April
13th marked Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time when
people around the world honor the sacred memory of the six million Jews,
along with millions of Roma and Sinti, people of Slavic and Polish
descent, persons with disabilities, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah’s
Witnesses, those persecuted for their sexual orientation, and countless
other innocent victims who were brutally murdered by the Nazi regime and
its allies.
God
of compassion and justice, we lift up the families of all Holocaust
survivors and remember that genocide is a structural sin that violates
the sanctity of life that you have bestowed on us. We ask for hearts
around the world to be awakened to ensure the end of all genocides and
dehumanizing ideologies that lead to genocide. May we stand together
against the evils of antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and the
dehumanization of Palestinians or any people. Help us build a world
rooted in dignity, compassion, and peace for all.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
April
24th is the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. On April 24, 1915,
the Ottoman Empire began its systematic genocide of the Armenian people.
Today, the Armenian people still face injustices and dispossession,
including the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh/ Nagorno-Karabakh by the
Azerbaijan government and land encroachment of the Armenian Quarter in
Jerusalem by Israeli settlers.
Divine
Creator, you are the God who remembers your people throughout
generations (Psalm 105:8), even as the world turns away from the
oppressed. We lift up the Armenian people, who have endured unimaginable
suffering, and we lament the injustices they still face today.
Strengthen those who stand for truth and dignity, and stir the hearts of
the world to stand against oppression in every form. May the memory of
those who perished call us to defend the living, and may your justice
roll down like water for all peoples.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
A
new Gaza Freedom Flotilla is setting sail towards Gaza. This time will
be the largest coordinated civilian maritime action in history to break
Israel’s siege of Gaza, with over 1,000 people around the world joining.
The flotilla is setting sail in the backdrop of a near daily
bombardment of Gaza by Israel and a blocking of 92% of medical
evacuations, despite the so-called ceasefire.
Holy
God, we give thanks for brave citizens of the world who teach us what
it means to be in solidarity. We pray for the safety of
the participants as they seek to break the siege. Lord, when we
ask you, “What can we do?", give us the creativity of the Holy Spirit
and power from Christ that our actions may bring about change. We pray
for an end to the blockade and siege on Gaza and for true justice and
peace to reign for all people.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
April
17 marked Palestinian Prisoners Day, a day commemorating the struggles
of Palestinian prisoners inside occupation prisons. This Prisoners Day,
over 144 events were held across 19 countries, protesting Israel’s most
recent death penalty law and calling for the freedom of over 10,000
Palestinian political prisoners currently held in Israeli prisons.
God
of the oppressed, we remember the words of Prophet Isaiah: “Woe to
those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to
deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the
oppressed.” (Isaiah 10:1-2) Help us to worship you by resisting unjust
policies of incarceration and violence. We pray for the freedom and
healing of all political prisoners.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
Pope
Leo IV recently marked his first Easter as Pope in his Urbi et Orbi
address, called on Christians to fight against “globalization of
indifference” toward suffering. Reflecting on the themes of hope and
renewal, he appealed to leaders of nations to stop the logic of war and
violence and follow Christ’s model rooted in peace and humility. His
comments came against the backdrop of ongoing global violence. His
address and call for peace were met with vitriol from U.S. leaders,
who reportedly threatened the Vatican, leading the Vatican to cancel
Pope Leo’s planned visit to the U.S. in 4th of July. The Pope will
instead spend July focused on humanitarian treatment of migrants, on the
coast of Tunisia where thousands of refugees sail from North Africa to
Italy.
God
of Hope, we continue to pray for the prophetic witness of church
leaders to reject all theologies of domination and instead pursue a
vision of your Kingdom rooted in love and justice. In the face of
empires that weaponize your name to justify death, grant us the courage
of the Holy Spirit to speak truth and act as agents of your peace.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayers
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