Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of May 5, 2025
Orthodox Christians for Palestine is hosting their first event in Pittsburgh, USA on May 17 at 1 PM ET, with introductory remarks by Fr. Paul Abernathy and featuring a special talk by FOSNA’s executive director Jonathan Kuttab on the ongoing Nakba. All are welcome and people can register for free using this link.
God of Peace and Justice, we lift up this important gathering, praying for Fr. Paul Abernathy and Jonathan Kuttab as they share their wisdom, and for all who attend, that they may be inspired to seek justice, peace, and reconciliation for Palestine and its people. With this event and others like this, illuminate to the world that the Nakba is ongoing and that the struggle for freedom must continue. Bless all who gather, and may their commitment to justice grow, spreading compassion and advocating for a just and lasting peace. Amen.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
For the first time since it began in 1998, organizers canceled the annual March of Return due to police restrictions and plans to deploy a drone over participants. Authorities also banned the Palestinian flag and capped attendance at 700, though the event usually draws tens of thousands. Held each year on May 15 by Palestinian citizens of Israel, the march commemorates the Nakba, when around 750,000 Palestinians were expelled by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel.
God of the oppressed, whose Spirit moves among the suffering of this world, we lament the silencing of the March of Return and for the ongoing Nakba that attempts to robs our people of identity and dignity. When the powerful fear truth and memories more than weapons, we see the violence of empire laid bare. In the face of this violence, stir in us a prophetic solidarity that does not waver, a faith that resists forgetfulness, and a hope that joins the struggle until all refugees come home.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
A ship with over 30 humanitarian workers carrying aid to Gaza to break Israel’s blockade was hit by two drones in international waters off Malta. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the group that organized the mission, said the civilian vessel has been seeking to deliver aid to Gaza following a two-month total blockade of food, water, and medicine by Israel. For months, the group organized the action under a media blackout to avoid Israeli sabotage.
God of Freedom, we grieve the continual violation of international law and the silence of leaders that has allowed the impunity of empire to go on for so long. We know this is only one crime out of many committed daily in Gaza and beyond. We pray for the safety of humanitarian workers everywhere, and for the breaking of the blockade that has starved the people of Gaza of food, water, and medicine. May the courage of those on this ship inspire others to act, to speak out, and to refuse complicity in systems of siege and silence. Holy God, disrupt the plans of the powerful who seek to crush compassion, and let justice sail freely over every border and blockade.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
May 1st was International Workers’ Day or May Day. This year, May Day protests across the world called for an end to Israeli occupation and solidarity with Palestinian workers. Palestinian workers have long been systematically targeted by the Israeli occupation through arrests, persecution, and torture, especially since October 7.
God of Liberation, we lift up the struggles of workers everywhere, especially Palestinian workers who have faced years of oppression and suffering. In the face of global capitalism and systems that exploit, help us to remember that labor is sacred, and that the struggle for dignity is holy. We denounce the powers that imprison, surveil, and silence those who organize for freedom. Ignite in us a solidarity that crosses borders and defies empires, and may we all work together in pursuit of a world where dignity, equality, and peace are shared by all.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Last week, Israel arrested veteran journalist Ali al-Samoudi during a raid in Jenin. Samoudi, who was shot and wounded alongside the late Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022, was detained, briefly interrogated, and hospitalized. He is due in Israeli military court next week, part of a system widely condemned as illegal and unjust under international law. Since October 2023, at least 79 journalists have been arrested and 176 killed, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Holy God, you are the God who loves truth and uplifts the truth tellers. We pray for the healing and protection of Ali al-Samoudi, who has risked his life to bear witness, and who now faces unjust detention and trial under a system condemned for its brutality and repression. We pray for the souls of all journalists who have given their lives in pursuit of truth, remembering all those whose voices were silenced by violence. Strengthen all who continue to dare to speak truth in the face of violence. Expose the lies of power, dismantle systems that criminalize truth-telling, and stir the consciences of those who remain silent. May justice rise, and may those who risk everything to report it live to see the freedom they proclaim.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
We join the World Council of Churches in their prayers for Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.