As you pray this station, meditate upon the crushing burdens that today afflict God’s creation, and how those burdens prevent humanity’s full flourishing in the peace and freedom God intends for us.  One such burden is the reality of crushing debt in the developing world.  Many impoverished countries are repaying enormous sums of debt, often acquired by past corrupt regimes or through predatory lending practices from the world community in the Cold War era. These annual debt-service payments to wealthy international creditors hinder poor nations’ ability to spend on the health, education and well-being of their people.  As an example, the U.S. will contribute more than $4 billion to the fight against HIV/AIDS globally this year.  The countries that will benefit most from that $4 billion will pay more than $9 million in debt service.

 To learn more – and find out what you and your faith community can do – visit Jubilee USA, of which The Episcopal Church is a member, at http://www.jubileeusa.org/.