Thoughts for the Day
Monday, 15th May 2023: Rogation
World Joel 2 Prayer Rogation God Action
Reading : Verses from Joel, Chapter 2
Do not fear, O soil;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
Do not fear, you animals of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit,
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
O children of Zion, be glad
and rejoice in the Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain for your vindication,
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the later rain, as before.
The threshing-floors shall be full of grain,
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil....
You shall eat plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
(Lectionary reading for Rogationtide, New Revised Standard Version)
Thoughts
God gives us our world and all that is in it - for me, that means He planned and initiated it, and guides us - and as the great Designer he must be appalled at what we have done, with this creation. Our reading is from the book of Joel, one of the Minor Prophets. He prophesies that salvation will only occur when the people return to God, and also that the land will only then become fertile.
Rogation is a time to think of the natural world, and to reflect on the way human selfishness, greed, and war, have affected our world. If we look at two items of food that most of us buy each week we can see the effect it has upon our pockets in this country, and no doubt upon many other countries::
Price of a pint of milk: 2021: 49 pence. 2023: 95 pence
Standard loaf of bread: 2021: £1.07. 2023: £1.35
A report produced in 2022 states that food inflation rose by 16.9%, (Bank of England report) yet farmers are often paid less than it costs them to produce these items. The price of milk has doubled in the last two years. Bread is less costly, but the world struggles to get wheat because of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Food banks proliferate everywhere, and many people have poor diets. If we add unclean water, plastic pollution, and climate change to the list of problems... well you begin to realize the need for prayer and action for our world.
Prayer
Lord God,
we thank You for our world,
for its beauty and complexity,
for its colour and intricacy,
and for birds, animals, and humans.
We ask Your forgiveness for our mistakes,
our wilful blindness,
and the way we do little
to improve the current situation
even when we can see the dangers.
Help us to seek Your help,
to make changes to our way of life,
and become eco-warriors.
Amen.
The ' World Wide Fund for nature' suggests things we can do to save our planet! Can we do at least one of them?
Prayers for our world from the Catholic Church:
1. Loving God, Lord of all,
this earth, our home, belongs to you.
Give us grace to love it as you do.
Give us courage to give ourselves, as you do,
for the good of all people and all of your creation.
Strengthen us to stand, as you do,
with the vulnerable poor.
Give us wisdom to know when we have enough,
and the voice to say enough
to all that harms creation and hurts the poorest.
This earth, our home, belongs to you. Amen. (Prayerist)
2. Creator God, who made our beautiful world,
appointed us as its guardians
and gifted us with everything we need,
forgive us
for the times we cause it harm;
for the times our way of life
affects our neighbours.
Inspire us
to care for the environment;
to help rebuild lives and communities;
to share in the griefs and anxieties,
joys and hopes of all your people,
so that all your creation may flourish. Amen. (Prayerist)
3. All powerful God,
you are present in the universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with your peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty,
not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle,
for justice, love and peace. Amen. (Pope Francis)