Two children died as a result of a military
airstrike in Gaza. The boy, Yassin Abu Khoussa, was 10 years old. He was
sleeping when shrapnel hit the family’s prefabricated shelter. The shrapnel
killed him immediately, and critically injured his 6-year-old sister who later
died in hospital. A third sibling also sustained injuries as a result of the
airstrike, which was Israel’s response to rockets being fired from Gaza last
Friday which went off in open fields.
- God of great and small, your Son asked that
the little children be allowed to come to Him, showing that those who
society views as insignificant are still precious in your sight. Our
hearts ache at the loss of these two innocent children, killed as a result
of a struggle their young minds had not even begun to understand. Please
be with their families God, as the attempt to recover from this terrible
loss. Be with their community as they continue to struggle forward through
the depths of despair. Lord, in your mercy…
A recent Pew Survey found that about half of
Israeli Jews support the transfer of Arabs out of Israel and into another
country. In the survey, 48% of respondents selected either “strongly agree” or
“mostly agree” with the statement “Arabs should be expelled or transferred from
Israel.” Conversely, 46% of Israelis either “strongly” or “mostly” disagreed
with that statement, splitting the community half and half.
- Lord of all, as humans we struggle to be open
and let in the “other,” whomever that other might be. Please work within
the hearts of the people of Israel, God, and help them to see Palestinians
as their neighbors and friends, rather than their enemy. Help leaders in
government on both sides to find a way forward that creates peace and
unity, rather than war and further separation. Lord, in your mercy…
Female Palestinian teacher, Hanan al-Hroub, won the
Global Teacher Prize and an award of $1 million for her work with children who
have grown up being exposed to violence. Hanan was born in a Bethlehem refugee
camp, and was inspired to enter education after her own school-aged children
witnessed a shooting on their way home from school and were traumatized. She
plans to use the award money to help other students and teachers around the
world continue in their education and careers.
- God, we celebrate the accomplishments of Hanan
al-Hroub and rejoice in the world recognizing her for her commitment to
nonviolence and to helping children who have suffered. Let this success
sustain her continued work in education, and allow her story to be an
inspiration for others who persevere in teaching in the midst of
challenging circumstances. Lord, in your mercy…
Sabeel is organizing their annual walk along the
Contemporary Way of the Cross, in preparation for the Holy season of Easter.
This walk joins together the suffering of Christ on the Cross with the
suffering of Palestinians in the present, and connects the stations of the
Cross with contemporary issues of injustice within Israel and Palestine.
- God, we ask that you be with those attending
this year’s walk. Send your Holy Spirit to guide them as they remember the
suffering Christ experienced as he was being led to the cross, and as they
link the present suffering of the Palestinian people to it. Remind them
too, God, that the joy of Easter Sunday follows the pain of
Good Friday, and so too the present injustices in the world will end
and you will have the final victory. Lord, in your mercy…
- We pray alongside the World Council of
Churches for the countries of Myanmar and Thailand
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