Mothers and Babies

Tonight my prayers are for the mothers and babies of the world. I was stunned to learn from reading an AP article in today's paper that "more than 2 million babies and mothers die worldwide each year from childbirth complications..." That means 230 babies die each hour, every hour. And, three-quarters of such deaths of mothers and babies occur in Africa and South Asia. Of course, these are the areas of greater poverty and less available health care.

So, for all women giving birth this day and all their babies, and for all who are working to bring better health care to poorer regions and poorer peoples of the world, I pray that they may be protected, their lives preserved, and their health maintained or bettered. May all those of us who have as much and more than we need, learn to share in some significant way, and find the courage to move our governments to do so as well. In the name of the One God who enjoins us to love one another and show mercy to the poor and the vulnerable.