Twenty Ninth Sunday of the Year

A Prayer for Peace in Israel and Palestine
Rose Marie Berger Sojourners October 9, 2023

“They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain...” —Isaiah 11:9

God of Comfort,
send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives
are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine.
You are the Advocate of the oppressed
and the One whose eye is on the sparrow.
Let arms reach out in healing, rather than aggression.
Let hearts mourn rather than militarize.

Zaki Haidari, our former Refguee Volunteer and prominent refugee advocate has received his permanent protection status in Australia - affording him the protections Australia provides as a signatory to the Refugee Convention (1951) and other international instruments.

However, the journey is not over for many thousands of people who remain in limbo in Australia without a pathway to permanent settlement . The Edmund Rice Centre is committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with refugees and people seeking asylum in their ongoing struggles for dignity and safety.

Twenty Eighth Sunday of the Year

Isaiah shares God’s vison of shalom for all people, of a new gathering of peoples. Matthew also intends to teach us something about this in terms of a just human community and a just future. It involves peace-making; caring for the poor and creation; helping the voiceless find justice; tending to the sick and dying, as well as sitting with messy people.