The Cathedral Close

I have been riveted today to the live feed from the drill site in Chile.  There have been remarkable scenes as the miners have returned to the surface to be reunited with theirr families.  Missing from the news reporting was an account of the request of the trapped men for a crucifix, rosaries and other religious materials to set up an underground chapel.  The presence of the holy name of Jesus inscribes on articles of clothing and beads in hand or around necks has been pretty hard to miss.  At this writing, there remain six miners and three rescuers who volunteered to go go down into the pit to retrieve their fellow men.  And so we pray,

TO our prayers, O Lord, we join our unfeigned thanks for all thy mercies; for our being, our reason, and all other endowments and faculties of soul and body; for our health, friends, food, and raiment, and all the other comforts and conveniences of life. Above all, we adore thy mercy in sending thy only Son into the world, to redeem us from sin and eternal death, and in giving us the knowledge and sense of our duty towards thee. We bless thee for thy pa-tience with us, notwithstanding our many and great provo-cations; for all the directions, assistances, and comforts of thy Holy Spirit; for thy continual care and watchful providence over us through the whole course of our lives; and particularly for the mercies and benefits of the past day; beseeching thee to continue these thy blessings to us, and to give us grace to show our thankfulness in a sincere obedience to his laws, through whose merits and inter-cession we received them all, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.