Commemorating St Thomas Aquinas with a Prayer for Gaza, Sudan and the United States [audio]

 On the Commemoration of St Thomas Aquinas, Archbishop Thabo has released this prayer:

On_St_Thomas_Aquinas_Commemoration_We_Pray

Amidst the sea of need in today’s world, we hold up for prayer today the peoples of Gaza, Sudan and the United States:

• For Gaza and Israel, we give thanks for the return of the remains of the last of the hostages taken by Hamas in 2023, and we pray that a peace plan which will bring peace, security and self-determination for all the people of the Holy Land will now be implemented;

• For Sudan, we pray that outside powers supplying weapons to the warring factions will end their sponsorship of violence, that the combatants will cease their fire and enter peace talks, and especially that sexual violence against women will be brought to an end;

• For the United States, we pray for those who face the same fear of government brutality when leaving their homes that we experienced under apartheid, and we declare our solidarity with our sisters and brothers of the Episcopal Church who are rallying against the erosion of their democratic rights.

This we pray in the name of the God of justice, peace and equity. Amen