A Prayer for Global Solidarity
O Creator, Our world is large, and yet the global community is so fragile. We glimpse the needs of our sisters and brothers, and those needs are great. We want to turn away, but you call us back. We want simple solutions, but you want us to help solve the complex problems. Through your Church, you call us to listen, to learn, to reflect and to act. Give us a deep sense of our place in this web of Creation. Give us the wisdom of mind and generosity of heart to seek your will in the world today. Inspire us to respond to the call to live in solidarity with impoverished countries of the world, so that all children of God might live in dignity and peace.
Amen

Lent is Life Changing. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, one of the most significant moments of the Church year. During Holy Week, we journey with Christ from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his final meal with his closest friends and ultimately to his death on the cross. As we walk with Jesus during this week, we call to mind the countless men, women and children who even today carry heavy crosses: crosses of hunger, of homelessness, of a lack of resources or security.
 
Thomas Awiapo, CRS consultant in Ghana, says “There are so many problems in the world that sometimes we get overwhelmed and paralyzed, and the tendency to do nothing sets in. In the midst of all these challenges and difficulties in our world, sometimes all it takes is a small act of kindness and a little act of love to change a life, to save a life.”
 
This year, as Lent gives way to Holy Week and Holy Week to Easter, please share your Easter joy by giving generously to CRS Rice Bowl. Your gift can change a life…save a life. Learn more at www.crsricebowl.org.
 
PRAYER TO END OUR LENTEN JOURNEY
 
RISEN LORD,
As we end our Lenten journey,
may we continue to have the courage to walk
with our brothers and sisters around the world
who are hungry, who need our comfort and compassion
or who must flee their homes due to war or lack of opportunity.
 
We pray that our Lenten sacrifices
may be an offering of solidarity and
a promise of ongoing encounter
with our one human family.
 
As good stewards of Your many gifts to us,
may we seek to love our neighbors as You love us.
And wherever we feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty,
or welcome the stranger,
may we remember that we are encountering You.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Adapted from: CRS 2019 Rice Bowl Resources for Coordinators, Catholic Relief Services