I bid you pray* tonight for our community, the world, and all people in need.
In joy and thanksgiving for the communities in which we live and grow, in which we are rooted and through which we seek the healing of the world, we pray for:
- Our families, that they might be loving, strong, and equitable, and that they might nurture all their members and send them forth in confidence and wholeness;
- Our children, that they may grow up wisely and compassionately, intelligent, generous, and above average, each and every one of them;
- Our companies, offices, and all places of employment, that they provide safe and satisfying work, and for the unions and other organizations who advocate for the protection and advancement of hard-working people;
- Our churches, civic groups, clubs, meet-ups, and all social organizations that enrich our communal lives together;
- Daily Kos, Street Prophets, and all online communities and their members, that their conversations be productive and that their communities move from virtual to fulfilled.
With love and deep concern we pray for the world:
- For Darfur, torn by violence, oppression, and indifference. May the genocide and the repression end there.
- For Iran and the United States, that their leaders' pissing match be resolved peacefully, and without the destabilization of global security. May war be avoided, despite the best intentions of our leaders.
- For Iraq, whose people have suffered enough and more. May our own troops come home quickly and uneventfully, and may the lives and health of ordinary Iraqis be improved in a stable democratic goverment.
- For the environment and all the good gifts of the earth. May food be plentiful, forests abundant, and waters clean. Save the world from degradation, exploitation, and the effects of human activity, especially global warming and air pollution. May we soon find alternative sources of energy and learn to protect our populations against hurricanes and disaster.
- For peace.
With compassion and hearts and hands outstretched to assist, we pray for all people in need:
- For immigrants, legal and illegal. For refugees, displaced persons, wanderers, and all who must leave their home in search of better opportunities, especially the husband of Sensible Shoes' student, as he faces sudden deportation. May all such people find welcome where they sojourn, just and equitable treatment, and shelter from violence. May tomorrow's protests deter lawmakers from creating punitive legislation, haters from perpetrating evil, and exploiters and all Americans from taking immigrants for granted.
- For the family and friends of John Kenneth Galbraith after his death, and for all those who have lost a loved one, especially the family of Nicole R., who died Monday night from an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot at the age of 27. May her warmth and vibrancy live on in the seven internal organs she donated after her death, and may her memory always be a comfort to her parents and siblings. We pray for all the dead, and their survivors.
- For children, the elderly, and all vulnerable individuals.
- For Karl Rove, Tony Snow, all the Bush administration, and all government leaders. God bless them, they need it. Keith Richards, too.
- For Ambrosius, mcjoan and her family, Tamifah, crimsonscare, Timroff, and all Kossacks in any need.
- Finally, for the sick, the sorrowing, the broken-hearted, the poor and the hungry. Grant them comfort, peace and rest at the last.