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The Prayers of The Faithful:  Let Us Pray.

James 5:14 
'Are any among you sick?
They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them,
anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.'  

James 5:13-16
'Are any among you suffering? They should pray.
Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 
The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.'

On Sunday, many of us had our lives stopped, at least for a few moments, as we tried to make sense of news streaming across screens, reporting:

‘10 people are dead, and at least 15 others have been injured and
taken to hospital from the James Smith Cree Nation, and the community of Weldon in
northeast Saskatchewan.’  

Included was an Alert sent out in the Provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta, stating:

‘Take precautions and consider sheltering in place.
Do not leave a secure location.
DO NOT APPROACH suspicious persons.
Do not pick up hitch hikers.
Report suspicious persons, emergencies, or info to 9-1-1.
Do not disclose police locations.’  

As I listened to the news reports, I thought of a time at least 30+ years ago, when I was a guest of the Nation for the ordination of deacons and priests in the community.

News like this touches one’s heart more deeply when you can visualize the people and the community.
My heart aches for all the people affected directly, and all those beyond the communities of James Smith, and Weldon.   

We could say, in Canada, we are not used to this type of event in our nation, or in our community. At the same time, as one person observed, these events are happening more frequently.  

There are many questions, and I am sure there will plenty of accusations.
This is not the time to accuse.

This is the time for all of us to bring healing to our own communities.  

It is time for the Church, as we know it, to pray.
My ‘go-to’ prayer in this situation is this:
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (Prayer for Peace)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.            

Please pray for all.  

Let us pray for the Diocese of Saskatchewan;
for Bishops Michael Hawkin, and Adam Halket.  
When there was the ordination of nine deacons in the Diocese of Saskatchewan (hosted by the Montreal Lake First Nation, October 2021) the following was reported on their Diocesan Website:

‘Chief Joyce Naytowhow-McLeod and Chief Tammy Cook-Searson congratulated the group, and commended them to rise above adversity, and look after themselves, as well as serve with all their hearts.’  

Please join me in prayer,
Archdeacon Brian+