Praise Song for the Pandemic

Feast and Fast in the Time of an Epidemic

Feast and Fast in the Time of an Epidemic

Jim Burklo

Let us fast from hugging and handshaking
And let us feast on bowing and waving.
Let us fast from hoarding food and toilet paper
And let us feast on the food in the back of our pantries.
Let us fast from gathering physically
And let us feast on communing virtually.
Let us fast from obsessing about the future
And let us feast on the everyday wonders of the present.
Let us fast from casting blame for our troubles
And let us feast on showing compassion for the most vulnerable.
Let us fast on being scared
And let us feast on getting prepared.
Let us fast from fear
And let us feast on the perfect Love that casts it out.

MindfulChristianity 

Prayers for Staff Support during the Covid-19 crisis

Prayers written or adapted by chaplains from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

A Prayer for the Medical Community
*Adapted from a prayer by Alden Solovy
Source of all life,
We are those
Who dedicate their lives to health and healing, Preventing disease, reducing pain,
Prolonging lives, providing hope.
Source of life,
Watch over us
And all who work in the healing professions,
As we serve during times of health and
In the times of our deepest needs,
As we struggle with decisions none should have to make, Bless our hands with kindness and compassion,
Our eyes with clarity,
Our hearts with courage,
And our souls with love and forgiveness,
So that we can carry on in the midst of what might be Choices that may conflict with doing no harm.
Bless us with fortitude and strength.
Source of life, we pray that there will come
A time when we can embrace an end to pain and suffering, So that as physicians, nurses, and members of the care team, we may find rest in You.
Source of all life,
Bless our team members in this hospital With peace that surpasses all understanding.

A Prayer for Team Members Struggling with Medical Decisions
Creator God,
I have done all that I can within this horrific time of crisis and lack of resources, to provide what our patients need for healing.
I know that I am not alone.
I am surrounded by compassionate and wise medical experts, who are doing their best within their power and abilities, as well.
We all are doing everything we can to help those who are struggling for life.
I trust in you, Merciful One, to know my heart and have compassion on me. You are with me.
Release me, from any guilt or fear, as I look to you for wisdom in these awful times.
Help me to honor each life, even as I may sometimes, have to let it go.
I trust you to carry each one into your loving embrace.
May they all, rest in your peace And I as well.
Amen

A Prayer for a Respiratory Therapist
Source of all life,
I have done all that I can to provide the oxygen that each patient needs to breathe.
I know that all of us
have done what was within our power and abilities to help our patients in their struggle for life.
Release me, from guilt or fear,
as I have made difficult decisions with our team members in this time of great crisis and unimaginable circumstances.
Help me to honor each life,
even as I have to let some go,
trusting you to carry each one into your loving embrace.
Amen

Daily Mantra for the Care Team
In all that we do today,
through every encounter,
with patients, with family members, with hospital staff, with each other,
and with ourselves,
may we be guided by wisdom and compassion.

Daily Blessing for the Care Team
As we start our day, let us remember these words, with a slight adaptation at the end, from an18th century poet, Henri-Frederic Amiel:
“Friends, we know that life is short and we have too little time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind” and may the blessing of God or all that sustains you, keep you safe, grant you peace and fill you with all that you need, just for today.
Amen

A Prayer for the Environmental Service Staff Member
Be present, Merciful Creator,
with those who labor on this day,
especially those who keep this facility clean and orderly.
Give them strength to endure hardship, courage to overcome fear,
and protection against all harm.
We thank you for the work they do, and pray that they find times of rest and peace in the midst of their days.
May they know the importance of their work and the value of their service
to each and every patient and family.
May they be surrounded by your love and care. Amen

A Prayer for Physicians
For the physicians -
To that Spirit that brings unity with all beings -
We beg...
...Give us wisdom to see what is mindful and just in chaos.
...Give us peace that passes understanding even as we work in hell.
...Give us patience to wait and watch when the need feels so immediate.
...Give us knowledge that rightly engages the intellectual and then moves beyond, when needed, to encounter our souls.
...Give us courage to move forward in paralyzing fear and doubt.
...Give us physical and emotional strength to persevere in the face of crippling hours and dire circumstances.
...Give us a binding connection to all those we encounter that acknowledges our oneness.
...Give us sight beyond what is immediate to what may be eternal.
...Give us discernment to remember and interpret our Hippocratic Oath with much grace for ourselves in our unrelenting situation.
...Give us a community that brings encouragement, vulnerability, and safety. ...Give us a love for self and others that is authentic and evident.
...Give us a hope that convinces us that what we are doing matters in each unfathomable moment and in those moments we have yet to know.
...Give those that we love the most peace as futures are contemplated; even as it feels our continued health may be in peril.
Amen

A Prayer for Nurses
Holy One, my call to nursing was born out of compassion and hope to bring health and healing to those in my care.
In times when I feel weak, connect me to my strength.
In times when I am afraid, connect me to my courage.
In times when I feel lost, connect me to your presence.
On days when it feels overwhelming, remind me to breathe deeply and do the next right thing.
Reveal to me each day the beauty that comes from my work; The healing that comes from my hands;
The comfort that comes from my presence;
The hope that comes from my soul.
As I fulfill this sacred call, please keep me safe from harm. Amen.

