2021-04-15

Minister's Post, Fri Apr 16

This Week's Prayer

Dear Power of Love,

Through thy grace, we are made worthy. Our hearts have sometimes poured forth thy love, and sometimes brought us into wholeness and magnificence. We have also sometimes slid into reactivity: petty greed or hatred.

Let us be grateful for the glory of this great green Earth, for the breath that fills our lungs, over and over.
Let us be grateful for the agreements being negotiated between the United States, Japan, South Korea and Canada to bolster their carbon emission reduction targets in anticipation of Earth Day next week.
Let us be grateful for the large and small ways that we recognize our lives and wellbeing are mutually tethered to one another.

Let our hearts and hopes be with indigenous islanders from Torres Strait, Australia bringing a case to the UN Human Rights Committee as they seek to protect their homes from rising sea levels, coastal erosion and flooding in recent years as a result of climate change.
Let our hearts and hopes be with the Syrian refugees in Denmark as it becomes the first EU country to deprive them of their asylum status, even as Syria remains shattered.
Let our hearts and hopes be with the people of Afghanistan as the United States withdraws its military.
Let our hearts and hopes be with the people of Iran as their political leadership has decided to boost its uranium enrichment to 60 percent, its highest level ever.

We acknowledge that our souls are weary with the news of the death of Daunte Wright in Minnesota. Another Black life cut too short at the hands of a police officer.
Our grief hangs heavy learning of a militant attack of a humanitarian hub in Borno State, Nigeria.
Our hearts break for the families of the 20 children who died in a school fire in Niger.

Let us be grateful for the Covid vaccine, for the millions more who get their shot every day, yet our spirits groan beneath the continuing burden of the pandemic – “a long way from over,” says the World Health Organization.
Let our gratitude, and our hearts and hopes be with all those working tirelessly and overtime to research and administer, vaccines – and care for the sick.
Let our hearts and hopes be with the people of India and Brazil, where the pandemic particularly rages.

Dear Power of Love, let our hearts and hopes guide us to wherever life is broken, abused, and oppressed – that we may come into thy light by shining it where it is most needed. We ask of ourselves the mindful intention to delight in what is good, to confront what is cruel, to heal what is broken.

AMEN

ICYMI ("In Case You Missed It")

Here's the Apr 11 service, "Attain the Good You Will Not Attain"



Covid Watch

Worldwide.
The 7DMA (7-Day Moving Average) of new cases per day has been increasing since Feb 20. In less than 8 weeks, new cases per day doubled from 361,347 on Feb 20 to 723,839 on Apr 14. The 7DMA of new cases per day was at its highest peak on Jan 11: 746,036 -- only a little higher than what we have gotten back up to.

The 7DMA of deaths per day, worldwide, peaked on Jan 26, and fell steadily until Mar 12 -- a decline of 42 percent over 45 days. After Mar 12, however, deaths began increasing. The 7DMA of deaths per day on Apr 14 was up 39 percent over Mar 12.

United States.
In the US, the 7DMA of new cases per day by mid-March was less than one-fourth of the Jan 11 peak. For the last month, new cases have been close to flat -- slightly increasing.

Deaths, however, are inching downward. The 7DMA of Covid deaths per day on Apr 14 is 747 -- the lowest since Oct 17. That represents a 4 percent decline from a week ago (Apr 7), and a 79 percent decline from the Jan 26 peak.

So be careful!

Practice of the Week

We'll be having an eco-spiritual practice this week: Investigate: How Much Is Enough?

See also our SPIRITUAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY

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