Lord, I seek refuge in You; let me never be disgraced. Save me by Your righteousness. Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me.
Psalm 31:1-2
Almighty Father, You are the God of water, earth and sky. By your great power and mighty strength, You created the universe. The earth is filled with Your glory! With humble hearts, we approach Your throne. We ask that You restore the calmness of Taal volcano. We know nothing is impossible to You and You are always in control. May the boiling lava subside and molten rocks cool down.
Instill Your compassionate presence in us so we may calm our fears. You have always provided everything we need. O, Lord continue to keep us all safe under your divine protection. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Prayer from a Roman Catholic bishop in the Philippines, 2020
The island nation of Tonga is under extreme threat after the eruption of an underwater volcano. There is a heavy pall of particulate and ash in the air, impeding aid, and the capital is awash in the aftermath of a moderate tsunami. The explosion was so loud that it was heard in New Zealand, 2,000 kilometres away and the shock wave was visible and recorded by satellites. There were tsunami alerts as far away at Haida Gwaii off the British Columbia coast (since cancelled.)
In the past few months there have been a couple of significant volcanic eruptions, one in the Canary Islands and another in Indonesia, where there was loss of life. It's hard to imagine the terror of these catastrophic events and I wondered if Google would serve up any prayers of comfort. Sure enough, there are several, and scripture passages, all grasping at what to request in the midst of these terrifying displays of the Earth's power. We want to be in solidarity with those effected, but how?
For me there is also the fascination of how our planet is shaped and reshaped by the molten depths beneath us and of the vast plates which have wondrously been on the move through time. But how can we view these as vital processes in creation when they so often result in human suffering and devastation? The UCC's 1968 statement of faith affirms "We believe in God: who has created and is creating" but what does mean in moments such as these?
Canary Islands volcanic eruption September 2021
Our four-year-old granddaughter is getting excellent home-schooling in this year when she would otherwise be in JK. As it happens,last week was volcano week complete with a backyard erupting snowcano. She was excited that we have seen lava flows in Iceland and climbed down into the largest dormant volcano in the world, which is in the Azores. As you can imagine, we stayed quiet about the more disturbing aspects of volcanoes.
With the disturbing impact of climate change on island nations, Tonga does not need this life-altering event as well. So, we can pray for the well-being of people there and hope that some semblance of normal life will return soon.
Tonga volcanic eruption yesterday
No comments:
Post a Comment