Spirit & Verse: A Prayer for Living "Fratelli Tutti"

When our lofty words of love have been emptied of their meaning,When our borders and computer screens have erected impenetrable walls,When our minds are so quick to conflate "other" with "enemy,"How will we find our common humanity?It's never too late to make an earnest and tender start.May we remove from our pockets the stones we intended to throwAnd cement them together to build a home that welcomes all.May we repent of our indifference and move into genuine encounter.Instead of drawing battle lines,May we draw our chairs up to a communal table,Where we can feast in the knowledge of our shared dignity.May God grant us the holy visionTo see every human being a sacred mystery,And may we love each mystery not abstractly, but concretely.Just as Thomas touched the wounds of Jesus,May we be unafraid to touch the wounds of our suffering neighbor.May we lay down our arms and offer our outstretched hands,Until there is no "them," but only "us,"Until we are at last, sisters and brothers, all.

Amen.

- Cameron Bellm