The purpose of this Prayer Diary is to provide subjects for your reflection and prayer as the Spirit moves you.
April 2021 Environmental Prayer Diary
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has made a renewed and urgent call for prayer in the time of the renewed record highs of the Covid-19 Pandemic
Daily noon-time prayer
God bless the world,
Give it wisdom at this time,
Grant us relief and release,
Be with those who are ill,
And bless the carers fighting this pandemic,
For Jesus Christ’s sake,
Amen
Prayer During a Pandemic
Loving God, Holy One,
Your desire is for our wholeness and well-being.
We hold in tenderness and prayer the collective suffering of our world at this time.
We grieve precious lives lost and vulnerable lives threatened.
We ache for ourselves and our neighbours, standing before an uncertain future.
We pray: may love, not fear, go viral.
Inspire our leaders to discern and choose wisely, aligned with the common good.
Help us to practice social distancing and reveal to us new and creative ways to come together in spirit and in solidarity.
Call us to profound trust in Your Faithful presence,
You, the God who does not abandon,
You, the Holy One,
breathing within us,
breathing among us,
breathing around us
in our beautiful yet wounded world.
Sisters of IHM Scranton, PA: Sr Katie Clauss, IHM
Thursday |
1 |
Holy Week – Maundy ThursdayLoving Provider, |
Friday |
2 |
Good FridayMy Lord, |
Saturday |
3 |
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Sunday |
4 |
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Monday |
5 |
Today enjoy the outdoors together! |
Tuesday |
6 |
Reflection“Genesis in the Bible declares that human beings have been created in the image of God and are bidden to have dominion over the rest of creation. Made in the imago dei, they are thus God’s representatives, and so must hold this dominion not ruthlessly, aggressively exploitatively, but as God would hold dominion, caringly, lovingly and compassionately. There is a very intimate connection between us humans and the rest of creation. It is mystical and real. So when Adam and Eve muck up their lives through disobeying God, it has devastating consequences for the rest of creation – the ground which up to then had produced crops for the benefit of humans, now spews forth weeds. This is an imaginative way of saying that Creation has been damaged because human beings have been damaged. It is now red in tooth and claw.” Bishop Desmond Tutu, |
Wednesday |
7 |
Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti of Pope Francis on the Fraternity and Social Friendship
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Thursday |
8 |
John 6:25-40Jesus the Bread of Life25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” |
Friday |
9 |
Thomas Berry |
Saturday |
10 |
In your time, Creator God, |
Sunday |
11 |
Petitions for the EarthThat the Earth be reverenced and cared for as God intends, |
Monday |
12 |
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Tuesday |
13 |
Ripple PrayersWhat you need: a container of water (or a natural body of water outside!), small stones Take your small stones and drop them into the water. Watch the ripple that starts where the pebble hits the water and spreads out Then, as the ripples begin to settle, pray and ask God to bring peace to situations in your daily life, particularly in the situations you thought of before where your words or actions led to conflict. Watch as the water stills, and the impact of the stone disappears completely – thank God for the peace and forgiveness that he brings to our lives. |
Wednesday |
14 |
“It’s a gift to joyfully recognize and accept our own smallness and ordinariness. Then you are free with nothing to live up to, nothing to prove, and nothing to protect. Such freedom is my best description of Christian maturity, because once you know that your “I” is great and one with God, you can ironically be quite content with a small and ordinary “I.” No grandstanding is necessary. Any question of your own importance or dignity has already been resolved once and for all and forever.” Richard Rohr |
Thursday |
15 |
Earth, Our Home Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life. The forces of nature make existence a demanding and uncertain adventure, but Earth has Taken from The Earth Charter |
Friday |
16 |
The Lambeth Conference Journey shares ‘Prayers of Hope for the World’.Featuring prayers from Anglican bishops – and the wider Lambeth Conference Community – this journey brings prayers from around the worldwide Anglican Communion.Creator God, you have woven us into your wonderful web of life. Unite our Anglican family in lament; as we hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Pour down your Spirit upon us to work together to renew the face of the earth. Challenge us with the prophetic voices of the young and guide us with indigenous wisdom. Inspire us Creator God to act now with compassion and urgency, knowing that we are the ones we have been waiting for. Amen Rev. Rachel Mash |
Saturday |
17 |
