If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:17-19)
Join us each week as we share new prayers for the vulnerable among us facing challenges, fears, and threats. We will name many of the harms unfolding and acknowledge what is being erased, lost, and threatened.
These prayers are not a replacement for action; they are meant to offer space for grounding and discernment as we seek to bear one another’s burdens in the love and way of Christ.
Join by Zoom each Monday at 11:45 a.m. ET to hear the prayers aloud, in the context of a simple liturgy, prayed by members of the Community of Francis and Clare.
For a World Without Corruption
God of goodness, who gives the gift of wisdom and desires righteousness and fairness among your people, as we mark International Anti-Corruption Day this week, we remember the call to integrity that you place upon all people and nations. We pray for a world where governments, businesses, and institutions are free of corruption. Amid seemingly eroding public trust in institutions and a yawning gap between the richest and the poorest in this country, empower all governing authorities to use their power and access to information justly for the common good and turn their hearts from the temptation to seek personal gain. Protect those who work to monitor and highlight corruption and those who ensure that the public trust is not held in vain. May our communities flourish under conditions of just transparency, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.
For Justice and the Defense of Human Rights
God of unending love, who made all people in your image, as we mark Human Rights Day this week, we remember your call to honor the dignity you bestow on every human being. When many feel a growing sense of insecurity, disaffection, and alienation, we lift up all victims—past, present, and future—of those who have denied or assaulted the sacred dignity you have given to every person. O God, protect, embrace, and transform the lives of the most vulnerable. Be our repairer in this breach, and as your children cry out to you for release from bondage, hear our prayer and empower us to act swiftly to bring justice, peace, healing, and comfort to everyone who has been harmed in their humanity. Remind us of your call to love our neighbors—individually and together in our communities and institutions—so that all may come to know the love you have poured out on all flesh. Through Jesus Christ, the One who poured out your love. Amen.
For the Protection and Support of Sudanese Refugees
God of solidarity, who promises to be present among the suffering, the hungry, and the vulnerable, we bring before you the Sudanese refugees who, arriving at the Chad-Sudan border, are met with almost no international humanitarian aid. We grieve the dangers they face and the violence that threatens them. We give you thanks for the resilience and generous collaboration that refugees show as they support one another in their hardship. Give your angels charge over these, your precious children. Grant them comfort, mercy, and grace. Stir the heart of the global community to respond with compassion and timely assistance. Bring justice for the oppressed, and guide all efforts toward restoration, peace, and repair throughout the region. We ask this through the mighty name of your Son, Jesus, whose face is revealed in the face of every refugee. Amen.
