Calming the Storm
"Jesus Calms the Storm," fresco by Silvestro Pistolesi in the clerestory of the Church of the Transfiguration at the Community of Jesus in Orleans, Mass. (Photo by Karemin1094, Wikimedia Commons).
Discipleship Ministries | June 12, 1016
A storm is brewing, God of cataclysm and of serenity. Maybe more than brewing, it is raging all around us. We are torn apart as people, neighbors who are learning to love one another. We are drowning in the rhetoric of fear and suspicion. We are told to see enemies in the other, particularly those who have different skin colors or speak with accents different from our own. We are told all of our problems are the fault of “illegals” and the “worst of the worst.” But often the ones causing the most destruction wear trappings of government or the excesses of wealth. The winds of war and the downpour of a broken economy threaten to wash away the most vulnerable, even while safety and comfort are provided for the wealthiest.
Christ, have mercy. Show us the way to weather the tempest. Give us the means to care for our neighbors, particularly those facing the brunt of the storm. Remind us that even those privileged to feel safe from the worst of it share a world with those who are dying from policy and from greed. Give us hope and the will to stand against the storm. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
The Rev. Derek C. Weber curates the Discipleship Ministries resource, "Praying for Change: Daily Prayers for Anti-Racism," which collects prayers from multiple sources for overcoming racism. This is an original prayer by Rev. Weber.