Last week, Friends of Sabeel France announced that Ernest Reichert has stepped down in the role as president, and Marilyn Pacouret will be the newly elected president. Sabeel is grateful for the dedicated service Ernest has given over the years and looks forward to working with Marilyn Pacouret in the role as president.  

• Loving Father, we thank you for working through Ernest and we ask you to bless him for his service. We pray for a smooth transition for Marilyn in her new role. We pray that you grant Marilyn wisdom and courage, so that Friends of Sabeel France be able to witness to your love for the oppressed.  

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer   

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) will be hosting Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac in 8 cities across the United States this summer. These cities include Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and South Carolina. Details from each city will be shared shortly by FOSNA.   

• God under the rubble, we thank you for the teamwork our movement has, functioning as one body with many parts. We pray that you bless Rev. Dr. Issac as he witnesses to your goodness and mercy in the heart of the empire. Lord, grant all in our movement wisdom rooted in humility, unwavering strength grounded in faith, and accuracy instructed by the Holy Spirit. 

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer  

The Israeli army has installed a ceiling above the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron without permission from the Palestinian authorities. Palestinian officials have accused the Israeli army of trying to change the features of the Ibrahimi Mosque, erasing the historical character of the Mosque.  

• God of inclusivity, we know that Holy spaces are meant to be places of worship for all, not for some. Lord, we pray that you illuminate to the world that the actions of Israel in Holy places are a part of a larger structural system of injustice. Lord, protect the Ibrahimi Mosque and ensure that its rich and diverse features are preserved.  

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer  

Israeli forces continue to raid towns and camps in the West Bank. The refugee camps of Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem, and others have endured severe infrastructure damage from the Israeli bulldozers. Moreover, Palestinian youth get shot or detained on a weekly basis. Over 500 Palestinians in the West Bank have died since the 7^th of October, many of them children. 

• God of the oppressed, everyday crimes are being committed, too many to count. Lord, how is the world so numb and ineffective towards the war crimes committed in the West Bank more than ever before? Lord, remind us that although the world seems to function with double standards which provide justice and mercy to the few, all are seen equally in your eyes and all will be judged accordingly, irrespective of their identity.  

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer   

Last week, the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East issued a statement condemning the closure of Al-Ahli Anglican hospital in Gaza due to Israeli military activity and evacuation orders in the area. Likewise, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement condemning Israeli military activity against the Sacred Family School in Gaza. Thankfully, the Al-Ahli hospital managed to reopen partially on Thursday the 11^th of August.  

• Holy God, we are grateful for the Church institutions who serving the people of Gaza. Lord, bless those who strive to provide shelter and healing to the oppressed. May their example ignite within us a passion to show our love through service to all, especially the oppressed and afflicted. We pray that the global Church awakens and uses its power to advocate for truth and justice. 

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer    

Since October 7^th it has been difficult to estimate the death toll in Gaza due to the catastrophic destruction and collapse of civil services. Last week, one of the most credible and oldest medical journals, The Lancet, has claimed that it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. This translates to 7.9% of the population in Gaza having been killed. The bombing in Gaza has been relentless, especially in areas such as Khan Yunis, Al-Mawasi, and other refugee camps.   

• God incarnated in Khan Tunis, Al-Mawasi, and in Gaza overall, help us to be disturbed with the suffering in Gaza. We repent by dehumanising the dead in Gaza by counting them as numbers, but not as people who had dreams and aspirations. How long, O lord, will this nightmare continue? Let the victims of injustice, remind us of our mandate to practice revolutionary love.  

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer   

Mass house demolitions are carried out in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. One example is the Ten homes which were demolished in Umm al-Khair, a Palestinian village in northern Masafer Yatta, leaving scores of families homeless. In addition, settlers are continuing and intensifying their violence against Palestinians.

• God incarnated in Masafer Yatta, as we witness these crimes being done against your children, we remember your words “The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.” (Proverbs 15:25). Lord, provide the daily bread to all Palestinians who are displaced or under the threat of displacement. Provide us liberating justice.

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer

On the 30^th of June, the Justice and Peace Commission in the Holy Land issued a document which highlights the weaponization of the doctrine of “Just War” to justify the ongoing violence in Gaza. The Commission stated, “As Catholics in the Holy Land, who share Pope Francis’ vision for a peaceful world, we are outraged that political actors in Israel and abroad are mobilizing the theory of ‘just war’ in order to perpetuate and legitimate the ongoing war in Gaza.” The Commission remarked that the “witness that we bring is not one of war, but one of transformational love, one of freedom and equality, one of justice and peace, one of dialogue and reconciliation.”

• God of love, we confess our sins for all the ways we misuse your name and twist our faith to justify violence and oppression. Lord, help us witness your love by correcting all theologies which justify so much suffering and sin, and turn to theologies of love. We thank you for the Justice and Faith Commission and pray that other faith leaders and commissions follow their example.

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted to divest from Israeli bonds due to the country’s prolonged military occupation and genocidal war in Gaza. The resolution was approved by unanimous consent among the roughly 500 commissioners present for the biennial gathering. Moreover, the assembly voted to confess their complicity in Christian Zionism and seek to encourage reading of educational materials to end Israeli Apartheid. The measure reflects a growing trend among institutions seeking to divest from Israel.

• Just God, we thank you for working through all people who worked to pass this resolution. Lord, when we ask you “What can we do?”, give us the creativity inspired by the Holy Spirit, faith like a mustard seed, and power from Christ so that our actions bring change. Remind us, that our inactions and passivity, compromises the Gospel of the kingdom.

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer   

Two weeks ago, the leaders of various churches in Jerusalem united in opposition to the Israeli municipal law to impose municipal taxes on church properties. In a joint statement released Sunday on behalf of the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches, the leaders expressed deep concern over the municipality’s move which contradicts centuries of historical agreements between the churches and civil authorities.

• Holy God, illuminate to the world how Jewish supremacy whether in the streets or in governments is oppressing all those who are non-Jews. Lord, we pray that you intervene and stop the unjust tax imposition on the Churches in the Holy Land. Lord, we also pray for the Churches not to compromise the ethics of the Kingdom to preserve their institutional life. May they have partiality for the oppressed.

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer