Posted by Frederic Brussat on February 13, 2014 Lord of the Dance, we are so grateful for the enduring melodic rock and pop music by the legendary Beatles.
Poll: In a recent poll, 69% say the Beatles' music has held up well and still sounds current and fresh today; just 25% disagree and think it's out of date. Two-thirds of Americans say the Beatles have had a great deal of influence on music and popular culture. Those surveyed named "Hey Jude" as their favorite song, followed by "Yellow Submarine." (CBS News Poll on Twitter)
Posted by Frederic Brussat on February 11, 2014 Morning Star, we ask you to relieve the plight of men and women just released from prison who are having trouble finding places to live, work, and receive health care.
Facts: In an article on www.newclearvision.com Victoria Law writes about the difficulties of men and women coming home after serving time in prison. In this piece reprinted from The New York Times, we learn that 670,000 people are released from prison each year. Many of them have very little money and no family or friends to help them out; if they do land a job, it is a menial one with low pay. To top it all off, when they leave prison, they lack access to affordable health care.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on February 5, 2014 Great Heart of Love, help us to do everything possible to stop the senseless deaths of children who often have easy access to guns in the home.
Fact: Every day, an average of 20 American children are hospitalized from injuries caused by firearms. Another 3,000 die every year before they get to the emergency room. For people 15 to 19, firearm injuries are the second leading cause of death, behind motor vehicle crashes. (USA Today) Friend of Children, help us find the ways, through public awareness and legislation, to give priority to protecting the lives of children over protecting the rights of gun owners. Let us heed the call of pediatricians urging parents to remove guns from the home or store them securely, locked and unloaded.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on February 3, 2014 O Beautiful Presence, we are saddened by reports that many of our brothers and sisters are not getting enough sleep every night. Many people are working too hard or entertaining themselves too long and not getting the essential rest they need to truly take care of themselves.
Surveys: One recent survey found that the number of "short sleepers" (those who got fewer than six hours of sleep at night) rose 22% from 1975 to 2006, a trend that was most pronounced and significant among full-time workers. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in 25 people admitted to having fallen asleep while driving during the previous month. Another survey showed that 29% of workers had fallen asleep or had been very sleepy at work. (nytimes.com)
Posted by Frederic Brussat on January 29, 2014 O Dweller in the Heart, we pray for the 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the United States who live in constant fear of being deported.
Fact: A record number of 419,384 deportations took place in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Between 2009 - 2012, the Obama administration deported 1.6 million immigrants. (The Pew Research Center) Most Hispanics think that being able to live and work in the United States legally without the threat of deportation is more important than having a pathway to citizenship. (The Pew Research Center) Soul Liberator, comfort those who worry that they themselves, a family member, or a close friend could be deported from the United States.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on January 27, 2014 Creator God, we give you hearty thanks for the work of Living Lands & Waters (livinglandsandwaters.org), the only industrial-scale river cleanup organization in the world.
Fact: The crew of LL&W spent nine months a year conducting dozens of river cleanup projects with the help of volunteers. In 2012, they relieved American riverbeds of some 84,000 bags of garbage, 68,000 tires, 1,300 propane tanks, 950 refrigerators, along with portable toilets, lawn mowers, couches, TVs, and cars. (The Week)
Posted by Frederic Brussat on January 20, 2014 Master of the Universe, we are so grateful for the chance to read books that fire our imaginations, stir our soul, and expand our circle of compassion.
Poll: For all the talk of print books being replaced by digital ones, the vast majority of readers in the U.S. still like print books. Some 28% of Americans read at least one e-book in 2013, up from 23% the year earlier. But the percentage of people who read print books increased as well: 69% said they read at least one print book, up from 65% the year before.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on January 17, 2014
O Keeper of Justice in the Universe, we are troubled by the use of children as
suicide bombers by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Fact: Recently a 10-year-old sister of a Taliban commander was given a suicide vest and sent to destroy a police check point. She was pulled from a river and rescued. Afghan police report that last year they intercepted 41 children between the ages of 6 and 11 years old being trained and outfitted as suicide bombers. (The Week) O God of Mercy, let us try harder to save children from participation and exposure to the murder and mayhem of war.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on January 15, 2014 Compassionate One, we pray that you will guide, sustain, and take care of those who are suffering as a result of economic inequality around the world. In the United States, there is the greatest gap between the rich and the poor since 1928.
Poll: Americans in the upper fifth of the income distribution earn 16.7 times as much as those in the lower fifth – by far the widest gap among the 10 advanced countries in a global attitudes survey. Yet barely half (47 %) of Americans think the rich-poor gap is a very big problem. (PewResearch.org)
Posted by Frederic Brussat on January 13, 2014 Companion of the Sorrowful, our hearts ache for all the young war veterans who have committed suicide; may they rest in peace. Be with their loved ones; may they experience the healing balm you offer in response to all our troubles.
Fact: The Number of young veterans committing suicide jumped dramatically from 2009 to 2011. According to Veterans Affairs officials, 22 male veterans a day under 30 years of age take their own lives. There was an increase of 11% in the suicide rate of female veterans over the same time span. Overall, suicide rates for all veterans remain significantly above their civilian counterparts. (Stars and Stripes)
The daily news summons us to prayer. The people, situations, and events of our times call out for our compassion and God's healing presence. In this blog we will pray in a variety of forms as we lift up the needs of the world. We hope that by praying the news in this way we will also expand both our spirituality and our practice. More