For the Church and the World

A Prayer

For the Church and For the World

Typically I’d be in church at this hour, saying my prayers with quite a bunch of characters. Hurricane Irene has inserted herself into our routine, so I thought I’d do the next best thing. I thought I’d pray for the church and the world I live in from this perch.

My prayer for the church is that she will become a “House of Prayer for all People” just like Jesus wanted it to be. I pray that folks will come to know that whatever walk of life, God’s loving and saving embrace knows no limits. Folks like to categorize people by race, ethnicity, class, gender and orientation. God doesn’t see things this way, God made us all a little different so that as pure colorless light goes into a prism and emerges every color of the rainbow, so too each of us reveals something of the Glory of God. That’s how God and Science see it, so do I.

As for the world, we keep screwing things up with wars and such. Things do seem to be warming up if you take a good look at the polar ice caps. Our scientists tell us we're fouling things up a lot. There still is too much suffering and way too much poverty. There are a whole lot of people fussing about class warfare, as if we the poor, middle and working class were waging it. The truth is that it is the rich who wage war as they always have, and somehow they manage to convince so many that it is our fault.

So my prayer is that we find our voice again and tell the truth with such a resounding voice that America may turn her heart again toward the poor and the suffering with a heart of compassion. This will take the prayer of everyone, so I will need a lot of help with this one. Can you help me?

There are all kinds of sick and dying people out there, many, many suffer. As any one diminishes so we all do. The healing touch of Jesus cannot be present unless each of us provides a healing touch because we are all the very hands and hearts of God.

Finally, the church triumphant; all those who have gone before, we commend them to you, especially those whose lives meant so much to each of us along the way. Especially my grandmother, just another unknown saint, known to almost no one but You. Please enfold her in your love and as we take our turn on earth, help remind us of how we too are Companions along the way to one another.

I do thank God for each of you. How wonderful it is to be in your company day by day, just like my dear, dear friend St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253) was fond of saying;

“Thanks be to Thee my Lord Jesus Christ,

For all the benefits Thou hast given me

For all the pains and insults which thou hast borne for me

O Most Merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother

Day by day

May I know thee more clearly

Love Thee more dearly

Follow Thee more nearly

Day by day.

Blessings on all,

Fr. Paul