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 Those Captured by Fear and Falsehood
God of truth, whose Son sets us free from all falsehood and leads us to your universal embrace, we pray for those whose fear is being exploited by lies and propaganda on the internet. We grieve when political anxieties are warped into racist hate and violence. We lament when immigrant, minorities, and other communities are made scapegoats for our fears, and when falsehoods spread faster than our willingness to seek the truth. Protect those targeted by hatred and intimidation, and give courage to those who stand beside them. Lord, give us the grace to seek justice without scapegoats. Keep us from the sin of collective blame and teach us to be just stewards of peace as we welcome the stranger and hold each other accountable. Where social media inflames us with distortions of the truth, make us your truth-tellers. Where hatred threatens to divide communities, make us interrupters with good news of peace. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and set us free. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
For the Dignity of Incarcerated Workers
God of justice, who created every person in your image and calls us to honor the dignity of human labor, we pray for all who work while incarcerated. Guard against systems in which confinement becomes an occasion for exploitation.Grant that work may be undertaken with dignity, meaningful choice, just conditions, and fair compensation, and that the labor of incarcerated people may never be used in ways that deny their God-given dignity or worth. Guide those who shape our systems of justice to make work a genuine means of restoration, an opportunity to accept responsibility, make restitution, support families, build savings, develop skills, and prepare for successful reentry into community. Teach us to see in every worker a neighbor worthy of justice and respect and lead us toward a society in which accountability upholds human dignity and opens pathways toward renewed life in you. Through Jesus Christ, who came among us as one who serves. Amen.
For Healing Amid Ebola
God of healing, whose Son drew near to the sick and suffering, we pray for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo as Ebola continues to spread. Receive those who have died into your eternal care, comfort those who mourn, strengthen those who are sick, and sustain families separated from loved one by the necessities of treatment and protection. Guard health workers who enter places of danger to care for others. Provide them with the help, medicine, equipment, and resources they need. Give wisdom to those tracing infections and working to prevent their spread.Build trust between communities and those seeking to protect them. Where fear and uncertainty take hold, bring courage and compassion. Draw near to all who suffer, and strengthen us to care for one another as Christ taught us. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our healer and our hope. Amen.
