Grief prayer

This section may contain major spoilers!

Please refrain from reading if you are not yet familiar with all the latest media released.

Cover of the first volume.

Puella Magi Oriko Magica: Sadness Prayer (［新約］魔法少女おりこ☆マギカ～sadness prayer～, Mahō Shōjo Oriko Magika ~sadness prayer~, lit. “New Testament: Puella Magi Oriko Magica: Sadness Prayer”) is the fifth spin-off manga in the Puella Magi franchise, illustrated by Kuroe Mura. It is a prequel to the first installment of Puella Magi Oriko Magica, set before the events of Oriko Magica, but after the prologue, where Oriko sees Kriemhild Gretchen and Yuma.

Sadness Prayer was originally serialized in Manga Time Kirara Magica from November 8, 2013. So far, two collected volumes have been released, with volume 1 collecting chapters 1 – 7, and volume 2 collecting chapters 8 – 13. A third volume is set to be released October 31, 2017.

Blurb

Volume 1 After becoming a magical girl, Oriko Mikuni befriends other magical girls at her school-and not always on initially positive terms! Complications arise when Oriko’s friends, unaware they both know Oriko, fight over a grief seed, leading to someone’s death…Volume 2 Oriko sees her use of Kiriko as an attack dog against other magical girls as a justifiable means to achieving a greater purpose—protecting the world from the destructive force of Walpurgisnacht. However, their arrangement has piqued the interest of another magical girl, who has her own reasons for wanting a magical killer like Kiriko at her beck and call…Will her savory offer sway Kiriko’s allegiance and leave Oriko herself open to attack?!Volume 3 With her power of foresight, Oriko Mikuni sees at the future of Mitakihara, using Kirika Kure to hunt other magical girls. What does Oriko want with the girls intertwined around Madoka…? Don’t miss the long-awaited third volume to the prequel series!

Plot

A prequel to Oriko Magica, expanding on the original characters and introducing several new ones. Sadness Prayer shows how Oriko and Kirika first met and teamed up, expands on Oriko’s family and school life, and expands on her and Kirika’s feelings on having to kill magical girls to fulfill their goals.

Chapters

Volume 1

• Chapter 1: Is This Actually the Right Thing? (それが本当に正しいのか？, Sore ga hontō ni tadashī no ka?)
• Chapter 2: I Won’t Meet Up with That Girl (あの少女には出会えない, Ano shōjo ni wa deaenai)
• Chapter 3: Just Venting Some Frustration (ただのやつあたりだよ, Tada no yatsu atarida yo)
• Chapter 4: This is My Entire Purpose in Life (そのために今のわたしはある, Sono tame ni ima no watashi wa aru)
• Chapter 5: I’ll Do What Magical Girls Do (魔法少女ってのもやってやるわ, Mahō shōjo tte no mo yatte yaru wa)
• Chapter 6: Just This Once, I’ll Go All Out (一回くらいは頑張ってあげようかな, Ikkai kurai wa ganbatte ageyou kana)
• Chapter 7: Don’t Be Crushed Under the Weight of Sins (罪の重さに潰れてしまわないように, Tsumi no omosa ni tsuburete shimawanai yō ni)

Volume 2

• Chapter 8: I Feel Like I’ve Been Reborn (生まれ変わったようない気分なんだ, Umarekawatta yōnai kibun nanda)
• Chapter 9: This World’s End, Over and Over (わたしは繰り返す、この終末を, Watashi wa kurikaesu, kono shūmatsu o)
• Chapter 10: Was it Really That Time? (本当にあの時だったのかな, Hontō ni ano toki datta no kana)
• Chapter 11: I was Doing My Best to Be a Good Girl (こんなにいい子にしてるのに, Konna ni īko ni shiteru no ni)
• Chapter 12: You Really Don’t Wanna Know (そんなことは知らない方がいいよ, Sonna koto wa shiranai kata ga ī yo)
• Chapter 13: She is Fated to a Tragic End (彼女は罪惨な末路を遂げる, Kanojo wa tsumi mugo na matsuro o togeru)

Volume 3

Characters

See: Oriko Magica Characters

Collected volume changes

Currently unknown.

Publishers

Gallery

Official art

• Sadness Prayer art of Kirika.

• Sadness Prayer art of Komaki.

• Sadness Prayer volume 1 bonus page.

• Alternate Sadness Prayer volume 1 cover.

• Bonus Oriko image.

Colour pages

• Colour page of Oriko, Kirika, and Komaki, from volume 1.

• Colour page of Komaki in her magical girl, from chapter 2.

• Colour page of the new magical girls from volume 2.

• Colour page of Sasa and Lina, from chapter 8.

Manga pages

• Extra Kirika page from the end of volume 1.

• A recurring background character.

• Komaki’s mother.

