|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prayers
of the past months
|
|
WAY
OF THE CROSS
with the victims of terrorism
First
station : Jesus is condemned to death
They are also condemned those who,
on that morning, mounted the train of life, the underground
or were dancing at night, without even having the
right to reply or defend themselves.
Second
station : Jesus with the cross
All mounted on a rolling platform and
were executed by those cowardly hands who find their
strength in the obscurity of the night.
Third
station : Jesus falls the first time
|
|
 |
| Christ
on the Cross.Drawing by Sr. Gloria Sedes |
|
|
|
|
The cross
of terrorism rests on our shoulders; and this society, which is
ours, has carried it for years which seem unending. Hundreds of
our brothers and sisters, would carry it again on that Thursday
morning at daybreak, on that Tuesday, on that Saturday...
Jesus falls
the first time and they
would fall without distinction of age, color, nationality or religion.
They would fall without hearing or understanding the reason for
these crosses which the cold blooded assassins put on our shoulders.
Fourth
station : Jesus meets his Mother
Amidst
the turmoil and the pain, the tragedy and the consternation there
are signs of hope: children who find their mothers and mothers
who embrace their children. Husbands who return to their homes
... but there remains the empty chair of the one who will never
return.
Fifth
station : Jesus is helped by the Cyrenean
Love
without limits in the face of endless cruelty ; never ending lines
of blood donors, the sick who leave their beds to give their place
to those who are calling at the door, and ordinary people acting
as nurses and doctors.
Sixth
station : Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Nameless
faces come out to help the bleeding, wounded and dead "Christs".
While some people kill ... others, by their solidarity, come out
on the streets to wipe the faces of those who weep for those they
have lost.
Seventh
station : Jesus falls the second time
Humanity
falls again under the weight of those who have neither norms nor
morals and hide their shame under a thirst for blood. Nothing
can better conquer this unreasonable barbarism than the liberty
and fraternity that we will sow on the morrow.
Eighth
station : Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem
He
continues to do so, encouraging life-giving gestures: women who
weep not only for their own children but also for the children
of all the mothers; women who console and weep with those who
weep and with those who will not or cannot weep; women who help,
pray and also pardon those who, perhaps, are celebrating their
sad victory.
Ninth
station : Jesus falls the third time
Destiny
is confounded with Hell itself, life with death, projects and
illusions with premeditated failure.
They will fall. But what the terrorists do not know and don't
even suspect, is that at that very moment God while weeping has
taken them one by one in his arms and raised them up to Heaven.
Tenth
Station : Jesus is stripped of his garments
This
senseless act has robbed homes of parents and children and at
the same time depriving entire peoples of their peace and calm.
They will take away our lives... they will sow death on our roads,
but they will never take away from us our desire to live in freedom.
Eleventh
station : Jesus is nailed to the cross
The
student, the worker, the pregnant woman and the elderly. With
them, Jesus and all of us in Madrid and throughout the world,
we have been nailed to that cross of terror which certain people
insist on defending, on manipulating and...even on justifying.
Twelfth
station : Jesus dies on the cross
They
died at dawn when the day was calling them to life. They had closed
their eyes thinking to open them again on the morrow. The blood
which was flowing into the Manzanares river would prepare for
a glorious future and be also a call to pardon as Jesus had done
on the Cross: "Father, forgive them because they do not know
what they are doing".
Thirteenth
station : Jesus is taken down from the cross
Names,
faces and entire families will in future be part of our memory
and of our history.
With great emotion, we keep them in our hearts. knowing that it
is they who have paid the price for this horrible terror.
Fourteenth
station : Jesus is laid in the tomb
All
is over: a heap of iron and solitude. The exploit is accomplished
! But no !
All these are not lost seeds.There will come a day when these
two hundred lives will bear fruit in sheaves of liberty and peace;
on the rose bush will flower the fraternity conquered at last
by the men and women who remember those innocent victims who died,
when they were traveling towards the day.
No ! Certainly
not ! All these are not lost seeds. The blood of those who are
our brothers and sisters is joined to that which Jesus has poured
out. They were nailed to the same cross as that of He who was
raised on the wood to make us understand that which we sometimes
forget :
We
are called to LOVE and not to HATE ;
to LIFE and RESURRECTION after CALVARY
IN
SOLIDARITY WITH the victims of terrorism
On
a normal day in New York, Madrid, London, Jerusalem, Palestine,
Russia, Bali, Egypt, Iraq, blind violence struck peaceful citizens,
leaving bloody traces of so many killed and wounded. Together
with the whole world, with our sisters and brothers victims of
this terrorist attacks, and their families, we are grieving and
we wish to shout out our sadness and our solidarity. "Till
when, Lord?"
Action for a greater justice in the world, and Prayer are our
main responses. We pray that hearts - our hearts - may be converted.
But prayer also demands that we ask: Why? What are we to do? How
should we respond? What causes of injustice lie beneath this violence
requiring to be uprooted?
