Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of March 1, 2021

The Kumi Now online gathering on Tuesday, February 30 at 6pm Jerusalem Time (11 am Eastern US time) will consider the topic of how Palestinians are restricted in their movements by the Israeli occupation of their land.

• Lord, we pray for all those Palestinians who are forced to wait each day and, in all weathers, to be granted, or denied, Israeli permission to go to school, or their place of work or to receive medical treatment. We pray for an end to this system of control and restriction. Lord, in your mercy…

The author Raja Shehadeh will be accepting the Storyteller Award at this year’s Rebuilding Hope virtual benefit. He also recently won the 2020 Moore Prize for writing on human rights. His book is entitled Going Home: A walk through fifty years of occupation (Profile Books 2019).

• Lord, we give thanks for Raja’s literary gifts and for his commitment to defending human rights in his work and writing. Lord, in your mercy..

In this time of pandemic five university students in Gaza are giving up time each week to volunteer to help young pupils at the Rosary Sisters’ School in their English, French and Math classes. The students are on a Christian Student Scholarship Programme sponsored by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

• Lord, we pray for the children of Gaza, especially those who have fallen behind in their studies as a result of Covid-19, school closures, daily electricity cuts and rising poverty levels. We pray for those who step forward to support these young ones. Lord, in your mercy…

Palestinian Christians in the city of Akka in northern Israel form a small minority, living among mostly Muslims and Jews. Over five hundred pupils attend the Franciscan Terra Sancta High School in Akko, with only 133 pupils from Christian families. Ghada Makhoul, the School Director, spoke of her passion to ‘teach children to respect each other as human beings’. Before the school’s move to distance learning due to the pandemic they had been involved in a year-long project with a Jewish school.

• ‘Make us know your ways, O Lord, teach us your paths, (Ps25:4) We are thankful for the efforts of teachers in the city of Akko to promote respect and understanding among their pupils. We pray that the fruit of this work will help to establish justice and peace in the Holy Land. Lord, in your mercy..

Rajie, ‘Roger’, Cook, a pioneer graphic designer and Middle East activist died peacefully at his home in Pennsylvania on Saturday, the 6th of February. He was the son of Palestinian immigrants and had dedicated his life to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He served for ten years on the Task Force for the Middle East sponsored by the Presbyterian Church in the US.

• Lord, we give thanks for the life and witness of Rajie and for his deep concern for the sufferings of Palestinians living under occupation. Lord, in your mercy…

The Palestinian Health Minister, Mai al-Kaila stated that the occupied Palestinian Territories were experiencing a spike in new Covid-19 cases. On Thursday, the 25th of February, a total of 1,391 new cases had been reported in just 24 hours. Lockdown measures are being considered once again.

• Lord, we pray that vaccines will be made available to all living in the occupied Palestinian Territories. We pray that politicians will act wisely to stem the sharp rise in the Covid infection rate. Lord, in your mercy..

The highly respected US activist and philosopher, Cornel West, spoke out publicly on Wednesday, the 24th of February, about Harvard’s refusal to grant him a permanent academic post at the university. He believes his critical views on the Israeli occupation of Palestine have cost him the tenure. He stated, ‘It is hard to have a robust, respectful conversation about the Israeli occupation because you are immediately viewed as an anti-Jewish hater.’

• Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world. We do not have to walk in darkness, for when we follow you, we have the light of life. Thank you, Lord for all those who are ready to shine a light on dark places in our world. We pray for those who speak out over injustice and are not prepared to suppress the truth. Lord, in your mercy…

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Lord, in your mercy…