Hurricane Irma is currently a CATASTROPHIC Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds, and threatening to make a direct hit on many of the islands in the Caribbean tonight / Wed a.m., including Barbuda and Anguilla and others further north & west.
Projected track of Irma in relation to Barbuda and Anguilla (using Storm Carib’s Closest Point of Approach tool)
Here is a prayer we have posted often at Lent & Beyond in the past. May the Lord lead all in the storm’s path to places of safe shelter!
L: Lord, have mercy.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: Christ, have mercy.
C: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord, have mercy.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: In the face of peril and apprehension, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: In the face of mighty winds, thunderous sounds, strong rains, and surging waves, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: In the face of complete uncertainty, as well as concern for our loved ones, here or elsewhere, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: In the face of our own vulnerable mortality, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: For the strength that God alone can give us, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: For all that it takes to keep our children calm and safe, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: For faith that can move mountains and remove all fear, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: For trust in God’s loving presence in our midst, even at this very hour, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: For trust that in life and in death, God will not abandon us, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: Almighty God, we poor creatures place our lives into your hands that you might protect and guide us according to your will; Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear, our prayer.
L: Do not hold our sins against us, but remember us in our faith and love for you; Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear, our prayer.
L: Be our light in the darkness, our hope in the storm, our peace in the chaos, our trust in the unknown; Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear, our prayer.
L: Mighty are your works, O Lord, and mighty is your saving hand.
Turn your ear to our petitions and supplications; Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear, our prayer.
L: God of heaven and earth, God who carries our lives and the lives of our whole community in your hands, be with is in the peril of this day/night. Help us to release our anxieties and fears into those same caring hands, knowing in faith that your will for us is life and everlasting good. Send your holy angels to watch over us and guard us. May they spread their holy wings to give us shelter against the storm. For you alone, O God, are all good, all life, all love, and that love is for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen
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A modified version of the final section of the Litany, suitable to be prayed as a stand-alone collect:
God of heaven and earth, God who carries our lives and the lives of [all in Irma’s path] in your hands, be with all those in peril this day/night. Help them to release their anxieties and fears into your caring hands, knowing in faith that your will for us is life and everlasting good. Send your holy angels to watch over them and guard them. May your angels spread their holy wings to give all in danger shelter against the storm. For you alone, O God, are all good, all life, all love, and that love is for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lent & Beyond 