BY: SR. BARBARA McMULLEN, CDP
CALL TO PRAYER
Leader
We praise God this day for the many ways we have come to know the gifts of kindness and gentleness as healing for our wounded body and spirit.
All
We thank God for the wonderful people, especially nurses, who deliver God's mercy and compassion to those suffering and in need of care. May we always recognize the need for good leadership in the nursing profession and give support to those in this ministry.
Reading I
Jesus' healing mission went further than caring only for physical affliction. He touched people at the deepest level of their existence; he sought their physical, mental, and spiritual healing. He "came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." (Jn 10:10) The mystery of Christ casts light on every facet of Catholic health care: to see Christian love as the animating principle of health care; to see healing and compassion as a continuation of Christ's mission; to see suffering as a participation in the redemptive power of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection, as an opportunity for a final act of communion with Christ.
Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, U. S. Catholic Conference, Washington, DC, 1971, p. 3
Response
Psalm 149 (alternate stanzas)
Sing to God a new song! Sing a song of praise from all believers. Let Israel rejoice in the presence of all mercy.
Let earth's children give praise to the God of all compassion. Let us praise the glorious and tender name of God. Let us sing to God with harmony of heart. Let us dance before the God who has saved us.
For God loves us passionately and showers us with abundant mercy. God has raised us a people once held in exile and lavishes pure compassion upon us. Wake from your slumber! Brush away sleep! Open your eyes!
Attend to the glory of God all around you. Let the high praises of God ring out.
Closing Prayer
All
Loving God, you never abandon the poor and the suffering. Help us in healthcare to stand close to people whose hearts are broken and spirits wounded. May those of us who minister in healthcare continue to forge relationships of trust and caring with our patients and coworkers. May we stand ready to claim the abundance of life you promised and to reach out and embrace others so that all of us may find the deeper center of life in you. We pray this prayer in your name. Amen.
SUGGESTED MUSIC
Roger Saint-Denis, Soul Mates, Avalon Music, Toronto, 1996 (compact disk).
Steven Halpern, Legacy, Open Channel Sound Company, San Anselmo, CA , 1997 (compact disk).
Rory Cooney, "I Am for You" and "Your Mercy Like Rain" (Psalm 85), GIA Publications, Chicago, 1993.
This prayer service focuses on the uniqueness of the caregiver and the qualities of mercy and compassion. You may use this service at meetings or on any occasion when you wish to take a moment to reflect on the mission of Jesus. Feel free to adapt the service to suit your own needs.
— Sr. Barbara McMullen, CDP, senior associate, Sponsor Services, Catholic Health Association, St. Louis
"Prayer Service," a regular department in Health Progress, may be copied without prior permission.