A FRANCISCAN PRAYER

A FRANCISCAN PRAYER:

Man God bless you with discomfort

at easy answers,

half-truths,

and superficial relationships

so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

at injustice,

oppression,

and exploitation of people,

so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears,

to shed for those who suffer

pain, rejection, hunger, and war,

so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

to believe that you can make a difference in the world,

so that you can do what others claim cannot be done,

to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen.

A Prayer Following the Murder of George Floyd

Lord,
may I kneel with,
pray with,
cry with
those who are
hurting,
fearful,
dying,
unheard,
oppressed,
broken.
May I be a
bringer of peace,
a vessel of hope,
a light to those in darkness,
an encouragement to the downtrodden.
Though I may not understand the plight of others,
grant me the eyes of compassion to see the pain of others.
In my comfort, may I not plug my ears to injustice.
May my anger be just, and not self-righteous.
May I never think my rights are more important than what is right.
Break my heart with the things that break Yours.
May I be a person of mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
May I be more like Jesus.
Amen ~ ~ ~ sw

PANDEMIC PRAYER

Great God,
you are an ever-present help in times of trouble,
and that’s why we’re praying now.
We are troubled and we’re worried things
are going to get more troubling.
This virus is spreading around the world:
so many are seriously ill
or will be seriously ill,
so many health care systems are stretched
or will be stretched.
Be with front line medical workers,
give them courage to do their work
and keep them safe.
Be with public health officials
as they make decisions for the common good,
and politicians as they roll those decisions out.Help us to be kind to one another,
because anxiety can make us snappy.
Help our communities to be resilient
and expansive as we reach out to help
all who are isolated and afraid.
In these times of shutdowns and slowdowns,
when travel is restricted or banned,
as routines are disrupted and we spend
less time together or more time together,
help us zero in on what is essential.
Thank you that love is also contagious
and stronger than any virus.
You will be with us,
and we will be with each other
in sickness and in health.

Amen.

 - Canadian Mennonite pastor, Carol Penner

A PRAYER FOR A PANDEMIC

After further research, it was learned that the author of the following prayer is Cameron Bellm. Thanks and blessings go out to her for this thought provoking prayer.