“In scenes reminiscent of the Blitz, adults, children, and dogs hide from airstrikes, seeking refuge in bomb shelters and subway stations.” [2]
During World War II, an intense bombing campaign was waged against the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany. For eight months, the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain, from September 7, 1940, through May 11, 1941. Remembered as Black Saturday, on the first day of the Blitz alone, 430 people were killed and 1,600 were badly injured.
Wrote organizer, educator, and reformer, Saint Boniface, “O God, you have been our refuge in all generations.” But what of those fleeing war’s aggression? Or for those unable to take flight from the encroaching chaos and mayhem? When wanton cruelty and its destructiveness encroach upon and violate the land, what recourse does the most vulnerable, human and creature alike, have?
Martyred in 754 by an armed group of robbers, the aged Boniface was murdered along with 54 others who accompanied him. Still, his words attesting to God’s faithfulness in the face of aggression and terror remain: urging us to continue to demand justice and mercy for the oppressed, exercise unfailing advocacy for those distant as well as near, while praying that all of God’s children and creation itself, be afforded refuge’s blessing.
Prayer: God who dwells in places of refuge, be with the peoples of Ukraine, we pray. Yet for those not in destruction’s path, compel us to be nothing less than fierce advocates and champions of the oppressed. So that together with those distant and near, all may savor your refuge, under the shadow of thy wings and within the hallowed gates of sanctuary. Amen.
[1] Image from Daily Mail Online
[2] Adapted from CNN’s Chief International Correspondent, Clarrisa Ward
A powerful post. thank you so much.
Thank you, Maren. A devastating and desperate situation. Thank you for the prayers you’ve posted as well.