“Wake me up, Lord!”

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So begins the prayer of our morning group on Wednesdays.

It comes from the pastoral of the US Catholic Bishops, Brothers and Sisters to Us, 1979.

So many traumatic things are presented to us lately—virus, violence, climate change and on and on. “Wake us up, Lord” is a good prayer for 2020.

The above traumas can be related to the next phrase of the prayer—"so that the evil of racism finds no home within me.” 

Through listening and discerning with anti-racism groups, I wake up.  I realize that power over others is a disease that is part of all the traumas of our lives. If I think and act as if I am better than another it causes violence. If the organizations to which I belong are based on being more deserving and hoarding energy and material goods, they contribute to climate disasters. Even virus is exacerbated when some people’s dignity and health are regarded as less important than others.

How can our waking up bring healing to ourselves and to our world?  How can we help each other stay awake each day?

Joan Duerst OP

Madison, WI 

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