After the terrorist attack on America on September 11, Max Lucado wrote: 'Dear Lord, as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe; we should have known better but, we didn’t. We don’t ask You for Your help, we beg You for it! We know what You can do. We’ve read the accounts, pondered the stories and now we plead, ‘Do it again, Lord.’ 

'Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the Angel of Death. We have children too Lord! You took Daniel the captive and made him a King’s Counsellor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter the Apostle. David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again Lord, for today we need …counsellors …apostles …leaders. 

'At Calvary, You saw…innocence slaughtered…goodness murdered...mothers weeping...evil dancing…heaven’s sweetest song buried beneath a rock. But You turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday…Grant us a September Easter. 'Thank you for these hours of unity. Christians praying with Jews. Republicans standing with Democrats. Skin colour covered by the ash of burning buildings. The enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea that we would kneel before You! 

'Grant those who lead us, wisdom. Have mercy on the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe. Look kindly on Your church. For two thousand years, You’ve used her to heal a hurting world. Do it again, Lord. Do it again!'

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O LORD , kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the LORD , my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. "

(Many of the reflections on each page are used with the kind permission of United Christian Broadcastors (UCB) from their FREE daily devotional - The Word for Today. They allow the publication of 52 of their passages per year and I find their messages apt and though-provoking for the times we live in.)

A Circle of Prayer around the world praying for and with each other, for peace and for a world in crisis. Please read more about it and perhaps join us, prayer was never more needed than it is in these times!

Praying all year round for the souls of our deceased relatives and friends, for the souls of those most in need of prayer and for those souls in purgatory who have nobody to pray for them.