Heart thread - 04/10/2010

Let us pray for the departed, those who mourn, and the people of Poland.

President of Poland Killed in Plane Crash in Russia

By ELLEN BARRY, MICHAL PIOTROWSKI and NICHOLAS KULISH

MOSCOW — A plane carrying the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, and dozens of the country’s top political and military leaders crashed in a heavy fog in western Russia on Saturday morning, killing everyone aboard. [NYT]

Let us "pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living" [Mother Jones].

Miners Found Dead: Four Missing Miners Found Dead At Upper Big Branch Coal Mine
MONTCOAL, W.Va. — Searchers found four bodies deep in a West Virginia coal mine shattered by an explosion, raising the death toll to 29 and ending an excruciating week for families holding onto faint hopes that their missing miners had somehow survived. [Huffington Post]

It appears that the W.Va. mine disaster could have been averted
AS RESCUERS continue to try to find the four remaining miners trapped after the Upper Big Branch coal mine exploded on Monday, we're finding out plenty about Massey Energy chief executive Don L. Blankenship and the operations of that doomed facility. None of it is good. What's been revealed is a distressing effort to render ineffective the mining regulations that were strengthened in 2006 to bring a measure of safety to a very dangerous job. [Washington Post editorial this morning]

We continue to remember Klady:

So far so good. Dr. said the fractures are "stable" so I should not need surgery. Will get new xrays in a week to check on it and then decide whether to proceed with a hard cast or consult with a surgeon if things change or I want a 2d op. Mobility poor - just a few steps with crutches exhaust me - will be cooped up at home for a long time. Royal PITA, but nothing worse. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

For the people of Thailand:

BANGKOK, April 10 (Reuters) - Four civilians and four soldiers were killed in clashes between the army and red shirt protesters, the Bangkok deputy governor said on Saturday without giving details.

For David and Glen and all who seek employment but do not have it.

For the people of Kyrgyzstan:

Kyrgyzstan is observing a period of mourning for the 79 people believed to have been killed by government forces Wednesday. The clash appears to have driven from power President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. [Voice of America]

For the people of Sudan:

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan's first multiparty elections in more than two decades will go ahead despite the withdrawal of several opposition parties alleging campaign irregularities, the election commission said Saturday. [AP]

For Margaret and all who struggle for grace [see here]. For deliverance of all held in bondage (or perceiving themselves as in bondage) to law.

Pray for a reordering of our values:

The Preposterous Reality: 25 Hedge Fund Managers Are Worth 680,000 Teachers (Who Teach 13 Million Students)
"It’s going to take a lot of political will — over a long period of time — to reorder our most basic economic values."
In 2009, the worst economic year for working people since the Great Depression, the top 25 hedge fund managers walked off with an average of $1 billion each. With the money those 25 people “earned,” we could have hired 658,000 entry level teachers. (They make about $38,000 a year, including benefits.) Those educators could have brought along over 13 million young people, assuming a class size of 20. That’s some value. [Les Leopold at Alternet, h/t to Ellie]

For the Church that it may be the Church, in thanksgiving for the witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and for Mark who had insomnia this morning.

Today is the 65th anniversary of the martyrdom of Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I had insomnia early in the morning, so I passed the time reading Bonhoeffer's “Widerstand und Ergebung: Briefe und Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft.” (Bonhoeffer's prison writings). My focus for meditation today has been this brief, simple, but profound quote from Summer 1944:

Die Kirche ist nur Kirche, wenn sie für andere da ist.

The Church is only Church if it is there for others. [Mark at amictus sindone]

Mark also shared this:

Unsere Kirche, die in diesen Jahren nur um ihre Selbsterhaltung gekämpft hat, als wäre sie ein Selbstzweck, ist unfähig, Träger des versöhnenden und erlösenden Wortes für die Menschen und für die Welt zu sein.

Our church, which has been fighting in these years only for its self preservation, as though that were an end in itself, is incapable of taking the word of reconciliation and redemption to humankind and to the world.

For the people of A Community of the Servant Savior Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas.

We are the only More Light Presbyterian Church in this presbytery. More Light Presbyterians are a group working for the full inclusion and membership of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people. We march in the Houston Pride Parade every year.
We also have a huge organic garden that donates produce to a local food pantry.
For the last twenty years or so, we have provided families living with AIDS a "Christmas Basket" which contains two weeks of food for a family of four. This last December we fed seventy two families.
We are a small church that feels like a big family.
...
Last night about 11 pm an arsonist burned my church building down. We lost everything: two buildings, all our furniture, books, hymnals, a new piano, a wall of crosses from around the world and so many other things. Our building is gone but our church is strong. [Kevin Murphy at Daily Kos]

O God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men [sic]; that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; especially those for whom our prayers are desired; that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. [The Book of Common Prayer]

--the BB