External links

• Official website for Puella Magi Oriko Magica (Japanese)
• Covers for Puella Magi Oriko Magica on official website. (Japanese)
• Official website Puella Magi Oriko Magica from Yen Press.
• Puella Magi Oriko Magica at TV Tropes.

wiki.puella-magi.net

Beautiful Stairway to Heaven

In his beautifully written book, titled “Home with God… In a Life That Never Ends“, a comforting perspective is offered for your consideration.

Author and minister, Neale Donald Walsch, asks God, “What can I say to those who are dying? Until now this has always been a tough one for me. For most of us, I would imagine. What comfort can I offer them?”

God replies, “If you find people who believe that forgiveness is what is required to make them “worthy of heaven,” offer them forgiveness – and tell them that God does so also. If you find people who believe that they will be stepping right into the arms of God and their loved ones after their death, offer them confirmation – and tell them that God does so also. If you find people who believe there is no life of any kind after death, offer them an alternative idea – and tell them that God does so also. God does so through many events of life, in a thousand different voices during a hundred different moments, heard by all those who will truly listen.”

Then, a beautiful prayer is offered, that we, as God’s earthly ministers can offer up to comfort those who are dying:
     The God of your understanding is with you now, even in this hour, at this precise moment. If you have no understanding of God, that will not matter. God is still here, in this place, with you right now, whispering to your soul, “You are welcome, whenever you are ready to come Home.”
You shall not be turned away, not for any cause or reason. If there be cause or reason you believe valid, God… should you want God to, in this moment erases it. God… should you want God to, in this moment makes all paths clear, all roads straight, saying, “Make way for my beloved, who chooses to be Home with God.”
This prayer if offered for you, wonderful child of the universe, as you embark on the most joyful journey you have ever taken, filled with wondrous surprises. A journey into the greatest happiness you have ever known, and the grandest experience you will ever have.
Dream now of glorious things. Dream of every fantasy come true. Dream of every pain disappearing, of everything of which time has robbed you being given back to you again. Dream of seeing loved ones once more, those who have gone before and those who will follow.
Know for a certainty that when you leave here, you will be again with all those who have held a place in your heart and have gone before. And do not worry about those you leave behind, for you will see them, too, again and again, and love them, too, again and again, through all eternity, and even in the present moment. For there can be no separation where there is love, and no waiting where there is only Now.
Smile, then, at the joyful anticipation of what is in store. These gifts have been laid up for you, and God has only been waiting for you to return Home to receive them. Peace, joy, and love are you, and are yours, now and always. So it is, and so it shall be, for ever and ever. Amen.

May you find peace and comfort as you make your journey back home.

griefandmourning.com

Praying during a season of loss can be hard. When I think of my own seasons of loss or of listening to others’ prayer during their seasons of grief, I can think of multiple descriptions of prayer that sounded something like:

• I cannot even sit down to pray, because my mind races everywhere when I try to pray.
• Being still is hard, because so much hits me at once that I don’t know where to start.
• I am not even sure if God is there or hearing me in my pain.
• Prayer feels dry and empty.
• I cannot be still or even sit still.

As with most things, it’s always easier for me to reflect back on these seasons and remember what worked than to figure it out when I am in the middle of living a season of loss and trying to continue to grow in my prayer life. Here are three things that I try to remember myself and also offer to others who are in this season.

1. Pray as you can, not as you can’t.

These eight words spoken by a priest friend to me many years ago bring me much comfort in many seasons of life, but especially when there is a loss in my life. How I used to be able to pray might not work right now. I can remember one season of my prayer life when I could not sit down and be still, my go-to prayer method, because I was overwhelmed with a loss. My spiritual director at the time invited me not to beat myself for not praying the way I always had and suggested trying something new, such as walking during my prayer time. While the stillness of prayer did not work for me, physically moving and talking to God or just being in nature and walking did.

2. Try puttering prayer.

Puttering prayer is a prayer method shared with me by a friend and colleague. She gave herself permission to “putter,” and when she felt called, she would turn her attention to God in the moment and then carry on with her day. I find this way of praying very helpful when grief has a hold of me and I cannot sit down to a long prayer period.

3. Talk to God openly and honestly, even if in short spurts.

Our tendency sometimes is to stop prayer all together when it no longer feels the same or our prayer life changes. This can spin us into desolation when we stop praying all together. When facing a loss, I find it is helpful simply to talk to God often in heartfelt, honest conversation. Upon hearing a friend died, I held on to this type of prayer for weeks after her death. I would go about my day and remember her and then talk to God briefly about what was on my mind. Maybe it was a prayer of thanksgiving for a memory or the gift of her friendship. Other times, I might feel angry she was gone. Sometimes, I would simply weep and talk to God about how much I missed her. All our conversations were short but honest.

Eventually, the rawness of a new loss subsides a bit, and as it does, we can return to a season of prayer in which we can sit still longer, and we can face the silence again. Until that time comes, though, we can continue on in our prayer lives as gently as possible, trusting that God will welcome us back every time we come.

Photo by Pablo Basagoiti on Unsplash.

www.ignatianspirituality.com