Today we pray for the grace to stand in solidarity with the rest of suffering humanity. Today, just pause and pray to God to give you the grace of Compassion, so that your life may be touched and affected and so you can put your life in the service of them whose lives are near to the heart of God.
God of compassion,
Pope Francis challenges us to learn how to cry,
To brave that pain, and so enter into true solidarity with your people.
For those who face hunger,
For those who face war,
For those who face exploitation,
For those who face displacement,
I stand in solidarity.
For those who face unjust discrimination,
For those who face indifference,
For those who face a lack of opportunity,
For those who face a lack of health care,
I stand in solidarity.
But in truth, I stand a little reluctantly.
And I stand a little far off;
Detached and apart from the great human drama,
Lingering in the orchestra, even as you call me to the center stage.
Lord, help me to look again at what has been done to your people,
To their lives and to their dignity,
So that slowly, and then more strongly, I will allow myself to cry.
For it is only in those tears that we truly become one.
My trepidations fall away
And I step forward and stand anew.
Teach me to cry.
Amen.
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