A Prayer for Japan

7:00:00 AM Pinoy Boy Journals 20 Comments

A new beginning for Japan
REPOSTED IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO PERISHED DURING THE 2011 JAPAN TSUNAMI AND EARTHQUAKE

The colors of the autumn leaves are enough to leave me a lasting impression how wonderful it is to wander around Kansai. 

Five days ago, the news broke out of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in North East Japan. Soon after, Japan NHK TV reported a major tsunami swept away cars, trucks and houses in Onahama City in Fukushima Prefecture.

A few days after, a massive fire broke out in a nuclear plant that has alarmed the people of a possible radiation occurrence in the surrounding regions, including Tokyo.

I felt uneasy and scared. I fear for those whose lives are in grave threat. I couldn't sleep and decided i should post something to inspire other people to pray. People ask me how come i get affected by this groundbreaking news. Actually, anybody in the world whose living through kindness will get worried. Lives may perish and dreams may falter.  

I had a 10 day backpacking expedition to Japan roughly three months ago. In my short but meaningful stay in Japan, I've learned so many things in life that i am taking with me. I live to tell the kindness of the people and their warm hospitality. Japan and the Philippines had an awful past, but that has changed ever since. I would fondly remember the good times i had just walking around and glancing upon the smiles of the Japanese people. For a lost Filipino traveler, i always found my way home because of the kindness of strangers. I never felt i left home. The country grew in me instantaneously. With much appreciation and gratitude, i sincerely thank the people of Japan for making my trip magical. I am with you all in this battle. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I wrote a brief prayer in 5 minutes. I couldn't get myself to sleep... My mind and my heart were overflowing with felt words. I never knew this prayer would reach across the globe in a few days, and made a strong impression on everyone who's saddened by the recent turn of events.

“Dear Lord, I humbly ask for your divine mercy. Please save Japan from her sufferings.

The people I’ve met there showed me nothing but kindness, respect and fellowship.
Lord, wipe away the tears of those who are weeping, fuel the strength of those who are dying and give hope to those who are losing it.
I ask for your most divine mercy in this time of great surrender. Amen.”

The next day, i got a message on my Facebook Page  from a kind stranger - "Mr. Philip Endaya" who's currently living in Tokyo, Japan. He said, my prayer was featured by Paulo Coelho! He included my prayer to his post below. I couldn't believe it, it felt surreal. As a writer by profession and passion, appreciation from a best-selling international author is surely elating. 

I never thought in a million years, someone as precious and as guaranteed as Sir Paulo Coelho, would take time out to re-post and feature a prayer i wrote. I will forever be deeply honored and humbled. It's a blessing and a gift to be able to pray with everyone in this great surrender.

To the people who have shared, reposted, liked my prayer in their social networking sites and websites... thank your for praying with me. Let's all keep our faith's up for the humbled shall be blessed.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Secret-Garden
http://olgalishansky.com/blog/feed/ 
http://www.kaskus.us/showthread.php?p=38524416
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/Misshappy-56/article?mid=9770 
http://shiatsucat.blogspot.com/2011/03/prayer-for-japan.html
http://www.facebook.com/pages/College-of-Nursing-Ateneo-de-Zamboanga-University
http://www.detectur.com/how/Li%20Shang/
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=186255221417649&id=163847823654359
http://www.reikipath.org/receive-reiki-24x7/please-send-prayers-for-the-people-in-japan/20/ 
NOTE: If you or you know anyone has prayed with me. Please leave a comment below so i can update this list. All of these people are strangers to me but with one prayer, we are all one! 

Kindly share this prayer with your friends and family, hoping our voice will be heard by those affected. And they shall strengthen their will to live through this defeat.



Lord, protect our planet, because we live here, and here we dwell with our daily tragedies. 
May our daily reconstruction be the result of the very best that we carry within us.
Give us the courage
to be able to reconstruct what was destroyed
to be able to recover what was lost
to be able to accept what was gone forever.
May you give us courage to look ahead,
may we never look back nor allow our soul to be discouraged. 
Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. 
Lord, may the Earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. Do not leave us in solitude. 
Have compassion on us, Lord. For we often think we are dressed when we are naked. 
Do not forget, in your mercy, our friends in Japan, who are now teaching us the meaning of Courage, Reconstruction, Solidarity and Enthusiasm. 
Amen

日本の為に祈ります
主よ、我々の住むこの惑星を守りたまえ
私達は日々、悲劇と直面しながらこの星の上で生きています
私達が行う日々の復興活動が私達にとっての最善/最高の結果であります事を
破壊された生活を立て直す勇気を私達に与えてください
失った物を回復させる勇気を私達に与えてください
永遠に失われたものを受け入れられるように勇気を与えてください
決して後ろを振り返る事なく、前進する勇気を与えてください
私達の魂がこの苦難を乗り越えられますように
 
主よ、私達に熱意/情熱を与えてください
熱意/情熱は、それに真剣に取り組んでいるかぎりは
全ての事は可能だという事を私達に教えてくれます
主よ、この地球が種を小麦へと
小麦からパンへと変える力を与えてください
そして私達を決して一人きりにしないでください
主よ、私達に思いやりを
しばしば、私達は裸なのに服を着込んでいると思い込んでしまうのです
主よ
勇気、復興、連帯と情熱の意味を教えている日本の友人達の事を忘れないでください
アーメン
(translated by Ken Crane )

“Dear Lord, I humbly ask for your divine mercy. Please save Japan from her sufferings.
The people I’ve met there showed me nothing but kindness, respect and fellowship.
Lord, wipe away the tears of those who are weeping, fuel the strength of those who are dying and give hope to those who are losing it.
I ask for your most divine mercy in this time of great surrender. Amen.”
(Pinoy Boy Journals in Facebook, five minutes after my post)

It is tranquil and serene in Kanto region. The smell of autumn leaves and the winds embracing me echo a sound of nothingness. 

