Praying during Pandemic

When the apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he taught them the Our Father. It is a perfect prayer because it starts with the focus on God, not on us. "Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done." We glorify God, ask that his kingdom will be established, and his will accomplished.

The second part pleads for what we need. "Give us this day our daily bread." Bread respresents everything we need for the day- health, food, energy, patience, peace, and love. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." We admit we are sinners, and need to be forgiven. The tough part is for us to forgive those who have hurt us in some way. Then we ask for protection from temptation and evil. We admit we are weak and vulnerable human beings and that the forces of evil are a constant danger.

During this coronavirus pandemic, prayer is extra urgent. We lift up in prayer those who are ill from the virus and those who have died. We pray for the essential workers, health care workers, and first responders who put their lives on the line to tend the needs of the victims. We pray for researchersand scientists whose expertise gives us hope for a vaccine. We pray for families who have lost loved ones without even being able to say goodby..

We also need to pray for those who don't believe in the pandemic and flout the rules, that they will not spread the virus. There will always be those who want their freedom and selfishly put their desires before the needs of others.

The Our Father gives us words to pray, but we can also pray in our own words or with other devotions. During this pandemic evil that surrounds the whole world, prayer to a loving God can give us comfort and courage.