“No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.
Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body.”
~ Teresa of Ávila
Dear God,
We are living in a world that is in deep need of your healing power. As we strive to be your hands and feet in a world which is staggering from hurt, pain, loss of life, loss of home, tiredness, and weakness, we need you, God, to hold us up when we have such little strength. You know more than anyone what our bodies look like right at this moment. You know the pain we are going through personally, the pain we feel for our neighbors around the world, the pain we feel for our family and friends who we cannot help. You know, God, what we are going through, and so we ask that as we do your work to show compassion, to reveal love, to help our neighbors, that you will also help us as we need to be filled with your peace just as we reveal your peace to others.
God, as we learn to be your body in the world, we ask for your presence in a world which is being ravaged by natural disasters. We pray for our friends, our family members, and our neighbors in California, Oregon, and Washington, U.S., where fires are devastating the homes, businesses, and lives of all these people. We pray that you might send a healing balm to quench this burning earth.
As a particularly harsh hurricane season continues, we pray for all of our people around the world who are in the path of so many hurricanes that are about to hit as well as those that are yet to come. We pray, God, that as we find ways to assist our neighbors that are in their paths, may they prove to hurt fewer of your beloved people, and may you be a shield of protection to them.
We pray for all of our friends and communities in Israel where so many feel unheard, and where injustices continue to hurt so many. We pray that peace may abound someday and all will be treated with dignity and love regardless of who they are. As violence continues in so many parts of the world, we pray that there are fewer casualties. May we find our own peaceful ways of fighting for justice for the poor and those without privilege.
As Covid-19 continues to ravage our world, with 29 million people around the world having been diagnosed and the global death toll being about 925,000, we see a world which is continually breaking. As we recognize that the numbers are likely much higher than this, we also recognize that so many other pieces of our lives have been devastated by this virus. As poverty increases and illness of all kinds continue to become worse due to loss of jobs and lack of healthcare, we also recognize the aid that is not going to countries that desperately need it. We pray for our neighbors in Yemen where aid cuts have devastated our neighbors there. As malnutrition doubles there, may you be with your beloved people who are in great need of food and supplies.
God, help us to be the hands and feet. Although it may seem that there is little we can do to make a difference, help us to start now.. Teach us to find ways to nurture and help those who need your healing. Grant us the wisdom to find a way to be your body in a broken and hurting world. While we may feel we can never do enough, help us to do what we can with what little time we have on this earth. Although we recognize we will never be perfect, teach us that by even doing the smallest of acts, we are spreading your love to your dearest children who need it most.
In your name we pray,
Amen.
True saying amen