AMID the blazing heat, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is calling for prayers for rain to finally wet the overly dry lands and cool down the country's temperature.
In a letter addressed to all Philippine archbishops and bishops, CBCP Secretary General Msgr. Bernardo Pantin said they are issuing an "Oratio Imperata Ad Petendam Pluviam" or an Obligatory Prayer To Ask For Rain.
"We are respectfully sending the text of the Oratio Imperata Ad Petendam Pluviam prepared by the Episcopal Commission on Liturgy (ECLit), for your consideration and use according to your pastoral discretion," said Pantin.
An Oratio Imperata is a prayer for a specific intention that the archbishop or bishop of an archdiocese or diocese may require to be recited during Mass.
The issuance of the Oratio Imperata Ad Petendam Pluviam comes amid the dangerously high heat indexes being recorded in different parts of the country, as well as drought brought by the El Niño phenomenon.
In the said prayer, the bishops is asking the Lord to "grant us relief from the extreme heat."
"We humbly ask you to grant us relief from the extreme heat that besets your people at this time, disrupting their activities and threatening their lives and livelihood," said the prayer.
"Send us rain to replenish our depleting water sources, to irrigate our fields, to stave off water and power shortages, and to provide water for our daily needs," it added. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)