Last
week, Layan Nasir was released from Damon prison in Israel and was
reunited with her family and friends in Birzeit after serving
a 7-and-a-half-month sentence. 25-year old Layan Nasir, a member of St.
Peter’s Anglican Church in Birzeit, was first violently kidnapped and
detained in 2021 for
months under Israel’s administrative detention policy, which allows
military authorities to hold Palestinians for an indefinite amount of
time without charge or trial. She was detained on charges of belonging
to a student union and organizing student activities at her
university in the occupied West Bank.
Holy
God, we pray for all-encompassing healing for Layan and her family as
they look towards a new chapter in their lives. We pray that your peace,
which transcends all understanding, will reach all who are still
incarcerated and are experiencing torture and fear. Deliver us from all
physical and spiritual prisons of dehumanization and violence.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
On May
14, in a march to mark the occupation of East Jerusalem and
annexation, Israeli right-wing extremists marched through
Jerusalem chanting “death to the Arabs”, “may your villages burn” and
“Gaza is a graveyard” while harassing Palestinians. The annual march
known as the “flag march” has grown more extreme and violent in recent
years. In protest to the hatred and racism, activist group Standing
Together brought together 400 volunteers who attempted to protect
Palestinian residents from violence. The activists and journalists
accompanying them were met with physical harassment and threats from
settlers and the Israeli police.
God
of justice, as we witness hatred consuming Jerusalem, we remember that
you are a righteous judge who sees all evil deeds, whether they are done
in light or dark. Bring your justice and accountability to all who
engage in structural sins of dehumanization. Embolden those who love
peace to continue their work as agents of your justice in Jerusalem and
beyond.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
More
than 50 ships representing 45 countries from the Global Sumud Flotilla
set sail from southern Turkey in another attempt to bring humanitarian
aid and break the siege on Gaza, just weeks after Israel intercepted a
previous flotilla and illegally detained two activists. Despite Israel’s
threats and accusations against the Global Sumud Flotilla, the United
Nations has asserted that “it is not a crime to show solidarity and
attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza,
who are in dire need of it” and called on Israel to halt practices that
violate international human rights standards, including its illegal
blockade of Gaza.
Loving
God, we pray for the safety of all who are putting their bodies on the
line in solidarity with the suffering. With the flotilla, illuminate to
the world the illegal siege on Gaza. We pray that the actions of the
flotilla, along with the actions of those around the world, may finally
bring an end to blockade and a just peace for the people of Gaza and
beyond.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
Last
week, Bishop Munib Younan and Rabbi Ruti Bidatz traveled together to
Germany to the Katholikentag for a panel discussion on why working for
peace is even more urgent now (after October 7). They spoke about the
settler violence in the West Bank and on shrinking civic space as well
as the responsibility of Western countries, specifically Germany , to
support civil society projects like Sabeel's Faithful Futures project.
Holy
God, we give thanks for the efforts of Bishop Munib and Rabbi Ruti to
bring the international community closer to the work of justice and
peace. We pray that those who participated in the discussion may use
their new knowledge creatively and in solidarity with those who are
suffering.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
Despite
the destruction of Gaza’s cultural and literary institutions and the
killing of at least 150 of Gaza’s leading cultural figures because
of the genocide, people in Gaza continue to insist on life. One example
is the recent launching of the Pheonix Library, a library created
through crowdfunding and renovation of a surviving building. The library
now houses more than 6,000 books in Arabic and English that survived
the rubble, and it has become a space for people to continue education
and research.
Loving
God, in the midst of suffering and destruction, we are reminded of the
presence of your Holy Spirit in all spaces that cultivate hope. We pray
for the success of the Phoenix Library and all initiatives that uplift
the oppressed. Lord, help us wherever we are to contribute to the great
work of solidarity and hope by using our creativity and gifts.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer
We join the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the people of Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
Lord in your mercy...hear our prayers
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