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A Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti
Lord, at times such as this, when we realize that the ground beneath
our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined, we plead for your mercy.
As the things we have built crumble about us, we know too well how
small we truly are on this ever-changing, ever-moving, fragile planet we
call home. Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.
Today, so many people are afraid. They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble. They roam the streets
in shock at what they see. And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief and
the names of missing dead.
Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster. Be their rock when the earth
refuses to stand still, and shelter them under your wings when homes no
longer exist.
Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this
day. Console the hearts of those who mourn, and ease the pain of bodies on
the brink of death.
Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion, we who watch from afar, as the
poorest on this side of the earth find only misery upon misery. Move us to
act swiftly this day, to give generously every day, to work for justice
always, and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.
And once the shaking has ceased, the images of destruction have stopped
filling the news, and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings, let us
not forget that we are all your children and they, our brothers and
sisters. We are all the work of your hands.
For though the mountains leave their place and the hills be tossed to
the ground, your love shall never leave us, and your promise of peace will
never be shaken.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Blessed
be the name of the Lord, now and forever. Amen.
Copyright © 2010, Diana
Macalintal. Permission is given to reprint for non-commercial use.
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