NOLA, Gulf Coast and the Carribean: prayers
  • BBC Columnist Rod Dreher reflects:
    Now, as you read this, the hurricane is upon us. Forecasters say it will rain hard for three days; there will be terrible flooding in places. We will have tropical storm winds for 24 hours and the threat of tornadoes. We may lose power for weeks.
    But come what may, we will all be in it together. The storm will give us opportunities to sacrifice for each other, and even for strangers who show up on our doorsteps.
    There can be blessing in brokenness, if you know how to look for it.
    And if we families, friends, and neighbours find ourselves in the days to come sitti,ng together around the fire cooking meat and telling stories to ward off the weariness, the drear, and the black of night, well, what could be more ancient and human than that?
    ht-Catholic Sensibility

    Lord, God, Father of all creation and protector of Your beloved creatures- we pause from our activities now, and humbly petition that the hearts, minds and spirits of those- now enduring yet another storm that echos so closely to the momentous loss- who must wait, care for each other, reach out to each other (friend and stranger alike), and try to find in misery's midst that blessing that comes from our fragile broken-ness. We will always have hope when we cling to our faith and reach for the hem of Your Son's garment and sing out His Name. For the souls lost to this storm in Haiti and elsewhere, to any who may not survive in the hours to come, be present to them in this life and the next, we ask through Christ our Lord, Amen.
    Thanked by 2Chris Allen CHGiffen