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Update June 26, 2015: This prayer was written in 2013 when the Supreme Court of the United States made a turning point ruling that the core provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law enacted in 1996, are unconstitutional. Today's ruling by the Supreme Court goes further legalizing gay marriage throughout the land. The ruling was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy. This is the closing paragraph.
“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."
- Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, June 26, 2015
As people of God, who believe that all people are created in God's image, and all love reflects God's love, we rejoice with our gay brothers and sisters in the United States.
On Saturday, December 12, after months of preparation and a week of discussion, representatives of 195 countries agreed on a historic document addressing the issues and problems associated with climate change. The document (see the key provisions here) has been praised for showing the way out of reliance upon fossil fuels, although some activists feel it has not gone far enough.
Stephen Sondheim died November 26, 2021, at the age of 91. The obituary in The New York Times described him as "the theater’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century and the driving force behind some of Broadway’s most beloved and celebrated shows." He was known for his collaborative style and his ceaseless encouragement of actors, writers, and composers. I can attest to that. After his death, I got out a note I had received from Sondheim years ago. He said that he was unable to attend my show, but I should keep writing. And I have. Below is my prayer of gratitude for Stephen Sondheim.
Comforting God, we awoke this morning to news of the deadliest mass shooting on United States soil in modern history. Once again we are called to prayer and reflection about gun violence and hate crimes.
News: Early in the morning of June 12, 2016, a 29-year-old man, Omar Mateen of Ft. Pierce, Florida, walked into a gay nightclub and opened fire with his assault weapon. 49 people were killed inside the Pulse Club and at least 53 people were injured. The gunman was killed by the police. The authorities are calling this an act of domestic terrorism.
Bestower of Authenticity, thank you for people courageous enough to stand on principle even when it means risking the loss of needed funds. Our team at Spirituality & Practice is grateful and honored to be affiliated with the Claremont School of Theology. CST's partner school Claremont Bayan just turned down a $800,000 grant from the Trump administration.
Creator God, we are worried about the trees in our home state of California and elsewhere in the world.
Article: According to the Los Angeles Times, the number of dead trees in California's forests has risen dramatically to more than 102 million. “The scale of die-off in California is unprecedented in our modern history.” said Randy Moore, the forester for the region of the U.S. Forest Service. Scientists say that five years of drought are to blame for much of the destruction. Unusually high temperatures have added to the trees' demand for water. And the lack of rain makes the trees susceptible to beetles that can kill them. Officials have also predicted we will see many more wildfires fueled by dead trees.
And so we pray this news . . .
Holy Transformer, we pray that you will encourage those who are refusing to see or do anything about this catastrophe to change their ways.
Help us to realize the life-sustaining connections between forests and our lives so that we look for ways to protect them from drought, disease, and wildfires.
We give thanks for scientists and researchers who are doing all they can to come up with programs to deal more effectively with climate change.
We are grateful for the diligence and often unheralded heroism of forest firefighters.
And last but not least, we pray that you will give patience and resilience to families who have lost their homes and trees who have lost their beloved companions.
Amen.
The First and the Last, we pray that you might help us deal with one of the most widespread and authentic fears of seniors and their families –the fear of aging alone with no one close to help them.
Article: According to "Living, and Dying, at Home" by Alana Samuels in The Atlantic, by 2050, one-fifth of the total U.S. population – about 88 million people – will be 65 and older. Many of them will want to continuing living in their homes, arrangements that could save the families and the government billions of dollars in the cost of other living situations. But this means that those who live in the neighborhood will have to take time to help long-lived people by taking them grocery shopping or to doctors' appointments, that youth spend some time visiting with them, and that others provide care to the aged and infirm. Another option is a network of seniors who live at home but participate in activities together, share service providers such as home-care aides and plumbers, and volunteer to help each other handle errands. There are more than 150 of these "Villages" already set up in cities around the world.
God of All Generations, give us the empathy and compassion to square off with the challenges that face the growing number of elders. May we work on plans to insure that as many seniors as possible can keep living at home. Guide, direct, and sustain those who provide care to elders now that they may train others for the future. Help neighborhoods and communities put services and programs in place that will serve elders, enabling them not only to survive but to thrive thanks to the help of others. May we see each other as an extended family.
This is the Age of Weaponized Drones. They are widely used in the war against terrorists and other enemies of the state. Hard facts on the frequency and targets of drone attacks are difficult to come by given the secrecy of the CIA and U.S. military and its allies. Still, more and more concerned citizens are voicing their objection to the widespread use of drones.
August 15, 2021, Afghanistan. The Taliban, having defeated the Afghan security forces in other areas of the country, entered the capital of Kabul, thus solidifying their total takeover of the country. United States military, diplomatic and business personnel, as well as other foreign nationals were evacuated, as thousands of Afghans tried to secure an escape as well. But most people of the country, exhausted from twenty years of war, had no options but to face what is presumed will be a strict and deadly regime.
A Taliban spokesperson told a BBC reporter that they will reimpose their version of Sharia (religious) law, which includes such things as stoning for adultery and amputation of limbs for stealing. The fate of women is uncertain. The spokesperson assured the BBC that women would be respected, allowed to work, and be able leave their homes without a male escort; girls would be able to go to school. But this was not true when the Taliban ruled the country from 1996 – 2001. Women who for two decades have had those rights, now worry their freedom will be taken away. Those who have attained professional and political power fear they will be killed. The women and girls of Afghanistan face an uncertain future and will need courage, strength, international support, and empathy for their suffering. The latter is expressed in the following prayer psalm.
Visions for a more just and compassionate world can take decades to come to fruition. We now have the soul-stirring opportunity to be part of Dr. Martin Luther King's Poor People's Campaign, inaugurated in 1968, as it takes on new life in 2018. “We don’t need a commemoration, we need a reconsecration,” proclaims Reverend Dr. William Barber, a pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, in Goldsboro, North Carolina, an articulate and charismatic leader in the contemporary civil-rights movement. (You can learn more about Barber's role in the campaign, together with Reverend Liz Theoharis from New York's Union Theological Seminary, in the May 14th issue of The New Yorker.)
Started on Mother's Day 2018 and continuing 40 days until June 23 — the last day of the 1968 effort — the revived Poor People's Campaign calls people to protest policies that perpetuate poverty, systemic racism, war, and ecological devastation. Across the United States, concerned citizens grounded in an ethic of love are mobilizing others, engaging in civil disobedience, and using social media to spread the word.