This Week's Prayer

Source of love, justice, truth, hope, and beauty, aspiration and inspiration for all people everywhere,

We would be whole.

Let us not hide from unpleasant reality, for we would be whole. Pain and sorrow, hatred and prejudice, violence and war, the brokenness of relationships personal, national, and global: these are with us.

Today we notice particularly Hungary, Greece, India, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sierra Leone, and here in the US. Darkness and the winds of hopelessness threaten the flickering candle of truth and justice.

Let also the shining light not be hidden from us, for we would be whole.

The light of service and life shone in the rescue of Baby Lilly in Utah, found after fourteen hours in a wrecked automobile in the river, alive in spite of the death of her mother;

The light of courage and justice shone in the daring of Rima Karaki, a TV presenter in Lebanon, in ending an interview with Islamist Sheikh, Hani Sibai, after he spoke to her disrespectfully and demeaningly;

The light of justice and peace shone in the condemnation by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights of the murders of albino citizens in Malawi, Tanzania;

The light of hope for both our planet and for refugees shone in Oxfam’s work to develop a green toilet which uses urine to generate electricity, so it can be used in refugee camps to provide both sanitation and light.

The light of hospitality and human kindness shone in Brazil’s act of opening its doors to nearly 2,000 refugees of the war in Syria.

The light of righteous wrath shone in the swift and definitive actions of the President of the University of Oklahoma, David Boren, in response to ugly fraternity racism.

May our own lights shine among these lights as lights of hope and love, peace and justice.