Prayer cycle (5 - 11 July 2015): Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
Intercessions
Give thanks for:
- Those who pay the high cost of working for justice and peace.
- Christians who live faithfully in the midst of violence.
- Fishermen and farmers who feed their families and their countries.
- Llapingachos (potato and cheese pancakes), aji (hot sauce), locro soup (made with cheese, avocado and potato), choclo (barbecued Andean corn), ceviche (a seafood dish marinated in lemon and onions, which is always served with popcorn), and pabellon (seasoned shredded beef, served with beans, rice and fried plantains).
- Giant tortoises, iguanas and other unique wildlife on the Galapagos Islands, and those trying to preserve their environment.
- CLAI, the Latin American Council of Churches, whose headquarters is in Quito, Ecuador.
- Those who work on behalf of the poor.
Pray for:
- An end to war and violence in Colombia and the establishment of a safe environment for all people.
- The creation of a stable and fair economy in Ecuador.
- An end to corruption by government officials.
- An end to drug production and trafficking, and the availability of other methods of economic activity.
- The indigenous peoples of these countries, who often bear the brunt of poverty amid growing economic disparity.
- Those who are poor, unemployed, and grieving, and those who work with them.
- Those affected by flooding and earthquakes.
- A renewal of faith by Christians in these countries.
- Those kidnapped or held hostage and their families.
- Those who have left their families and friends to go to another country to support those back home.
Prayers
A Confession of Faith
God of love, we believe that you are our hope.
God of love, we believe that you have called us to work for peace.
God of love, we believe that your Holy Spirit is breathing new
life into our communities, churches and nations.
God of love, we believe that you make it possible for light to shine upon all who suffer in our world.
God of love, we believe that you are speaking to the world’s peoples in all their differences, turning those differences into opportunities to build a new world.
God of love, we believe that you speak to the world’s peoples in all life’s situations, in the midst of our social, religious, political and economic life, in order to bring us hope.
God of love, we believe that you are calling all peoples and nations today to work together for change wherever there is pain and suffering in our world.
God of love, we believe that you are our hope. Amen.
(Revd Adelaida Jiménez, Colombia)
To be more patient
give us strength, Lord.
To become peace-makers,
equip us, Lord.
To be right,
give us your light, Lord.
To accept our faults,
give us humility, Lord.
To be in solidarity with those who suffer,
make us sympathetic, Lord.
That our actions will be guided by love,
give us your Spirit, Lord.
(Migdáleder Mazuera and Mairín Rodríguez, Venezuela. © Red de Liturgia y Recursos de Educación Cristiana de CLAI-CELADEC. English transl. Terry MacArthur, WCC)
God, we pray for all those
who, following the example of Jesus,
search and work for peace,
proclaiming and building your reign.
Increase their strength and fill them with your grace.
(Loida G. de Valera, Caracas, Venezuela. English transl. Terry MacArthur, WCC)
Song
Source: oikoumene.org