An Appeal from Metropolitan Hilarion to all of the Faithful of the Eastern American Diocese in connection with Hurricane Sandy

30/10/2012

Reverend fathers, dear in the Lord brothers and sisters,

As hurricane Sandy approaches the East Coast of the USA, many of the parishes in our diocese lay in its direct course. I call upon all of the faithful of the Eastern American Diocese to unite in prayer for the deliverance of our land from natural disasters. As Orthodox Christians we have nothing to fear, but must always remember the words of Apostle Paul – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God,” (Philippians 4:6).

On Sunday, October 28^th, all rectors of the Eastern American Diocese are instructed to read special petitions at the Great Litany, and read the following prayer during the Liturgy after the Augmented Litany. If your parish suffers harm during the hurricane, please notify the diocesan administration at eadiocese@gmail.com. By the prayers of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos, may the All-Merciful Lord God preserve and have mercy on us all.

+HILARION
Metropolitan of Eastern America & NY
First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad

A Prayer at the Threat from Malevolent Winds and Sea Storms

O Master, Lord our God, Who by Thy Consubstantial and Unoriginate Word, and Thy Life-Giving Spirit Who is equal in honor, hast brought all things out of nothingness into being; Who hast established the sand as bounds to the sea, and weighed the mountains and the valleys in a balance; Who hast measured the skies and holdest the water in the palm of Thy hand; Who hast given to this visible world of the senses its laws and rules, its harmony and order; Who hast appointed changes to the weather and variations in the orbit of the sun; Who, through the mingling of the elements, holdest all things together by Thine inexpressible power, and keepest them free from harm and intact: Do Thou Thyself, O All-Good King, extending to us Thine innate and customary love and goodness, visit the work of Thy hands. Do not deprive us of Thy mercies and Thy compassion, and do not destroy Thine inheritance, for Thou hast ineffably created us in Thine own image. Thou hast given Thine only-begotten Son as a ransom for us, and through the mystical communion of Thy Spirit hast made us share in Thine own divinity; forgive, we pray, the multitude of our sins in the far greater multitude of Thy mercies. O Thou Who washed away the sins of humanity through the Cross and the Blood of Thy Son, restore the world of nature, which has been grievously disturbed into an unnatural state because of the unruliness and disorderliness of our lawless and corrupt behavior, and bring it back to its natural harmony and order: make the great ocean return to its usual calmness, and bring to end the tempest and the disturbance of the elements that threaten us. Order the winds to blow once more with gentleness and moderation: rebuke the raging of the sea and the unnatural violence of the gales; let the Spirit of the storm be stilled and the tempest return to tranquility, that those who cross the sea in boats and work on the many waters may again see Thy deeds and wonders. Set them in order, O Master, Lover of mankind, through Thine unapproachable love for mankind, Thou Who didst deign to allow Thine only-begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ, through Thy good will and the cooperation of Thy Holy Spirit, to become man and sail together with His holy disciples and apostles, and rebuke the stormy winds, and command the waves of the sea to be still. Do Thou Thyself now also bestill every hostile wind, tame the billows, assuage the tempests, and raise up exact and acceptable seasons and winds, being everywhere a Ruler and Helper to Thy servants, directing them to the harbor of salvation: for they call upon Thy name alone, they know none other god besides Thee, and they look always to Thy help, through the intercessions of the most blessed Lady Theotokos, of the God-seeing Angels and all the Saints, and through the good pleasure and love of Thine only-begotten Son with whom Thou art blessed, together with Thy Most-Holy and Good and Life-Creating Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Petitions on the Great Litany:

That He will not destroy us with His angry threatening on account of our sins and transgressions, but will remember His mercies and compassions from the ages, and have mercy on us, let us pray to the Lord.

That He will remember His covenant which He made with Noah, and will not despoil the land and His needy people with grievous wetness, dark, malevolent skies and gloomy fog, but will mercifully spare His inheritance and will command the sun to shine on the earth with fruit-bearing rays and abundant warmth, let us pray to the Lord.

That He will command the clouds to cease from destroying rain, that the darkness be smitten, and that the sun shine with brightness, let us pray to the Lord.

That He will spare the people and animals and all of this land, and not despoil it with the downpour of destructive rain, let us pray to the Lord.

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