On August 9, 2012, in the face of monsoon rains that caused massive and widespread floods in Manila, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called for the people to pray the Oratio Imperata, or a special prayer for deliverance against calamities. The prayer itself can be said in times of trouble, need, and calamities—be it earthquakes, hurricanes, or other disasters that might befall us:
Oratio Imperata
“Almighty Father, we raise our hearts to You in gratitude for the wonders of creation of which we are part, for Your providence in sustaining us in our needs, and for Your wisdom that guides the course of the universe.
We acknowledge our sins against You and the rest of creation.
We have not been good stewards of Nature.
We have confused Your command to subdue the earth.
The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing, and now we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference.
Global warming is upon us. Typhoons, floods, volcanic eruption, and other natural calamities occur in increasing number and intensity.
We turn to You, our loving Father, and beg forgiveness for our sins.
We ask that we, our loved ones and our hard earned possessions be spared from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made.
We beseech You to inspire us all to grow into responsible stewards of Your creation, and generous neighbors to those in need.
Amen.”
–Prayer taken from an article in the Philippine Star
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