Along with the people of all the countries struck by terrorism
and of so many lands united in the face of similar attacks who
are suffering today the effects of this drama, we ask the Lord
to make us and others in our world into workers for peace and
justice, so that Life will prove stronger than death. Evil must
not have the last word.
With this text of a Way of the Cross, let us pray for all the
victims of violence and terrorism in New York, Iraq, Afganistan,
Spain, Indonesia, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Russia, India, Saudi
Arabia, and others. We pray also for the victims of the "terrorism"
that kills through poverty and hunger.
|
|
A
prayer for all victims, in this time of war
We come
before You, O God, in silence,
Entering once again the Way of Sorrow towards Golgotha.
We walk with so many women, children and men
who live in war-torn regions: Iraq, D R Congo, Sudan, Uganda,
Ivory Coast.
As the
women of Jerusalem we too can only cry
for the people of Iraq, for the peoples of Africa, for so
many victims
burdened by years of oppression, of poverty, of famine,
burdened by lack of health services, lack of schools, by
policies that
impoverish them,
and in the case of Iraq, burdened by a decade of sanctions.
Today
these people are facing death and destruction,
fear and anguish, suffering and insecurity,
awaiting explosions from bombs,
Hearing all day long the sirens of ambulances,
the screams and tears of those mourning their dead ones.
With
all victims of the war-of-bombs and the war-of-misery,
With YOU, O God, who went before us, we follow the Way to
Calvary
together with those in flight, joining refugees throughout
the world
in a journey of profound uncertainty,
with those unable to move, traumatized by the suffering
and the violence of the armies;
with soldiers and their families facing dire threat and
days of painful waiting,
with Jerusalem and all that this city represents throughout
the Middle East.
As we
walk towards Calvary we ask YOU to give us all
the certitude that this sense-less suffering is not the
end of everything,
But that it prepares the renewal of a Resurrection.
Give
to all of us the strength to carry the Cross as YOU did:
forgiving those who cause pain to others…
Believing that FORGIVENESS is the only real strength able
to crush the "big powers,"
The only way to overcome death!
Walking
on the Way of Suffering, on the Way of the Cross, we follow
the poor,
those whose needs are set aside as we pay the cost of war.
LORD
we beg your forgiveness:
WE KNEW
that millions of people were being impoverished
so that we and a few more could live in abundance,
but WE REMAINED INSENSITIVE…
We knew
the things that make for peace,
but WE REMAINED PASSIVE and
we let the war-machine grow.
Today,
O King of Peace, we pray
for those among us who lack hope;
for those among us who despair because
we cannot turn our hands and our hearts from the way of
violence.
Allow
us to stand before you in silence.
Uproot all violence from us and
from all those who take decisions on war and on peace.
Plant
in our hearts seeds of Reconciliation, Solidarity and Peace.
Be with those who are wounded in heart and in body,
and do not abandon us.
Receive
our tears, and transform them
"As we have been baptized into the death of Christ,
Let us also be baptized into Christ's resurrection. "
May
our journey along the Way of the Cross,
with Jesus and the victims of war,
give us faith and hope.
Give
us wisdom, creativity, strength and vision,
TO BECOME ACTIVE,
to transform our world into a world according to your will.
Give us the "know-how" to make of this world
a place where we all will live in solidarity as brothers
and sisters,
sons, and daughters of God-Father-Mother.
A world where all may have fullness of life.
|
Situation:
The war in Irak
Iraq
is now the target, with a US-British assault. According
to Medact, an international organisation of health professionals,
the war in Iraq could result in half a million deaths
and this may rise to millions if civil war later breaks
out. The Gulf War caused the deaths of over 200,000
Iraqis, half of these civilians including women and
children.
The Iraqis have been going through hard times for twenty-three
years, for they have witnessed two disastrous wars.
The military attack of President Bush against Iraq,
will be a catastrophe. We can feel the danger that is
looming over the Iraqi civilians.
In the middle of this disaster there is a hope: the
millions of people from different countries round the
world that aredemonstrating,
writing letters, doing symbolic actions and trying to
put pressure on President Bush to stop the military
attack.
As a group of Domenicans
from Irak wrote:
"President Bush claims that he is trying to defend
human rights in Iraq. He is willing to build a new Iraq.
He tried to convince the people in the US and the peoples
round the world that he will only bomb the army and
the weapons in the country. He promises that he is not
going to bring any harm to the civilians. Is he throwing
flowers on people? He is going to use mass destructive
weapons, which are going to result in great damage to
our culture, our land, and history, and cause the death
of thousands of our innocent people of all ages.
We are living in great fright, panic, and extreme worry.
We are suffering not only a military war, but also we
have been suffering from very hard psychological situation
since President Bush has started his inhuman threats
to initiate another war on our people. The nightmare
of the war is haunting us.
God has granted us life freedom as His precious gifts.
Why Does President Bush want to take it away and deprive
us of our freedom? The children inquire, when will the
war begin? Our children, women and people are dying
of malnutrition and starvation because of the inhuman
sanctions. The sanctions have caused the death of one
million and a half of Iraqi people, mostly women and
children. Why do you want to finish them by a new war?