The Possibility of RestraintFrancis rejoices in all the works of the Lord’s hands, and through their Goodness is a first principle of the universe. God declares it on the first page of the story of creation. —Barbara Holmes Creation is the first Bible, as I (and others) like to say, and it existed for 13.7 billion years before the second Bible was written. Natural things like animals, plants, rocks, and clouds give glory to God just by being themselves, just what God created them to be. It is only we humans who have been given the free will to choose not to be what God created us to be. Surprisingly, the environmentalist and author Bill McKibben finds hope in this unique freedom. He writes: The most curious of all . . . lives are the human ones, because we can destroy, but also because we can decide not to destroy. The turtle does what she does, and magnificently. She can’t not do it, though, any more than the beaver can decide to take a break from building dams or the bee from making honey. But if the bird’s special gift is flight, ours is the possibility of restraint. We’re the only creature who can decide not to do something we’re capable of doing. That’s our superpower, even if we exercise it too rarely. So, yes, we can wreck the Earth as we’ve known it, killing vast numbers of ourselves and wiping out entire swaths of other life—in fact . . . we’re doing that right now. But we can also not do that. . . . We have the tools (non-violence chief among them) to allow us to stand up to the powerful and the reckless, and we have the fundamental idea of human solidarity that we could take as our guide. . . . Another name for human solidarity is love, and when I think about our world in its present form, that is what overwhelms me. The human love that works to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, the love that comes together in defence of sea turtles and sea ice and of all else around us that is good. The love that lets each of us see we’re not the most important thing on earth, and makes us okay with that. . . . Over these past several months I have witnessed many examples of this restraint, which Bill McKibben calls love. While the lives of our elders, our vulnerable, and essential workers are at stake during the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of millions of us across the globe have been restraining ourselves at home, choosing not to do many things for many weeks in order to protect those we love (and those others love as well). Surely the earth is breathing a sigh of relief for our reduction in pollution and fossil fuel use. This “Great Pause,” as some are calling it, gives me hope that we will soon find it within ourselves to protect our shared home, not only for our own sake, but for our neighbours across the globe, and future generations. From Richard Rohr’s daily meditations |
Sunday |
18 |
Father of creation, we thank you for all that you have made; |
Monday |
19 |
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Tuesday |
20 |
Reflection:Pope Francis – Laudato Si207. “The Earth Charter asked us to leave behind a period of self-destruction and make a new start, but we have not as yet developed a universal awareness needed to achieve this. Here, I would echo that courageous challenge: “As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning… Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life”. 208. We are always capable of going out of ourselves towards the other. Unless we do this, other creatures will not be recognized for their true worth; we are unconcerned about caring for things for the sake of others; we fail to set limits on ourselves in order to avoid the suffering of others or the deterioration of our surroundings. Disinterested concern for others, and the rejection of every form of self-centeredness and self-absorption, are essential if we truly wish to care for our brothers and sisters and for the natural environment. These attitudes also attune us to the moral imperative of assessing the impact of our every action and personal decision on the world around us. If we can overcome individualism, we will truly be able to develop a different lifestyle and bring about significant changes in society.” Prayerfully reflect on this |
Wednesday |
21 |
“We can at least see that the question is asked, and asked on the basis of a clear recognition that there is no way of manipulating our Archbishop Emeritus Rowan Williams |
Thursday |
22 |
Earth Day 2021When life around the globe returns to “normal”, our world
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Friday |
23 |
A Bottle, a Tin and a Plastic BagMilk bottle tops and paper bags, Old plastic bottles, silver foil, |
Saturday |
24 |
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Sunday |
25 |
World Penguin DayPenguins are aquatic, flightless birds living in the southern Global climate change has in the recent past given penguins living in the southern hemisphere a hard fight. Most penguins feed on krill (a type of small crustacean.) The retreat of sea ice in most areas of Antarctica has led to the reduction of krill stocks. This disappearance of penguins’ primary source of food has significantly contributed to the death of many penguins. Once again, we see how our collective apathy about climate change threatens all of God’s Creation. Prayer: Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one and no creature. God of creation, help us to remember all creatures – big and small – of this earth, so precious in your eyes, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty and stability. God of all, bring healing to our lives and open our eyes to see you in all that you have created. As we think of how great you are, move us to help our brothers and sisters and care for the earth that we share. Amen. |
