A Prayer Amid an Epidemic
Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages
“curing every disease and illness.”
At your command, the sick were made well.
Come to our aid now, in the midst of the
global spread of the coronavirus, that we may
experience your healing love.
Heal those who are sick with the virus.
May they regain their strength and health through
quality medical care.
Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations
from working together and neighbors from
helping one another.
Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim
invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders.
Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side
in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.
Be with those who have died from the virus.
May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace.
Be with the families of those who are sick or
have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them
from illness and despair. May they know your peace.
Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and
all medical professionals who seek to heal
and help those affected and who put themselves
at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace.
Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them
the foresight to act with charity and true concern
for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve.
Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions
that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks.
May they know your peace, as they work together
to achieve it on earth.
Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people
suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ,
stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare.
In place of our anxiety, give us your peace.
Jesus Christ, heal us. Amen.
Prayer written by Kerry Weber, executive editor of America. www.americamagazine.org
O Mary,
you always shine on our path
as a sign of salvation and of hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who at the cross took part in Jesus' pain, keeping your faith firm.
You, Salvation of the Roman People,
know what we need,
and we are sure you will provide
so that, as in Cana of Galilee,
we may return to joy and to feasting
after this time of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father
and to do as we are told by Jesus,
who has taken upon himself our sufferings
and carried our sorrows
to lead us, through the cross,
to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.
Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. Do not disdain the entreaties of we who are in trial, but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Prayer recited by Pope Francis at a special mass on March 11, 2020.
Prayer in Times of Anxiety and Fear
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
St. Teresa of Avila wrote this beautiful poem and is used as a prayer.
In Gratitude
Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.
From The Catholic Prayer Book, compiled by Msgr. Michael Buckley