20 Comments:

This is the most beautiful prayer I ever heard. Thank you for this. Yes, lets all pray together, as ONE, to support and to heal Japan. Love & Light to all of you.

INGRID NIETO said...

:-)

panalo tlga, as in napansin ni Coelho poem mu. iba ka! fave authr ko din xa. :)
I do hope Japan recovers soon, I have a friend who lives pala in Tokyo and I remembered a day after the tsunami lng, we we're so worried about her kase she;s alone and her husband is deployed in Iraq. buti nlng maayos naman xa. I;m sure Japan will smile again soon. nakakahanga ang disiplina sa kanila, pag may dumating na donation kahet maubusan. nakapila tlga sila, d nag-aagawan, d tulad saten. :(
When Japan recovers, I'm sure, mas madameng tourist na pupunta sa kanila.
love the 1st pic Jerik.

@Olga Lishansky Thank you so much! this comment really warms the heart. From the bottom of my heart, i appreciate your kind words. Every night, i try to talk to God and ask for a sign. I know i have to do something to help out. If it means me flying over to Japan to help the people personally, so be it. Many thanks to you Olga! :)

@Pinkgrid pray with me Ingrid. And share the prayer to your friends too. We're making miracles happen!

@thepinaysolobackpacker Thanks so much Gael. I share this prayer to my Pinoy Travel Bloggers Family, without you guys i wouldn't be as inspired to continue traveling and writing these stories. He is my personal hero. He writes simple yet thought provoking which i really like. And believe me when i say, i am not sure if i can live to his feature. I just couldn't pass on not doing anything. I am not yet done writing my Japan journals. They're just so many and the plan was, the last few posts will be about my experiences and realizations. The recent events made me realize one thing... It's time to pay back in kindness! Have a lovely day, Gael!

Ed said...

your love for Japan (and other places) is very admirable jerik. seeing more than the usual aspect of traveling. that's why this is one of the blogs that I frequent. you show another perspective of traveling in solitude.

God bless Japan.

Chyng said...

so proud of you Jerik! my heart was pounding too as I was reading PC's blog with your prayers on it. so I guess you felt ecstatic. =)

ps- your japan entry made me realize I can travel cheaply to Japan. sana wala ng earthquakes next yr ^_^

Thanks for this prayer.. let's continue praying hindi lang pra sa japan kundi para sa buong mundo.. kaligtasan ng bawat isa ang mahalaga..

Anonymous said...

Thank you for praying. Thank you for your compassion. Thank you. Arigato.

@Ed Thank you so much Ed! Actually if someone asks me for the best advice, it is not to ask from me. Experience it for yourself. Whenever i am on the road, realizations pop in my head and i know i need to write them down to inspire other people. This one entry in particular was hard for me to write because there are no words to describe how sad what's happening. I am not yet finished writing my Japan series and there's so much i want to say. Thanks again Ed for your continuous support!

@Chyng perfect word to describe the feeling is surreal. up until now, i still can't believe it. But apart from this feat, it's still the sad truth what's happening in Japan. It's such a beautiful country and i know you will enjoy it there! For a female traveler, i couldn't recommend a far safer country to travel to than Japan! For sure, fast recover naman ng Japan. Just in time for your trip next year! I am sure you'll travel there next year!

@Ang Babaeng Lakwatsera You're right! 1 minute lang naman, just pray kasi if you'll take time to realize ano kaya nararamdaman nila ngayon. What if ikaw yung nasa kalagayan nila. di ba? Also, what's heartwarming is that regardless of race,everyone in the world is now praying for Japan! Lahat naman tayo brothers and sisters wherever we may be in the world. Thanks!!!

@Anonymous Are you from Japan? I owe it to the people there. Strangers, friends, acquaintances, --- all the people of Japan have shown nothing but respect, kindness and openness to share their ideals, their passions and their thoughts. That alone makes me feel special and at home. And Japan has been very kind to Filipinos. A lot of the Filipinos have prospered in life, thanks to Japan for the opportunity. Arigato!!!

Eric said...

It saddened me seeing this calamity in Japan and some other parts of the world...when the nature strikes back we became powerless and hopeless, however, as the Holy Scripture says(let me be a spiritual this time) these are the signs of God's soon return, we can't control it but expect more terrible catastrophic in the near future....

let's all pray for the recovery of Japan...

@Eric I believe that it's never too early or too late to mend our ways. It is a borrowed life and we have to make the most out of it. We have to take care of this planet. It's not getting any younger, and life can only live on earth. Thank you for your thoughts, very inspiration to those reading this.

@Pinoy Adventurista I am with you brother. Help spread the word. Japan has been very good to the Philippines. It's time to help our brothers and sisters! Have a good evening!

Nakakalungkot nga naman kasi kahit ako nagbabalak uli mag-trip sa Japan... and then this... I also experience the kindness and hospitality of these people. And the of course the beautiful places of Japan. I hope they recover soon...

Astig ka at si P.Cuelho napansin work of writing mo... great writing, keep doing it.

@Ian Me too. I was planning to travel back to Tokyo and then head up north to Sapporo and Hokkaido. But i hope next year, everything's back to normal. i wanna go back April next year.

Thanks so much, although it feels great to be recognized by Sir Paulo Coelho, the thought of having to write such a sad prayer is painful. Thank you so much Ian. I love reading your articles and hope you can post more about beautiful Hawaii!!!