Dear sisters
I pray that you are all healthy and well and that you are able to socially distance so that you keep safe and well.
I remember my last email was packed with events which, alas, were mostly cancelled. These are worrying times, indeed. Usually when disaster strikes , floods, earthquakes and plane crashes, they leave devastation but are over and done with in a relatively short time and we get on with the job of dealing with the damaged infrastructure and or loss of life. But this is entirely different. The prolonged, insidious and invisible nature of this crisis is eerily like a ticking bomb and we don’t really know when it will explode or how big it is.
We Muslims see this event as a reminder from Allah to us all: we human beings think we are invincible and in charge of our destiny but a tiny little virus has brought the whole world to its knees. The enormity of the situation struck me last week, when I was doing my weekly shop and I heard the message on the tannoy to keep my distance from others at the tills. All of a sudden I felt like I was stuck in a disaster movie, I had to steady myself and hold back the tears. It is going to take all of our intelligence, strength, resilience and patience to deal with this virus. And we must put our trust in God.
So as we turn to God, I thought we could share the prayers from all our different faith traditions.
From our sister Margaret and the St. Andrew Methodist Church
With all who are in darkness and weariness, Stand among us in your risen power.
With all who are in doubt or despair. Stand among us in your risen power.
With all who are in trouble or fearfulness. Stand among us in your risen power.
Will all who are in sickness or weakness. Stand among us in your risen power.
With all who are frail and at the point of death. Stand among us in your risen power.
Christ as a light, illumine and guide us. Christ as a shield, overshadow and cover us.
Christ be under us. Christ be over us. Christ be beside us, on left and on right.
Christ be before us. Christ be behind us. Christ be within us. Christ be without us.
Christ as a light, illumine and guide us.
Amen
From our Bahai sister, Claire
‘Armed with the power of Thy Name nothing can ever harm me, and with Thy Love in my heart, all the world’s afflictions can in no wise alarm me.’
and
‘When faced with the irrevocable decree of the Almighty, the vesture that best befits us in this world is the vesture of patience and submission, and the most meritorious of all deeds is to commit our affairs into His hands and to surrender ourselves to His Will.’
Extracts from “Illumine My Spirit”, Bahai Prayers and Meditations for Women
From our sister Linda and the Roman Catholic Church
Knowing that perfect love drives out all fear, we pray for that love to strengthen and unite our human family, as we fight to overcome the Coronavirus. Grant to all who are now most at risk, those gifts of courage and serenity and care for one another that will overcome this trial and also strengthen our love for You, our God, the source of all healing.
From our Buddhist sister, Anne
‘Prayer is an attempt to merge the inner workings of our life with the rhythm of the universe. When we pray in such a way, all the workings of the universe will function to protect us and the endless cycle of painful reality will be transformed into a cycle of victory and happiness. Prayer is the key to open the door to unleash that infinite human potential within our lives.’
Daisaku Ikeda, President Soka Gakkai International.
From our sister Aditri, this beautiful Hindu chant
The English translation is:
Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life, Remover of pain and sorrow, The Bestower of happiness, Oh! Creator of the Universe, May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light, May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.
From the Muslim faith
This Durood shareef is recited in Arabic (many times over) by Muslims all around the world, at times of trouble. It is narrated that a pious man Shaykh Moosa Jarir (RA) was taught this darood shareef by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his dream while he was on a sinking ship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTrD0tN7xNo.
Coffee mornings by video conference.
I am going to see about arranging some coffee mornings by video. I will be in touch with further details. So I hope to see you soon!
Please take care and look after yourselves.
Perveen
St Hilda's Church, Halifax 