Dear Parish Family,
As I watched the evening news and the catastrophic loss of life in Turkey and
Syria, I glanced at the picture on my phone of my beautiful little Charlotte. The
tears continue to fall even as I write this today. There cannot be parents, grand-
parents, aunts and uncles who are not deeply moved by the scenes of a newborn
or child being pulled from this apocalyptic ruble. In regions like this, families tend
to stay in the same area. Entire families are deceased. Who will take care of these
precious children? Who is left to provide for them, and that is even if they can find
relatives. We pray for these children to heal and live their lives in peace, rather
than fear and anxiety. Fr Benedict Groeschel wrote a book TEARS OF GOD for those
who have suffered great sorrow or survived a catastrophe. He writes of how our
relationship to our faith in divine providence, in God’s goodness and mercy and
finally Christ’s suffering.
Please pray with me this prayer offered by Fr James Martin SJ in the wake of the
Tsunami in Japan several years ago.
Most merciful and compassionate God,
Giver of Life and Love,
hear our prayers
and let our cries come unto you.
We weep with your people
We hear the cries of orphaned children and laments of bereaved parents
We feel the desperation of those searching for loved ones
We behold the silence of vanished villages.
We see the devastation.
We are overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
Our hearts are hushed, our minds are numb.
Let not our hands be stopped, our voices dumb.
God of the universe,
Open our hearts to feel your compassion
Galvanize in us the act of continued giving
Bond us to our sisters and brothers in need
Comfort and heal the injured, the bereaved, the lost
Strengthen the aid workers and medical personnel
Bolster the resolve of governments and those with power to help
Open through this tragedy pathways to partnerships and peace
In Your Name of mercy and healing and compassion we pray
From St Francis of Assisi “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”
Mary Jo