IHS TOGETHER / EVANGELICAL CHURCH ALLIANCE INTL.

Tears In The Darkness

In the weeks that followed, as the survivors finally came to their senses, they began to count their great good luck. For every one of them, three had died. What but luck could explain that? There was no accounting for the sadness, of course, the emptiness that always follows the euphoria of luck. Almost every man had lost a buddy, a friend for the road. And they could not shake the feeling that their lives, their great good luck, had somehow been purchased at someone else’s expense. To a man, they also remembered a voice. When the bedlam was at its height, when men were screaming and moaning and begging for their lives, Father William T. Cummings, the Maryknoll priest who in Bilibid had read Ben Steele the last rites, would make his way to the middle of the hold and shout to be heard.

“Listen to me,” he would yell. “You must listen to me!” Then, in a clear but calming voice, he would recite a prayer. 23 Our Father, who art in heaven . . . Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us . . . He recited that same evensong every night, a prayer for the living, a prayer of thanks, a prayer for the dead. The priest ministered to anyone who needed him, and almost everyone did. In a month he recited more last rites than most padres offer in a year of combat, then berated himself openly for not being able to hold the hand and ease the dying angst of every man in the ship who needed him. “Father, please, pray for me,” they begged, or, “Baptize me, Father. I don’t want to die without being baptized.” He was a short, thin man, forty-one years old, in constant pain from an old back injury that had required spinal fusion. He had chronic asthma as well, and the close air in the holds must have been torture for him. Nothing, however, seemed to slow his ministrations.

Tears In The Darkness

In the weeks that followed, as the survivors finally came to their senses, they began to count their great good luck. For every one of them, three had died. What but luck could explain that? There was no accounting for the sadness, of course, the emptiness that always follows the euphoria of luck. Almost every man had lost a buddy, a friend for the road. And they could not shake the feeling that their lives, their great good luck, had somehow been purchased at someone else’s expense. To a man, they also remembered a voice. When the bedlam was at its height, when men were screaming and moaning and begging for their lives, Father William T. Cummings, the Maryknoll priest who in Bilibid had read Ben Steele the last rites, would make his way to the middle of the hold and shout to be heard.

“Listen to me,” he would yell. “You must listen to me!” Then, in a clear but calming voice, he would recite a prayer. 23 Our Father, who art in heaven . . . Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us . . . He recited that same evensong every night, a prayer for the living, a prayer of thanks, a prayer for the dead. The priest ministered to anyone who needed him, and almost everyone did. In a month he recited more last rites than most padres offer in a year of combat, then berated himself openly for not being able to hold the hand and ease the dying angst of every man in the ship who needed him. “Father, please, pray for me,” they begged, or, “Baptize me, Father. I don’t want to die without being baptized.” He was a short, thin man, forty-one years old, in constant pain from an old back injury that had required spinal fusion. He had chronic asthma as well, and the close air in the holds must have been torture for him. Nothing, however, seemed to slow his ministrations.

In the weeks that followed, as the survivors finally came to their senses, they began to count their great good luck. For every one of them, three had died. What but luck could explain that? There was no accounting for the sadness, of course, the emptiness that always follows the euphoria of luck. Almost every man had lost a buddy, a friend for the road. And they could not shake the feeling that their lives, their great good luck, had somehow been purchased at someone else’s expense. To a man, they also remembered a voice. When the bedlam was at its height, when men were screaming and moaning and begging for their lives, Father William T. Cummings, the Maryknoll priest who in Bilibid had read Ben Steele the last rites, would make his way to the middle of the hold and shout to be heard.

“Listen to me,” he would yell. “You must listen to me!” Then, in a clear but calming voice, he would recite a prayer. 23 Our Father, who art in heaven . . . Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us . . . He recited that same evensong every night, a prayer for the living, a prayer of thanks, a prayer for the dead. The priest ministered to anyone who needed him, and almost everyone did. In a month he recited more last rites than most padres offer in a year of combat, then berated himself openly for not being able to hold the hand and ease the dying angst of every man in the ship who needed him. “Father, please, pray for me,” they begged, or, “Baptize me, Father. I don’t want to die without being baptized.” He was a short, thin man, forty-one years old, in constant pain from an old back injury that had required spinal fusion. He had chronic asthma as well, and the close air in the holds musthave been torture for him. Nothing, however, seemed to slow his ministrations.

Psalm 122

A Prayer for Jerusalem

A Davidic song of ascents.

1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,

Let us go to the house of the Lord.

2 Our feet are standing

within your gates, Jerusalem—

3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be,

solidly joined together,

4 where the tribes, Yahweh’s tribes, go up

to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

(This is an ordinance for Israel.)

5 There, thrones for judgment are placed,

thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

May those who love you prosper;

7 may there be peace within your walls,

prosperity within your fortresses.

8 Because of my brothers and friends,

I will say, Peace be with you.

9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your good.

Psalm 122

A Prayer for Jerusalem

A Davidic song of ascents.

1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

2 Our feet are standing

within your gates, Jerusalem—

3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be,

solidly joined together,

4 where the tribes, Yahweh’s tribes, go up

to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

(This is an ordinance for Israel.)

5 There, thrones for judgment are placed,

thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you prosper;

7 may there be peace within your walls,

prosperity within your fortresses.”

8 Because of my brothers and friends,

I will say, “Peace be with you.”

9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your good.

Psalm 122

A Prayer for Jerusalem

A Davidic song of ascents.

1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

2 Our feet are standing

within your gates, Jerusalem—

3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be,

solidly joined together,

4 where the tribes, Yahweh’s tribes, go up

to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

(This is an ordinance for Israel.)

5 There, thrones for judgment are placed,

thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you prosper;

7 may there be peace within your walls,

prosperity within your fortresses.”

8 Because of my brothers and friends,

I will say, “Peace be with you.”

9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your good.

Romans 10:9-10  9 If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

 Prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Savior:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures. Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Romans 10:9-10  9 If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

 Prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Savior:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures. Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Romans 10:9-10  9 If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

 Prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Savior:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures. Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Romans 10:9-10  9 If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

 Prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Savior:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures. Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.