The following is an excerpt from The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. Our team of summer interns here in the Dominican Republic read and studied this book together. I highly recommend it. At the end of the book, Richard gives hands-on, practical ways for Christians to combat the extreme poverty (and it's ensuing side-effects) that exists in the majority world today. As Christians who are called to fight for justice, equality, and care for the orphan, the weak, the afflicted, and the destitute, we need to raise our own awareness, to share stories of the plight of our brothers and sisters around the world, and to pray. I challenge you to read the list below, to discuss it with your children, your small groups, your Bible study classes, and your friends, and then to actually pray.
When you take your morning shower, pray for families in poor countries who do not have access to clean water, forcing mothers to spend hours collecting inadequate and dirty water and causing children to suffer and even die from water-related diseases.
When you pack your lunch or your child's lunch, pray for the one billion people in the world who are chronically hungry in the world today.
As you commute to your school or your job, pray for the adults around the world who can't find consistent work to feed their families, or pray for the millions of children forced into harmful or exploitative labor.
When you drop your child off at school or arrive at school yourself, pray for children around the world who cannot get an education because of poverty or discrimination.
As you take a vitamin or medicine, pray for the families without adequate health care, leaving them and especially their children vulnerable to preventable diseases.
When you arrive home after work or school, pray for the children and families who are homeless due to poverty, conflict, or natural disasters.
As you tuck your children into bed, guide them to pray for the millions of children who have lost their families around the world - especially the 15,000,000 AIDS orphans, many of whom must survive without guardians.
This is one of my favorite prayers, a Franciscan benediction. Reflect on the message of hope contained within:
May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really can make a difference in this world,
so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.
And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,
Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word Who is our Brother and Savior, and the Holy Spirit,
our Advocate and Guide, be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore. Amen.
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