“These pandemic days,
this pandemic year has been so hard on so many, Lord:
those who’ve been sick,
those who’ve lost loved ones,
those who lost a job,
those who’ve gone into debt,
those whose life plans have changed,
those who’ve gone without the company of others…
Many have had their lives turned upside down, Lord,
while many of us have just been inconvenienced,
annoyed, unsettled, a bit off balance,
impatiently awaiting a return to normal:
many of us are in that second group, Lord,
and that’s what we bring to prayer this day.
Help us, Lord, to reach out and help those in the first group,
those whose lives are in turmoil, whose needs are so many,
who are losing hope for the future:
show us ways to reach out and help.
And there’s something else, Lord…
While others have sustained great damage,
our pain and losses have been relatively small,
so we offer you this day our advantage, our gain,
and the blessings of our comfortability:
in any way you can, Lord,
move some of the benefits in our ‘assets column’
to the ‘debit column’ of those with great and pressing needs.
Help us to be generous to others and please be generous with all that is ours
when you hear the prayers of those who seek your help. Amen.”
