The Prayers of the People and the Year of the Dragon

All this month of January 2012 I have been saying the Prayers of the People at St Martin's Anglican Church here in Ottawa. I was asked if I would say the prayers back in November, and when I arrived back from Lunenburg on January 2, I went to visit Father Richard, who gave me some important tips about how to be a good intercessor.

Today was my third Sunday saying the Prayers of the People. Every Sunday I realize how important these prayers are: we pray for the world, the church, the queen, our country, our diocese, our parish, those who are in need, those who have died. It is up to me to make these Prayers significant and meaningful to everyone and I find this a large if not an onerous responsibility.

The more I do the Prayers, the more I realize that there is a rhythm to them. The rhythm of praying for people we know and the people we don't; for a parish in Canada or one on the other side of the world; for poor and rich, for Christian or not, for family or stranger, for those alive and those who have died.

Life and death. Renewal. Our New Year, and the Chinese New Year.

To quote from IBTIMES, Chinese New Year begins tomorrow, January 23. 2012, as the Year of the Dragon,.The Dragon is anything but a formidable foe in Chinese culture. Unlike the demon that gets slayed in Western literature, the Dragon is a symbol of good fortune and intense power in Eastern culture. In Chinese tradition, the Dragon is regarded as a divine beast.

According to Sung dynasty manuscripts, the Dragon is described as having the "head of an ox or donkey, eyes of a shrimp, horns of a deer, body of a serpent covered with fish scales, and a feet of a phoenix," and it usually clutches a pearl, meant to symbolize its supernatural powers.

The Year of the Dragon is one of the most revered years of the Chinese New Year calendar, and those born under the sign are regarded as innovative, passionate people who are colourful, confident and fearless.

For me, 2012 is very much a new year and a new beginning. I am glad to have had the opportunity to meditate about prayers to share with my fellow parishoners at St. Martins Anglican Church and also to meditate about and to feel the reverence of my inner dragon.

Would I continue to be innvoative and passionate and fearless in the days and years to come.