Thought for the week: Aftermath… Fatigue…. Renewal

It seems that “aftermath” is an all too familiar word these days….
 aftermath of earthquake in Haiti
 aftermath of tropical storms and hurricanes
 aftermath of Covid Delta variant spread
 aftermath in Afghanistan
 aftermath of fires in the West
 aftermath of heat waves and climate change.

The list goes on and on.  so many to pray for and so much to pray about.  Sometimes, my mind and heart are filled and brimming over with thoughts for those I know and love, and for our global human community.

Yesterday, I heard someone talking about “fatigue”…as it relates to weather, Covid, war and famine, illness and death.  And I instantly asked our loving God to “please make sure I never grow tired of praying and caring for others, no matter how exhausting it is”.  May I never experience compassion fatigue.  May I continue to go to the source of all life and love, to a God who is in every situation long before I am/we are, so that I/we may be renewed, refreshed and strengthened to continue to hear the cries of the poor and suffering.

May I/we never lose our human calling to care, to be compassionate, and to share hope when we can, to whomever we can, “because” we can.

Perhaps we can take a few moments and pray the following:

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, Diocese of San Jose. (note the copyright date…sadly, sometimes history and tragedy does repeat itself).