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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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