Pray with Mexico, June 20, 2021

Lectionary Selection: Mark 4:35-41

Prayers for Mexico

In this time of uncertainties and great fears, we come before you, Lord, in the same way that your disciples did in the boat in the middle of the storm to humbly ask for your protection and loving care.

The darkness of night hangs over us, and the strong winds in the sea of existence whip our fragile boat: Help us, Lord, we perish! We cry out from our anguish and suffering.

Our confidence and our doubts surface amid the chaos. We want to see you and listen to you, Lord, because we find peace during the storm in your gestures and words.

Thank you, Lord, for listening to us and encouraging us to continue believing in the love that shines even amid the darkness.

Thank you, Lord, for reviving in us the hope of a new dawn, where we can continue to fight for a whole and dignified life for all.

Thank you, Lord, for the chaos that teaches us to depend on you. As in creation, we ask for the breath of your Spirit so that our world is recreated and we can enjoy God’s shalom.

Thank you, Lord, for healing our wounds – physical, emotional, and spiritual. May your church continue to be committed to the ministry of healing, accompanying with pastoral love the individuals, families, and communities that today suffer from various causes.

We unite in prayer for our chaotic and suffering world, and especially for Mexico, that you may take care of us and we can be signs of your Kingdom of justice, life, and hope.

Amen.

Mission Stewardship Moment from Mexico

By praying for one another, we strengthen our communion with God and our imperfect communion with each other. We become a community of prayer, solidarity, and commitment to the life project of the One who cares for us. As a fruit of the Spirit, compassion is born from our empathy when we draw close to one another in prayer and action in solidarity.

We pray for and with Mexico, which is still marked by deep socioeconomic inequalities. In times of pandemic, we have become more aware.

We pray for:

For health and social care that are not delivered equally to all of its citizens
For families who continue to need support for facing grief, finding employment, and coping with illness and uncertainty.
For families and communities displaced by violence and marginalization.
For families and communities in vulnerable situations due to environmental and social risks.
For families and communities that do not have the basics to live because they have lost their jobs and sources of income.
For the majority of the Mexican people, for whom the pandemic has meant a progressive deterioration of their living conditions.
For families that require daily work to survive and for whom confinement has meant losing their means of subsistence.
For those who, due to their precarious living conditions, cannot maintain social distancing.
For families caring for the elderly, disabled, and family members with other conditions.
For victims of discrimination and violence.
For people for whom home is not safe and those who suffer higher levels of abuse due to accumulated stress in the family.

Faced with this challenging reality, it is essential to value the contributions of churches and Christian institutions, which continue to work in new ways of pastorally accompanying families and communities. Different types of resources become indispensable for service: human talent, emotional support groups, prayer groups, liturgical resources, updated information, food, medicine, and financial resources. In this sense, the Theological Community of Mexico and the Seminaries that comprise it, in collaboration with churches and national and regional institutions, continue to accompany processes of critical reflection, contextual theological formation, and socio-ecclesial actions for public advocacy. In these times of pandemic, churches and Christian institutions in Mexico seek to be channels of compassion, prophetic solidarity, and hope. True to their mission, they work to protect and care for life, especially those most vulnerable. The life of the churches and their words, gestures, and actions are transformed to become signs of the Kingdom of God in the world. As a church, we have to echo the gestures and voice of the Lord, who invites us to keep faith and hope alive.

Prayer and Mission Moment by Cindy Moraga

Mission Partners in Mexico

More about Mexico

Global Ministries Mission Co-worker in Mexico
Cindy Moraga-Selva serves the Theological Community of Mexico (CTdeM). Her appointment is made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Church’s Wider Mission, and your special gifts. Make a gift that supports the work of Cindy Moraga-Selva