“Prayers for the Powerless” by Colleen O’Sullivan
Hear
me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The LORD called me from birth, from
my mother's womb; he gave me my name... You are my servant; he said to me, Israel,
through whom I show my glory. (Isaiah 49:1,3)
Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with
every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the
foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. (Ephesians
1:3-4)
The
disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom
of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen,
I say to you unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the
Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in
the Kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:1-4)
Piety
God
our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone has the power to impart the
breath of life as you form each of us in our mother's womb; grant, we pray,
that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this
sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life. (Collect
for Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life)
Study
Out of curiosity, the other day, I looked back
to see when I became a Daily Tripod writer – September 2010. If I had never
missed a week, that would add up to 488 Daily Tripods. Factoring in vacations,
retreats, and a couple of surgeries, I would estimate I’ve written at least 450
daily Scripture meditations over the years. Over and over as I’ve studied the daily
Scripture readings, I have observed Jesus reaching out to the least among us,
the powerless and the vulnerable in society, the people with whom no one wants
to have anything to do. He asks us to do the same today. He doesn’t have much
to say about those of us who have the means to take care of ourselves.
As Christians, our faith and our God ask us to
respect all human life from conception to death. We have a long way to go in
improving the way we care for those at either end of the life spectrum, but
today we are praying for the unborn. An unborn child can do nothing for herself.
She is totally dependent on her mother for care. That child’s welfare depends
on what her mother eats and drinks during her pregnancy, whether or not she
misuses drugs or alcohol, and whether or not she receives prenatal care.
Life is a precious gift to be nurtured and
protected. We existed in God’s mind for all eternity before we lived in our
mother’s womb. God even knows our name before we are born, and God also knows for
what purpose He sends any of us into the world.
It breaks Jesus’ heart when the most
vulnerable among us are mistreated or have their lives snuffed out before they’ve
even begun.
Action
Pray today for the most helpless among us, unborn
children.
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