This prayer was composed by Fr. Ken Alt, C.PP.S., who is in ministry at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Trinity, Ind.
O God, our life, our hope and our strength, the normal everyday routine of life has been abruptly upended for so many people everywhere in the world because of the coronavirus. It is causing sickness and death, as well as strong feelings of isolation, anxiety and vulnerability for people throughout our global family of nations.
The things we just cannot see, and the things we just cannot completely control, do seem to put our lives and the lives of our loved ones at risk in significant ways! This is such an unsettling reality for us to handle.
Time and time again, in moments of personal prayer or in public worship, we have asserted through faith: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Come to our aid, O Lord, the Divine Physician, healer of body, soul and spirit, and bring us safely through this most difficult situation. Help us to treat one another with compassion, patience, respect and sincere love, even under the weight of our own daily crosses, throughout the trying times before us. Amen.
We offer these invocations:
- For our brothers and sisters in the global family now infected with the coronavirus . . .
Bestow your grace upon them, O Lord.
- For health care providers and all others who minister with compassion and sacrificial love on behalf of the sick . . .
Bestow your grace upon them, O Lord.
- For people feeling isolated, anxious or vulnerable at this time, and for those lacking access to some of the most basic resources they need . . .
Bestow your grace upon them, O Lord.
- For those facing difficult financial problems, personal insecurity, or the postponement of special events as the coronavirus disrupts our normal routine . . .
Bestow your grace upon them, O Lord.
- For the particular needs of our families and loved ones throughout the coming weeks and months ahead . . .
Bestow your grace upon them, O Lord.