A Thanksgiving Day prayer, mindful of our Syrian sisters and brothers
God, whose gifts are countless
and whose goodness is without limit,
teach us, we pray, to treasure and use wisely
the rich blessings of this country.
Help us to be attentive to the needs of others,
and to give as freely as we have received.
You have blessed Canadians
with a genuine embrace of Syrian refugees
who have been welcomed to this land.
Help us to be mindful of Syrians
who remain in their land.
Grant that we may share with others
all that we hold in trust from you,
and live as a people in true gratitude of heart.
This prayer was written by Fr Philip Shano SJ in response to CJI’s request for a Thanksgiving Day prayer for the Fall 2016 newsletter on food security. Fr Philip also wrote the following introduction to the prayer: “Most Canadians are free from daily anxiety about adequate food. We can afford to ask questions about how it is sourced and be selective in our choices. Many of us also ask questions about the growing inequality of food security around the world. CJI has a particular interest this Thanksgiving in helping provide hot meals and food baskets for Syrian refugees and internally displaced people in Syria through Jesuit Refugee Service. This year the collection at the celebration of St Ignatius Day in Pickering, Ontario, went for this purpose as well. Let us pray for an increased consciousness of the situation in Syria and for the will and strength to share from all that we have.”
