palestinian town in the West Bank with an active nonviolent resistance movement, who have experienced increasing violence and military closure since an Israeli settler opened fire on a funeral procession on March 21. For over two weeks Israeli forces have surrounded and terrorized the town, entrances have been blocked, a fence is being constructed around part of the town, and dozens of residents have been detained. We pray that plans for a more permanent blockade being considered by Israeli forces will not be implemented and that the residents of the town may live in peace.
► On Tuesday, April 12, Sabeel will lead a Contemporary Way of the Cross as part of the Lenten program for the community, clergy and youth. As participants follow the Via Dolorosa linking the original events of Jesus' suffering on Good Friday with the continued suffering of the Palestinian people who live under occupation today, we pray that this transformative path of suffering and hope inspired by the resurrection will also be experienced by the many international pilgrims coming for Easter.
With the Prayer Cycle of the World Council of Churches, we pray for:
East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment