Prayers for Japan – but not for Libya
Yes, we will pray for Japan, but what about Libya?
While making a pot of tea, I thought of ringing the Archbishop’s Curia to suggest prayers for Libya, thinking how strange it is that no such call has been made yet by Malta’s spiritual leaders.
I then returned to my laptop to discover that the Archbishop, the Bishop of Gozo and the Vicar-General have called for prayers for Japan.
Yes, Japan.
We have been asked to pray for the Japanese dead, their families, those who have lost their homes and possessions, those who have fled, and those who are providing humanitarian aid.
And Libya?
Please don’t tell me that the bishops have stayed out of it because Malta is neutral or because they don’t want to perceived as taking sides in what is a manmade crisis rather than a…..God-made one?
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They ought to be more inclined to ask for prayer for a man-made cirsis than a God-made one, don’t you think? I mean, if it was divine…
My thoughts exactly.
http://muxlim.com/videos/Reuters/pope-offers-prayers-for-libya/
The Catholic Church is one. The Libyan crisis started before the Japanese catastrophe.
L-ikbar trux hu min ma jridx jisma’.
Even if that is the case, there’d be no harm in reminding people to pray for Libya, would there?
I fully agree with you. In fact during mass last Sunday the priest asked us to pray for Japan and its people. “What about Libya and its people?” I told my husband.
Japan’s was a natural disaster and I will still keep its people in my prayers, but being shot and tortured by your own people – I feel the Libyans’ fate is much worse.
So you weren’t watching the Pope at noon on RAI Uno.
And next Sunday, the talk from the pulpit will be about strengthening the family, no divorce, etc. To hell with Libya and Japan.
“In their appeal, the bishops said the faithful should pray for the dead, their relatives, those who lost their homes or property, those who had to leave their homes and those providing assistance in the situation.”
Isn’t there’s enough already on God’s plate? Does he really need this?
If Christian teaching is anything to go by (I doubt it) it is towards man-made crises like Libya that we should be directing our prayers. Natural disasters are the work of nature. Tyranny is the work of man. And I seem to remember a bearded chap two thousand years ago talking about loving one’s neighbour.
YOU ARE TOTALLY WRONG DAPHNE. For these past weeks, regular prayers have been said in masses for Libya and the Middle East, as requested by the bishops.
Check this link please:
http://maltadiocese.org/lang/en/news/message-by-the-bishops-of-malta-and-gozomessagg-mill-isqfijiet-ta%E2%80%99-malta-u-ghawdex/
And check your facts before you speak trash.
[Daphne – The bishops must be proud to have defenders as rude as you are. I read through this link and found no mention of Libya.]
The church pussy-footing as always, except when it comes to condemning divorce, of course.
Sewwa ghamilt wahhalhielu. Pero nahseb li kulhadd fehem li t-talb kien ghall-Libjani wkoll. Imma xorta seta semma l-Libja.
Sadattant issa naraw l-isqof Malti li hemm Benghazi kien jekk hux se jzomm kelmtu. Ghalija jekk jibqa hemm juri solidarjeta bil-fatti . Sat-28 ta’ Frar kien rapurtat fin-Nazzjon li qal dan:
“Jien inqis ruħi bħala il-Kaptan tal-vapur u ma nistax nabbanduna dan il-vapur meta jkun fil-Maltemp.
Hekk tkellem ma’ dan is-sit l-Isqof Malti ta’ Benghazi Monsinjur Silvestru Magro, li fl-aħħar jiem sahaq kemm il-darba li mhux lest jitlaq minn din il-Belt Libjana anke jekk is-sitwazzjoni taf tiddeterjora fil-jiem li ġejjin.”
Ma nafx kemm zamm kelmtu. Haga naf … is-sorijiet li kienu Tripli dabbru rashom.
Is-sorijiet joqoghodu bieb faccata il-HQ ta’ Gaddafi . Kieku tkun int toqoghod hdejh?
Ghalija l-Arcisqof ikun qed jaghmel iktar minn dmiru kieku jibqa fil-periklu.
Isn’t Libya an Arab state, Daphne?
Why would the Bisops, urging prayers for Arab states, pick out Libya in particular?
Do the dead (for the same causes) in Tunesia, Egypt and Bahrain count at all?
Perhaps it’s the scale of the Libyan deaths which has more prominence in our minds, these days?
Praying for Arab states is inclusive, irrespective of the number of deaths suffered in different states.
Keep up, Daph!
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110303/local/bishop-proposes-collection-for-church-in-libya
[Daphne – Oh good.]
And one other thing, a Maltese bishop resident in Benghazi has decided to stay there and not to abandon the tiny Catholic community. The same can be said to a small group of Maltese priests and religious persons. How wrong you are on this one!
[Daphne – Pop a Valium, Jason. Where did I mention the Bishop of Benghazi or Maltese priests, except to say that the Bishop of Benghazi taught me RE when I was 13 and at St Dorothy’s Convent?]
Today Daphne wants to practise some Church bashing.
[Daphne – Not at all. I have a completely live-and-let-live attitude towards religion.]
@ Adrian Buckle – you forgot to mention those priests, nuns and lay persons who have and continue to give their lives to others by leaving the comforts of home and spend the rest of their lives helping the poorest of the poor and living as the poorest of the poor. Visit http://vucimissjunarja.org/index.php and then tell us if you have the guts to do a tiny fraction of what these people do. Life is not a play, Mr. Buckle.
It’s easier to think about Japan and pray for its people (if you are thus inclined) because the earthquake and tsunami are something totally beyond our control.
So we can feel sorry for the Japanese and feel good about sending them aid. Also, the earthquake has happened, so, nuclear reactors aside, things should get better for them soon enough.
The situation in Libya, on the other hand, is so frightening, that it doesn’t bear thinking about. There isn’t an end in sight, and by virtue of doing nothing, we are partly responsible for the Libyan people’s plight.
Also, Maltese bishops probably prefer Buddhists to Muslims.
Isn’t it too late to pray to god (lowercase intended)? This omnibenevolent should have protected the good ones in the first place.
Mike, if there is no God, try to do something yourself by supporting people in need.
If there is a God, he or she or it created you to support people in need.
When there is little one can do, a believer prays for those in need when he can do nothing else.
Non believers just watch and mock those who pray. They don’t live and let live.
[Daphne – You would be surprised that non-believers pray too, John. They just don’t know what or who they’re praying to. It’s the human instinct to ask for help and to hope for a deus ex machina. Superman and Batman are the sublimation of this.]
Perhaps our prayers will materialise tonight with a declaration of a NFZ on Libya, and the cooling of the nuclear reactors in Japan.
I hope I stay awake till midnight to see what will come out of the UN.
For those who are interested in astronomy, next Saturday we will have the moon nearest to the earth in 18 years. Some are blaming the catastrophe to the innocent looking large moon, others are awaiting for more of the same.
http://www.spiderkerala.net/resources/6078-Extreme-Super-Moon-March-Expecting.aspx
No we don’t pray. Maybe agnostics do. Many hope and work for a better world.
It is not God who tells people to go build cities and nuclear reactors in places where there are strong earthquakes and tsunamis.
They mention Arab countries, because you know, it is not only in Libya that people are suffering. Have you heard about Tunisia and Egypt and Bahrain?
[Daphne – Oh I forgot: ‘Arabs’ is a catch-all phrase to people who aren’t. You know, like ‘Ciniz’ covers all people with a certain type of eye.]
And Japan was mentioned by name since the earthquake only affected this country.
U bhal-qhab Russi! Whether they come from Lithuania, Ramania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Belorussia, Ukrania …. kollha “qhab Russi”.
Amnesty International reports:
In Libya, pro-Gaddafi forces deliberately shot and injured two medics trying to retrieve the corpse of a man killed days earlier. The medics were in full uniforms and arrived in clearly marked Red Crescent ambulances.
If pro-Gaddafi forces are known to shoot on ambulances and drag wounded people out of wards to shoot them, why should they not shoot doctors and nurses as well? In for a penny , in for a pound.
