A Special Prayer for Deliverance and Rain is now being recited in all Masses nationwide (in lieu of the usual Prayers of the Faithful) as CBCP’s (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines) response to our current El Niño crisis. Prepared by the Episcopal Commission on Liturgy (ECLit), the “Oratio Imperata Ad Petendam Pluviam” is now being used by various Arch/Diocese according to its pastoral discretion.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the country’s tenacious heatwave is being aggravated by a widespread El Niño drought that has inflicted mayhem on agriculture, resulting in losses of roughly P5.9 billion in farm produce. Moreover, the Department of Education has temporarily suspended face-to-face classes in over 47,000 public schools due to the heat, after a sweltering record-high temperature of 38.8°C. The country has also experienced power shortages due to increased electricity demand, exacerbating the impact of the heat.

Based on the US National Ocean Service, “during normal conditions in the Pacific Ocean, trade winds blow west along the equator, taking warm water from South America towards Asia. To replace that warm water, cold water rises from the depths — a process called upwelling. El Niño and La Niña are two opposing climate patterns that break these normal conditions. Scientists call these phenomena the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.”

So collectively, let us all join as one in prayer as we implore … God, our loving Father, Creator of our earth and of the universe and of all the wondrous elements of nature that sustain your living creatures, we humbly ask you to grant us relief from the extreme heat that besets your people at this time, disrupting their activities and threatening their lives and livelihood. Send us rain to replenish our depleting water sources, to irrigate our fields, to stave off water and power shortages and to provide water for our daily needs.

At your command the wind and the seas obey. your hand, Almighty God, to avert the continuing rise in temperatures so that your people can engage in productive undertakings and our young people can pursue learning in tranquility and comfort. Merciful and generous God, open our eyes to the richness and beauty of your creation and instill in us a deep love for this earth and all that is in and around it.

Teach us to be wise stewards of your creation so that we may always use them responsibly and protect them from abuse and exploitation. At this time of crisis, dear Lord, move us to share more, to serve more and to love more. Loving God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you entrusted the Filipino people to the special care of Mary our Mother, listen to the prayers that we bring up to her, our Blessed Mother, to intercede for us, for the protection of our land and our people, whom she loves.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. Saint Rose of Lima, pray for us. Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us. Saint Pedro Calungsod, pray for us.

Before I conclude let me likewise stress that these deteriorating changes in our weather system is greatly because of Climate Change; as such let me likewise stress CBCP’s statement that: “as one of the most vulnerable nations in this era of global emergency, the Philippines has the moral imperative of pursuing the most sustainable development pathway possible for the sake of current and future generations, ensuring that the voices of everyone are accounted for … We are committed to advance the teachings of the Laudato Si’ and be bearers of hope in the face of an ecological crisis, following our Lord Jesus, our redeemer. As such, we commit to ‘integrate the care of creation as our common home in our teaching and practice of Christian discipleship’ through concrete ecological actions in caring for our Common Home.” (Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, DD — CBCP President)

“God, who calls us to generous commitment and to give him our all, offers us the light and the strength needed to continue on our way. In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him!” (LS 245)

God created everything around us; and I believe Prayer moves mountains. If we trust and implore God’s assistance in this crisis our collective prayer shall prevail. Faith that moves mountains believes that God is bigger than any mountain. Faith that moves mountains believes that “Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).” Faith that moves mountains believes that God is all powerful and can accomplish what is humanly impossible.

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For any personal comments or suggestions, you may call 0917-4805585 or email me at [email protected].

AUTHOR PROFILE

Bro. Clifford T. Sorita