Prayers from the Epicenter

I am with you always.

Matthew 28:20b (NIV)

Loving God, in this time of uncertainty, wake us to the reminder that we are not alone.

Even as we are asked to keep our distance from others, help us to find ways to reach out to those who need our support and to those whose support we need.  We are grateful for the gift of technology that keeps us emotionally connected even as we remain physically separated.

We thank you and ask your blessing especially on our front-line caregivers.  Sustain, strengthen and protect our nurses, doctors, and support staff.  Bless them as they offer compassionate care and show selfless courage in the face of great risk to themselves and to their families.

Bless all who provide essential services in our communities.  We pray for our grocery store clerks; for those who care for our children, our elderly and our homeless; for all our first responders; for all who keep our communal infrastructure going.  We are grateful for their vocation to serve the common good, and we give you thanks.

Bless all whose incomes, livelihood and health are threatened and disrupted.  Through the goodness of our hands, help us to share with one another what is needed by all.  Grant us creativity of mind and generosity of heart to respond to the needs in front of us.

Bless all who are decision makers in business and government, in our cities and in our world.  Grant them wisdom, skill and courage to prioritize people and compassion and safety.  We ask for your discernment and your sustaining grace as they carry the heavy burden of the health and well-being of us all.

Each time we wash our hands and encounter one another, remind us that we are not in this alone; we are all in this together.  And when we are tempted to ask, “God, where are YOU in this crisis?” remind us once again that you are right here with us, in the midst of it, that you have promised, “I am with you always.”

Amen.

(Adapted from the prayer of Sister Betsy Goodwin, OSF)

Excellent article on “Flourishing Amidst Coronavirus.” So much wisdom here from Tyler VanderWeele, Director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard. He writes about: helping others, strengthening relationships, finding happiness, and facing suffering. I highly recommend this piece to you.

Explore more at the Theology of Work Project online
commentary:
Go and Make Disciples (Matthew 28:16-20)

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