10th of December 2013 World Human Rights Day A Day of Prayer -
CARMELITE PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS sponsored by
The Carmelite NGO carmelitengo.org please feel free to copy and distribute
[Choose a suitable hymn to begin the prayer. Perhaps “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace”.]
OPENING REFLECTION: “The Christian understanding of the human person, to which we ascribe, is that all humans are children of the one Father, and therefore are brothers and sisters to one another. This is the basis of our belief in the equality of all human persons without distinction of race, color or creed.” (Position Statement of Carmelite NGO on Human Rights)
SCRIPTURE READING: EXODUS 2: 23-25 23
After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them. __________ . __________ PSALM 10: PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM ENEMIES (After every two strophes of the following psalm, there is a suggested pause for thought with the short reflection.)
Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor— let them be caught in the schemes they have devised. 1
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For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord. 4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”; all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”
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An modern azulejo representing St. Nuno Alvarez giving alms to the poor in the street outside the Carmelite priory in Lisbon, Portugal. St. Nuno, a war hero and member of the royal family, entered the Carmelite Order and lived as a brother in the Carmelite priory he himself had funded. (Photo courtesy of Carmelite Media)
PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: “Human Trafficking constitutes a shocking offence against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights.” Blessed Pope John Paul II
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Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them. 6 They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved; throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.” Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity. 8 They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places they murder the innocent. 7
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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: “The International Labour Organization estimates that 20.9 million people are victims of forced labour globally. This estimate also includes victims of human trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation. While it is not known how many of these victims were trafficked, the estimate implies that currently, there are millions of trafficking in persons victims in the world.” (UN Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2012)
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Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; 9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them off in their net. 10
They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by their might. 11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: “Disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of the whole of humanity. The advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of people.” (U.N. Declaration of Human Rights)
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Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed. 13 Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”? 12
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But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan.
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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: “There are at least 30 million victims of modern slavery in the world today.” (Position Statement of Carmelite NGO on Human Rights)
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Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none. 16 The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land. O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear 18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more 17
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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: “Trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation accounts for 58 per cent of all trafficking cases detected globally, while trafficking for forced labour accounts for 36 per cent. The share of detected cases of trafficking for forced labour has doubled over the past four years. Victims trafficked for begging account for about 1.5 per cent of the victims detected globally. Trafficking for the removal of organs has been detected in 16 countries in all regions of the world.” (UN Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2012)
__________ . __________ SCRIPTURE READING: EXODUS 3: 7-12
Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: “Human trafficking happens throughout the world with millions of victims falling through the cracks of their own societies only to be exploited by traffickers. They can be found in the world’s restaurants, fisheries, brothels, farms and homes, among many other activities.” (UN Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2012)
__________ . __________ MAGNIFICAT My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” __________ . __________
INTERCESSIONS: Let us pray for all those people who are trafficked for the purposes of providing cheap labor that they may be set free and provided the means to live dignified lives. We pray....... Let us pray for those who use other human beings for profit that they may see the evil they do and repent. We pray...... (Add other intercessions at will.)
LEADER: Jesus proclaimed that we are all children of God and so we pray together for the coming of God’s Kingdom where justice and peace will embrace: OUR FATHER ... LEADER: Let us pray .... Compassionate God, you hear the cry of your people who are brought from their homelands with false promises and who are chained in slavery in our factories, our fields, in our very homes. Help us to hear that cry too and work for the true liberty of all. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Cover Photo: The Prophet Elijah, inspiration to Carmelites
The Carmelite NGO
211 East 43rd Street, Suite 708, New York, NY 10017 USA The Carmelite NGO, a non-governmental organization in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations and affiliated to the Department of Public Information (DPI) of the United Nations, is comprised of the men and women from around the world who are members of the Carmelite Order or its affiliated Congregations, Institutes and ministries within the Catholic Church.
For more information about us and our work, visit our website: carmelitengo.org