The whole world continues to follow via news reports, pictures and video clips how Japan is coping with the after-effects of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that recently struck the country, provoking one of the greatest disasters in its history.
Amid all the destruction, fear and desperation, shining examples of courage and generosity have emerged, one of which is the anonymous “repairmen” who have been working non-stop to try to cool the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant. These specialists are selflessly risking their lives to prevent the meltdown of the facility’s reactors, which could trigger a human and environmental nightmare.
Their powerful witness of life (destined to quickly fade into the background of media coverage), has deeply touched our small international FSP community of Borgo Angelico, Rome, one of whose members is from Japan. Like sentinels, the sisters of the community have divided up their days into “vigils” before the Tabernacle so as to offer God a non-stop chain of prayer to support the countless people in Japan who are working against time to save whatever can be saved.
Our sisters are also praying for the multitudes of people who have lost everything as a result of the earthquake/tsunami, including many members of the Pauline Family in Japan. And now they tell us they have widened the radius of their petitions to include the many people suffering in other parts of the world, especially Libya.