Spirit of All That Is, whose nature is care and connection, I thank you for this community gathered here today, be they here in body or in spirit. I pray for those things which we know to be everlasting—faith, hope, and love—to be the substance of our words and our gathering. May each of us receive whatever we might be in need of today.
For those of us who wish to show our care, may we grow in the understanding of how best to live out that desire.
For those of us in need of care, may we feel no shame in that need, and instead boldly seek out what is every human’s right.
For all of us, may we have the wisdom to remember that we have all needed care, and we have all given care, and often we are doing both simultaneously. Life is lived in holy reciprocity.
Spirit, some of us are by nature people who respond best in times of crisis. I pray that those of us who struggle in moments of intensity learn from their experiences and their example.
Other of us are more inclined to the quiet, everyday work of caring. I hope that those of us who struggle to find energy in the long-term, day after day, might learn from them in turn.
Let us be a people who honor those whose call in life is caring, be it in crisis or in quiet. Caring is work, and it is hard work. Let us honor the teachers, the nurses, the social workers, the health aids, the child care workers, and the first responders, to name some of many, amongst us.
Spirit of life, I thank you for their ministry. God of love, may we, like them, be your hands and feet in this hurting world.
Amen. May it be so.