Pray for the Philippines

If you're anything like me (usually oblivious to the news) and haven't heard about the typhoon in the Philippines...I don't even know what to say to you.

Actually I do.

"It's like the end of the world," Nancy Chang said. This article at Sky News gets real--real fast. Looting, little government or military control, destroyed traveling routes, family separation, increasing casualty count.... The entire article is shocking, showing an image of two men dragging a corpse, quoting a pregnant woman who has lost track of her family, a count of 480,000 whose homes have been destroyed, no count but "hundreds" who wait in lines for food, continual counts that are impossible to imagine.

Stop and read that article. Maybe you'd like to breeze past it because it's easier to pretend it isn't happening, but it is.

If you can give (if you're reading this, you can give), please do. Cross Catholic Outreach is ones group which is aiding the Philippines right now (and it gives 95% of its donations to the actual cause, which is actually great compared to other relief groups).

In addition, there's nothing like the power of prayer at times like this. Anyone know if there are novenas or prayer-a-thons going on to St Joseph or St Rose of Lima for the Philippines? PFrancis is at it on Twitter as usual. :)

Things to pray for: family and friends reunited, travel routes to be opened (for transfer of food, medicine and other goods), priests to provide the gift of the Sacraments (especially Last Rites), comfort for those who mourn, conversion of the hardest hearts, respect for the dead, concrete aid, hope instead of despair, acts of charity instead of violence, a community of peace instead of chaos.