Practices Search Results
Great Spirit, you have created a beautiful world for us to live in. You have sent rains and snow to fill our rivers. You have made the land rich in nutrients for our plants and animals. We want to show our gratitude by protecting these gifts. And so we are troubled by what is happening in North Dakota.
Great God, on November 8, 2016, the people of the United States will elect a new president. We know that guidance is needed for voters and candidates alike.
News: The Republican Party is holding its presidential nomination convention in Cleveland, Ohio, from July 18 – 21; Donald Trump will be their candidate for president. The Democratic Party is holding its convention from July 25 – 28 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Hillary Clinton will be their candidate for president. The Libertarian Party held its convention May 26 – 30 in Orlando, Florida; Gary Johnson is their candidate for president. The Green Party will hold their convention August 4 – 7 in Houston, Texas; Jill Stein is expected to be their candidate for president.
Lover of All Creatures, in our experience a well-loved, well-trained pit bull is the gentlest of gracious creatures, the epitome of loyalty, albeit perhaps a bit shy. You could hardly have given us any better companion. So we were stunned and saddened last week to learn about a new instance of breed-specific legislation against pit bulls.
Balm to the Weary, we are shocked and saddened by the news that there are more refugees in the world today than have been recorded since the United Nations began collecting numbers in the early 1950s. They have been displaced by war, conflict, persecution, injustice, environmental pressures, and competition for scarce resources.
Report: According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, there are at least 59.5 million refugees in the world today, including 38.2 displaced within their own countries. That means that one in every 122 human beings is a refugee, and many of them are children. (UNHCR.org)
She Who Hears the Cries of All the World, be with these men, women and children as they are forced to leave their homes and struggle to find food, shelter, and respite from disease. Comfort them as they deal with their losses. Give them hope and the strength to seek a better future. Remind us to keep them always in our thoughts and prayers.
Upon hearing the heartwrenching and horrifying news of the shooting assault on the Tree of Life Jewish congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we asked Rabbi Ted Falcon of the Interfaith Amigos for a response. He immediately wrote back to share his reflections with us.
And so we pray this news ...
Blessing always calls us to the immediacy of the present moment; it is an invitation to mindfulness. In the case of hearing terrible news, we are invited to share blessing in this form:
“Blessed are You,
Eternal One our God,
Universal Presence,
the True Judge.”
Something bringing pain and suffering has occurred that is outside of our control, and we are asked to be fully present to that pain with energies of blessing.
News: An article by Kate Stringer in YesMagazine.org spells out a crisis:
"After being pulled over for a busted taillight on July 6, Philando Castile informed a Minnesota police officer at his window that he owned a gun and had a license to carry it. As he reached for his license and registration, his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter then watched as the police officer fired four shots into Castile’s body. He died in the driver’s seat.
"Castile was one of 137 Black people in the United States killed by a police officer this year [as of July 8, 2016]. Another Black man, Alton Sterling, was killed by police in Louisiana the night before. On Thursday, seemingly in response, five police officers were killed and six were wounded when snipers interrupted a peaceful protest in Dallas on July 7. Amid the violence there have been forceful calls to city leaders to address police racism and brutality."
"God of all creation, you created animals to roam the earth and fish to fill the seas. We pray for creatures on the verge of extinction, specifically that those responsible for poaching and polluting will be held responsible. Help us to live in a way that does not endanger life, but cherishes and nourishes the life in and around us. Amen." (Prayer for Endangered Species from the Editors of Sojourners)
Study: A new study released by the Zoological Society in London, Panthera, and the Wildlife Conservation Society reveals that cheetahs may be at greater risk of extinction than previously thought. Today, there are just 7,100 cheetahs left in the world, down from an estimated 14,000 in 1975. They have been driven out of 91% of their historic range as humans have converted wilderness areas to managed land for agriculture or livestock. Poaching of cheetahs and the killing of their prey for "bushmeat" are other causes of the population decline.
Built for speed, cheetahs are the world's fastest land animal. They have been clocked running at 70 miles per hour. Unlike other wild animals who find safety in numbers, these swift creatures are loners who learn to fend for themselves.
And so we pray this news . . .
"God, the list of extinct species grows.
What would you have us do?
I run toward You, Friend.
I trust that You hear me.
For the hubris of our ancestors that said, THIS IS MINE
Forgive us.
Of our hubris, here and now, cure us.
Teach us how to be a friend
to feathered and unfeathered
Teach me to remember THIS IS YOURS.
I pray there is still time."
— Carol J. Adams in Prayers for Animals
God Who Breaks Chains, we pray for all animals who suffer and feel pain because so many humans have never bothered to consider the question of animal rights. Help us to see that these creatures have a value separate from their usefulness to humans. And let us be more attentive and empathetic to their pleasure, fear, frustration, loneliness, parental love, and grief.
REPORT: 32% of Americans think that animals should have the same protection from exploitation and harm as people, up from 25% in 2008. 62% think animals should have some rights. (Gallup Poll)
Wise and Faithful Guide, forgive us our lack of interest in the suffering of animals and the cruelty they have experienced at our hands in laboratories, cages, tanks, and factory farms. We lament the grief caused when animals are separated from their communities. We grieve the deaths of animals due to hunting them for sport. Give us the wisdom and the courage to stand up for the rights of animals. May we treat our fellow creatures with respect and reverence.
Lover of Animals, we are grieving the death of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe. We are concerned about all the other African lions, rhinos, and elephants who are victims of poachers and "trophy" hunters. The numbers of these animals, which used to roam freely and widely through Africa, are dangerously low. We know if we do not stop the killing, these iconic species could become extinct in only a few years.
"No one ever understood disaster until it came," wrote Josephine Herbst in Nothing Is Sacred. Sadly, people who are now facing hurricane inundations, wildfires, and earthquakes know that feeling of having what you cherish ripped away. Whether it's a loved one, your property, or your sense of security that's gone, the loss is real and searing.
People in times gone by could chalk up natural disasters to the stars: The word comes from the Latin dis- (negation) + astrum ("star") — an ill-fated star. But we do not have that luxury, given the science of climate change. We cannot say exactly to what extent global warming is contributing to current disasters, but we can say for sure that continuing on our current path is perilous.
Our response to the disasters needs to be two-fold: compassionately and wisely addressing the immediate crisis — as the "Cajun Navy," the Red Cross, and others of good heart have been doing — and taking a freshly sober look at the big picture. We are not lacking for knowledge about how to live in greater harmony with the earth, but we are pinned in place by old habits.