On Sundays, Night Prayer will focus on an element from the day's celebration of Mass. Tonight our prayer rises from Jesus' words in the gospel about finding our rightful place at the table - and serving those who are there...
We read and preach and sing and pray about tables, Lord,
• in a world where some 811 million people are starving every day
• in a world where millions have no home and no table
or whose cupboards are empty, whose tables are barren
• in a world where others - like me - complain about the food we have
and on a daily basis, waste good food while others go hungry...
But we need to listen to your word about tables, Lord,
and especially what you say about
who comes to our tables
and who is excluded
and who is served
and who does the serving
and how often are the servers
those who have least to eat...
And now they tell us the war in Ukraine
will worsen the supply chain of food
and thus, the plight of the starving...
When I take your gospel as a whole, Lord,
it's clear to me that our greatest sin
is neglect of the poor, the homeless, the hungry,
the defenseless with no one to plead their cause...
Don't let me pride myself, Lord, for not stealing or killing
when the food in my kitchen,
my mindless eating
and the food I waste
provide nothing to feed the hungry,
those who are starving to death...
I have a privileged place at the world's table, Lord,
where many are denied a seat because of their
geography, their color and the politics of food
which keep so many hungry
while we have more than we could possibly need...
Change my heart, Lord,
change the table of my heart
and teach me to give of my bounty until I, too,
go without and know what it is to truly hunger
for food, for freedom, for life, for you...
When I open my cupboards, Lord,
when I sit at my table,
when I eat and I drink without worry,
open my heart to welcome in,
to serve and to feed my brothers and sisters
who beg for a share of what I take for granted...
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep rest in your peace...
Amen.
When I Needed A Neighbor by Sydney Carter
If a video doesn't appear below, click here!
That's how simple it is-Were you there? Nothing matters except knowing that every time I didn't help a needy person, it was Christ I spurned. The music, the singing, just asking the question goes right to my heart and I am begging forgiveness and grateful for the truth laid bare.
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