Why should the American people have the right to live
in peace, safety and prosperity? Is their life more
valuable than the life of the Iraqi people?
Our university students have waved goodbye to each other
on Saturday, the 15th of March and they are prepared
for the war. They have no mood for study. We think they
are right because they are disappointed and hope for
them seems the most hopeless thing.
We are not yet cured of the Gulf war. How can we persevere
the effects of the new one, which will be even worse?
The war is not only disastrous and destructive in its
direct effects, but also in its lasting effects. The
innocent people will not only be the victims of the
bombing, but also the preys of contaminated drinking
water, polluted environments, depleted uranium, inadequate
medical supply, and crippled electric power.
We ask all of you who have compassionate heart and love
for humanity to bring the suffering and the worry of
the Iraqi people in every pulpit, every classroom, and
every place where the Word of God is preached. Listen
to the cries of the Iraqi children and double your efforts
to stop the new war from happening.
Is our crime that we are floating on a huge sea of black
gold? What is the use of it, except to pay for our death?
Why are we unable to dream of a bright future and a
decent life?
We greatly appreciate your efforts on our behalf and
also your prayers. Love and prayers can work miracles.
God bless you all!"
Your
Dominican Sisters in Iraq
May
the heat of our fervent desire for world peace melt
down the guns and bombs into tools that will build houses
for the world's homeless.
May it melt down the bombs and guns to make tools that
the world's oppressed will use to achieve the liberation
and self- determination they desperately desire now.
And on that day, we will sing together the words of
that old Negro spiritual:"I'm gonna lay down my
burdens, down by the riverside, and study war no more."
|
|
|
2002
Sunday, 1st December is World AIDs Day.
This month
intention: Prayer for AIDS/HIV patients
Merciful Father,
God of Compassion.
You who have said "let all those who are worried and burdened
come to me", take care of all those suffering from AIDs/HIV
disease,
of all those who care for them, who love them and support them.
Give the sick
persons the courage they need to go on CHOSING LIFE at each
moment. Bless the efforts of those who are fighting the disease
and give us all
the strength to be at their side, to commit ourselves to diminish
the suffering of
so many victims.
Father, you
want all men, women and children to LIVE FULLY. Guide us and
many men and women of good will to fight the disease, to change
the behaviour
where it is needed, and to work towards the fulfilment of your
plan for creation:
FULLNESS OF LIFE FOR ALL.
Give us your
"love" to commit ourselves towards all those who are
suffering.
Give us your "wisdom" to know what to do, how to behave
and how to commit
ourselves to participate more in your plan for creation: A LIFE
IN HARMONY FOR
ALL (Shalom) .
Give us the knowledge to know what to do to fight the disease,
to change the
actual situation, to allow those who are sick to have a better
life, and to bring
relief to their hearts and their life.
Give us the courage to be your caring hands, your smile, your
Love made
reality near those who need support.
May your love
feel us with a compassion that leads us to action.
AMEN.
Situation
on HIV/AIDS
May God give
strength to those committing their lives to care for the sick
and their families, to diminish the impact of the pandemic, to
make medicines available to all, to work towards a change of behaviour,…
The AIDS epidemic
is causing the spiralling disintegration of some of the poorest
countries in Africa, precipitating famine and social, political
and economic collapse.
Last year
the global epidemic killed 3.1 million people, of whom 610,000
were children. Most of the 29.4 million with HIV in sub-Saharan
Africa are likely to die. Only about 300,000 currently receive
life-saving drugs (the latest official United Nations update).
AIDS has orphaned
about 11 million children in sub-Saharan Africa. About a quarter
of them are HIV positive. A whole generation of AIDS orphans have
witness the suffering of their parents, and are growing with the
feeling of being"abandoned" by those they loved…It
is feared that the lack of parental care will lead to severe poverty
among children and a wave of new HIV/AIDS infections.
The number
of child prostitutes, children living on the streets and child
domestic workers, will increase as a consequence of the actual
situation of orphans.
The consequences
of "AIDS" are enormous for Africa. The death toll influences
agricultural production, the disease has killed many young adults,
professionals and teachers are already missing. Social, professional
and productive live is affected by the pandemic.
Its effects
will become more visible in the coming years.
|
September
2002: This month's intention: Prayer for Peace
We pray for
the rich countries of the world, so that they stop the race in
arms, and instead use their wealth to foster development and cease
the making of weapons,
We pray that
the African countries stop their conflicts and may find ways of
peace, and put their efforts into building a society where all
the differences may be respected and where the resources are shared
among all in a more equitable way.
Situation.
Anti-personal mines in Africa:
Since March
1999, antipersonnel mines have been used in more conflicts in
Africa (eight) than in any other region of the world.
In Sub-Saharan
Africa, twenty-six countries, plus Somaliland, are mine-affected:
Angola, Burundi, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Djibouti, D.R.Congo,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania,
Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal Sierra Leone, Somalia,
Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe...
|
|
|