Monday |
26 |
World Malaria Day – 25 AprilWorld Malaria Day is an occasion to highlight the need for COVID-19 complicates the malaria picture in Southern Africa Malaria is endemic to 14 of the 16 southern African countries, with the exception of Lesotho and the Seychelles. But the distribution of malaria in these 14 countries is extremely varied. Countries in southern Africa are highly connected. Large numbers of highly mobile and migrant populations and frequent cross-border movements pose significant challenges to achieving a malaria-free region. This is particularly so as mosquitoes and parasites do not respect country borders. South Africa is an example of the challenges the whole region faces. The constant introduction of malaria from neighbouring countries remains a major obstacle to the country’s ambitions to eliminate the disease. South Africa’s already heavily burdened healthcare system has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organisation also warned that COVID-19 could significantly disrupt malaria control activities. South Africa responded rapidly by modifying malaria control practices and protocols. The goal was to ensure the safety of healthcare workers, malaria control staff and the communities they serve. As fever is a symptom of both malaria and COVID-19, people from malaria-endemic districts were tested for both COVID-19 and malaria during the community-testing phase of the COVID-19 control strategy. South Africa’s strict lockdown restrictions on provincial and international movements greatly reduced the country’s malaria burden, with just over 1,000 cases reported between May and October 2020. Gauteng has a substantial number of malaria deaths for a province where malaria is not endemic. This is because the disease is misdiagnosed in a number of patients who did not travel. These are patients who suffer from Odyssean malaria, colloquially referred to as “taxi malaria”. These cases are due to a mosquito that has “hitched a ride” from an endemic area. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that when a patient presents with a fever, malaria is considered. The COVID-19 pandemic has already changed the world and presented many public health challenges, but it must not be allowed to let preventable, treatable diseases like malaria rebound. Prayer: Almighty God, we know that you can do all things, and no plan of yours can be thwarted. We pray for your sons and daughters, in Africa and around the world, who are suffering from, or at risk for, malaria. Lord, bless and aide the malaria intervention programs so that they would be as effective and efficient as possible. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen. Adapted from the Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Arongo, |
Tuesday |
27 |
A new WWF report Deforestation fronts: Drivers and responses in a changing world. has revealed how and why our planet has lost an area the size of California to deforestation in just over a decade. This shocking loss, totalling 43 million hectares in the tropics and Prayerfully consider how your consumer purchases are contributing to this crisis https://greenchristian.org.uk/resources/prayer-guide |
Wednesday |
28 |
Jacques Yves Cousteau |
Thursday |
29 |
O God, amazing Creator, there is no end to the awe we feel in the face of your magnificent creation. Words cannot convey our gratitude for such an undeserved gift. We praise you for the beauty that stops us in our tracks wherever we turn. We revere you for the fecundity of creation that has spewed forth life and goodness for billions of years. We thank you for the multitude of ways that the natural world sustains and nourishes us in body and spirit. We are humbled that we are part of such a display of your glory. Our hearts overflow with love for You, revealed in the wonder of creation. May all the angels and saints join us in our song of gratitude, praising You forever and ever. Amen. |
Friday |
30 |
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2021 Enviro Prayer Diaries in PDF
2020 Enviro Prayer Diaries in PDF
- January 2020
- February 2020
- March 2020
- April 2020
- May 2020
- June 2020
- July 2020
- August 2020
- September 2020
- October 2020
- November 2020
- December 2020
2019 Enviro Prayer Diaries in PDF
- January 2019
- February 2019
- March 2019
- April 2019
- May 2019
- June 2019
- July 2019
- August 2019
- September 2019 – Season of Creation
- October 2019
- November 2019
- December 2019
2018 Enviro Prayer Diaries in PDF
- January 2018
- February 2018
- March 2018
- April 2018
- May 2018
- June 2018
- July 2018
- August 2018
- September 2018 – Season of Creation
- October 2018
- November 2018
- December 2018
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