Open
my eyes that they may see the deepest needs of people;
Move my hands that they may feed the hungry;
Touch my heart that it may bring warmth to the despairing;
Teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers;
Let me share my possessions to clothe the naked;
Give me the care that strengthens the sick;
Make me share in the quest to set the prisoner free.
In sharing our anxieties and our love,
Move my hands that they may feed the hungry;
Touch my heart that it may bring warmth to the despairing;
Teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers;
Let me share my possessions to clothe the naked;
Give me the care that strengthens the sick;
Make me share in the quest to set the prisoner free.
In sharing our anxieties and our love,
our
poverty and our prosperity,
we partake of your divine presence.
we partake of your divine presence.
~
Canaan Banana, Zimbabwe, in With All God’s People: The New Ecumenical Prayer
Cycle (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1989), 344. Posted on Prayers and Creeds. http://prayersandcreeds.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/prayer-of-hospitality-compassion/