Companion of the Companionless

Companion of the Companionless,

let my day not go by without remembering

the sixty-five million people forced from homelands

due to poverty, crime and political conflict.

Home of the Homeless,

gather the shawl of your compassion

around those who have nowhere to abide,

nowhere to call home, nowhere to work.

Nurturer of the Impoverished,

turn the attention of political leaders

toward systems that cause oppression;

urge them to open their doors to refugees.

Comforter of the Injured,

the prophet Hosea describes your love

as that of a parent lifting a child to her cheek.

Lift, now, the demoralized and beaten-down.

Refuge of the Lost,

protect those who are tossed upon the seas.

Be near to those thirsting in the deserts

and roaming dangerous city streets.

Hope for the Hopeless,

lift up the heavy hearts of families

who have lived for years in camps;

do not let their hope slip away.

Justice Bringer,

Bother us. Keep after us. Open our eyes.

Widen our hearts. Change our judgments.

Urge us. Chase us. Badger us, until we act

on behalf of the sixty-five million people

whose tears fall on foreign soil.

Joyce Rupp, Prayers of Boundless Compassion