Tomorrow begins the inter-faith week of Prayer for World Peace. I find myself concerned about the world we live in. Early in the week I met the local Coptic minister who had visited Egypt. He told of the difficulties Christians there faced. We in NZ have been mortified because a ship sailing under a "flag of convenience" with safety issues has hit a reef and is spilling oil and containers into the sea off one of our favourite summer beach areas. There has been a mindless backlash against some people from the Philippines because that is where the seamen on the ship came from. A man told me of a seventeen year old daughter of a friend of his attempting suicide. (It is interesting that in places where there is abject poverty there are few suicides?) There is the spreading "Occupy Wall Street" movement now hitting NZ cities. I have for a long time been concerned about the increasing gap between rich and poor. It concerns me too that "Money rules". The corporate world has too much say in countries' priorities and systems. Then again I often find myself with "right wing" feelings. I encounter people at drop-in centre and other circles who whine about their predicament or try to bludge money off me, and I want to say, "Good grief, get off your bottom and do something for yourself!" I look at some of their life decisions and ask myself, "Why should I be trying to help them?" - Then I think I need to try to understand more about why they are like they are. I read that racism against immigrants is growing in the UK. I am deeply aware that my Maori son is an immigrant there. Anyway I guess I have felt a little bit of despair. The world we live in, our human systems, societies and interactions seem to all be crumbling, fragile and confused. The world needs prayed for. I share some writings from people.
“It is not
non-violence if we merely love those that love us. It is non-violence if we
love only when we love those that hate us. I know how difficult it is to follow
this grand law of love. But are not all great and good things difficult to do?
Love of the hater is the most difficult of all. But by the grace of God even
this most difficult of things becomes easy to accomplish if we want to do it”
-
Mahatma Gandhi
“Fortify me with the
grace of Your Holy Spirit and give your peace to my soul that I may be free
from all needless anxiety, solicitude and worry. Help me to desire always that
which is pleasing and acceptable to you so that Your will may be my will”.
-
Francis Xavier Cabrini.
AAnd ..my son in Edinburgh took this photo.
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