Interfaith Day of Prayer – Prayer from Minerva G Carcano

Oh God, Sovereign above all nations, look down upon us with mercy and compassion. Forgive us for the arrogance of our highest leaders, and the complicity of our silence. As we shelter in place attacked by a virus so small we cannot see it, but so powerful that it slays us by the hundreds of thousands, do not allow us to forget that mightier are you, our Creator.  

Restore our strength and our courage, through your healing touch. Renew our souls and align our hearts with yours. Remind us that care for one another is what brings us life, commitment to the common good what saves us from the tyranny of self-centeredness, love for all your creation, what brings us hope and true joy!      

You call us to be servants to one another. Place upon the hearts of our leaders the daily yearning to serve with a vision far greater than the boundaries of nations carved out upon the face of the earth through violence and war. Clear their eyes and ours of every speck of blinding ignorance, bias and hatred that keeps us from seeing in the other a brother, a sister, a sibling, not just in our country but in the human family all around the world.

Hear, oh God, the cry of the most vulnerable among us. Convict our leaders of their responsibility to be agents of your justice for their care. Never release us from your call to all of us to live in peace with one another.  Amen. 

Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño

Bishop, California Nevada Conference, United Methodist Church

The first Hispanic woman elected to the episcopacy of the United Methodist Church and the leader of the United Methodist Church task force on immigration in the U.S.