[Daphne – Oh I forgot: ‘Arabs’ is a catch-all phrase to people who aren’t. You know, like ‘Ciniz’ covers all people with a certain type of eye.]
You just cannot admit you are wrong on this one, can’t you? Keep on rolling the excuses, Daphne.
[Daphne – Look, Jason, I don’t know what your personal beef is because this doesn’t appear to be your real name. However, in my experience in public affairs, the best tone to use when you wish to set the record straight on behalf of your ‘client’ is a polite, non-aggressive and conciliatory one, rooted in the understanding that it never pays to be hostile and/or nasty to the person/s who control/s the medium you wish to use to your advantage. Fortunately for you, I tend to be tolerant of other people’s foibles, though they are rarely tolerant of mine.]
Madonna x’intom bziezaq. Kemm tiehdu ghalikom bix-xejn
Church authorities seldom get involved in politics. Way back in the 70s pleas with pastors to make mention of the bitter plight of workers who suffered vindictive treatment, suspensions et all, fell on deaf ears.
Now we need prayers for Bahrain. Or are they included in the catch-all of ‘pajjizi Arab’?
http://euobserver.com/24/32006
And prayers for journalists – four journalists from The New York Times, including the photographer Tyler Hicks, are missing in Libya:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/03/former_globe_re.html
Of course the bishops of Malta and Gozo and the Catholic Church in general issued statements referring to the conflict in Libya and the rest of the Arab world.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110303/local/bishop-proposes-collection-for-church-in-libya
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110306/religion/an-episcopal-take-on-the-libyan-crisis
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/as-catholics-flee-libya-church-responds-with-prayer-charitable-works/
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/bishops-call-for-prayer-and-solidarity-over-arab-unrest
http://www.ofm.org.mt/?p=2912
[Daphne – David, wouldn’t it be fun if, just occasionally, you contributed an opinion to some discussion on this website, instead of just dropping in to pick nits? You put me in mind of the class creep who gets dunked in the pond.]
The Church has been praying for all the conflict zones, and that includes Libya, from Day 1, daily during Mass.
But then if you didn’t attend Mass, you would know such things would you?
[Daphne – Jonathan, Christians don’t need to go to mass or even to church to pray. That’s a fallacy promoted by the Maltese version of Roman Catholicism.]
Silly me.
And there I thought that you mentioned that Bishops asked for prayers for Japan but not Libya.
My! Do you think all the priests could be running a racket behind the Bishops back and praying for all conflict zones daily?
Yes, agree that Christians do not only pray in Church. Prayer should be part of their daily life.
However going to daily Mass, daily Rosary, regular confession, fasting etc should always form part of a Christian’s life.
But now we’re going beyond the original topic …
[Daphne – Not all Christians are Roman Catholics, Jonathan, hence they don’t have to hear mass, say the rosary, go to confession or fast. All of which are pretty pointless when you think about it. But let’s not go there. If they give consolation to those who practise, then that is sufficient reason for doing them. As I say repeatedly, I have no beef with religion. Live and let live. Each to his own. Don’t bother me, and I won’t bother you.]
Barring the Rosary, since this is a predominantly Catholic prayer, all other Christians are encouraged to hear Mass, fasting etc … and not because they give consolation. But because the One we believe either did them Himself (eg fasting) or left them for us (confession & Mass).
On the other hand (and here I know I’m stoking the fires), you do have a chip about religion: because otherwise you wouldn’t have said “All of which are pretty pointless”.- You let down your guard!
And by the way, Yes, I did “Think about it” and no, they are not pointless.
[Daphne – It is pointless, Jonathan. That is not the observation of a person with a chip about religion, but the observation of a person WITHOUT a chip about religion. With or without prayer or mass, things carry on regardless. They make a difference to the individual in terms of consolation, but that’s about it. I hasten to add that it doesn’t bother me at all and that I left equally cold by football and athletics, which appear to serve a similar purpose. And I know that people feel equally unmoved by the things that console me, like gardening or reading or particular subjects.]