Prayers for the Hospitalized Adult Population with Covid-19

Prayers written or adapted by chaplains from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in response to the Covid-19 crisis. 

A Prayer for an Adult Patient to Read for Themselves

Dear God,
Help me be aware of how much my family and friends love me, even though they can’t be with me.
Remind them of how much I love each of them, especially (name family and friends here).
I am also mindful of the animals who share life with us.
Help the people caring for me have wisdom.
Help me feel your love and presence as you guide me through this time of sickness.
Let good memories sustain me as I wait to know what comes next.
Free me from pain, free me from fear.
Surround me with your love, empower me with your courage.
Amen

A Prayer for an Adult Patient to Read for Themselves
God of Love and Comfort,
Here I am, sick and in the hospital.
Please take away any fear or pain I might be feeling right now.
Guide the staff who are caring for me.
Help me remember that I am not alone,
because you are with me,
and because I am surrounded by love from my family and friends.
Help my family and friends to know that I am sending them love, too.
In your name I pray, Amen

A Prayer for an Adult Patient to Read for Themselves
God of Love and Comfort,
Here I am in this hospital.
I’ve never been this sick before. I don’t feel well, and I am afraid. Please help me.
I didn’t want this to happen.
There are people who need me.
There are things I hope to do in my life.
Please heal me, so I can return to my family, and accomplish my dreams.
No matter what happens next, make sure the people I care about know that I love them,
I’m grateful for them,
and I will never forget them.
Amen.

A Prayer for an Adult Near Death to be Read by Staff
*Adapted from Final Confessional Prayer in Where Healing Resides, CCAR Press, 2013

Source of all life,
All is now in Your hands.
Receive all of _______’s worries and fears.
Wash them away.
Let goodness flow over them and surround them now. Help them as they ready for their next passage.
Let them know that You will walk alongside them, and be present with them and with us,
for their soul in entwined with ours.
Source of life, as they come close to You, bathe them in Your light.
Love them and carry them.
Shelter them under Your protecting wings. Ready a place in Your garden for them.
Into Your hand we trust their soul. Gently, lovingly, tend them now. May they be at peace.
Amen

A Prayer for an Adult Patient who has Died to be Read by Staff
Ever-present God,
I hold up this precious life to you,
Giving thanks for the love that has been given and received. May they be granted peace, now and forever,
Amen.

A Prayer for an Adult Patient who has Died to be Read by Staff 
Ever-present God,
We come before you grateful for the life of this person. We are heartbroken that this moment has come.
Still, we are grateful for the love this individual shared, the beauty they created,
and the strength of their spirit.
We are grateful that throughout all of their life, including right now,
You have been with them.
We are grateful for the love that surrounds them- Your love and the love of their family and friends.
As this person transitions from this life into the next, may they be pain-free and unafraid,
surrounded by love, light, comfort, and peace.
Please comfort and care for this person’s family and friends, and all who cared for or care about them.
May they be comforted by Your love
and the memories they share with their loved one.
In Your holy name we pray, Amen.

Pediatric Prayers for those affected by COVID-19

Prayers written or adapted by chaplains from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in response to the Covid-19 crisis. 

A Prayer for a Parent to Read with their Sick Child

God,
You know right now things feel scary.
We are worried, and my child does not feel well. But even now, we know we are not alone.
Love surrounds us like warm blankets.
Hope is still there, even when we can't always see it. Everywhere we look, there are doctors and nurses and helpers.
May our hearts be filled with peace instead of worry, Hope instead of fear,
Thankfulness for all of the helpers, instead of loneliness.
May we hold tight to each other,
believing that even when it is hard and painful, it will get better. May my child’s body heal just like it should,
and may their pain be gone.
May angels watch over us,
and may we rest in peace and hope.
Amen. 

A Prayer for a Parent to Read with their Sick Child
Dear God,
I love this little one with my whole heart, and I know that you do too.
Please help us both to remember that
even though we can’t see you with our eyes, we can feel you with our hearts.
Please take away any pain or fear that they may be feeling. Bring them healing and comfort.
May they know how loved they are by You, and by me, and by all our family and friends.
Amen

A Prayer for the Parent of a Sick Child
Loving God,
At this difficult time of feeling very alone and scared, please fill me with your presence.
Help me to see and feel your hand in even the little connections that happen today:
Send nurses who offer a kind word and caring touch to me and my child,
doctors who take time to listen to my concerns,
environmental services people who clean our room with safety in mind,
and people who stock the supplies we need.
God, help me to see you in each caregiver we encounter today.
May I offer loving kindness to others in return,
for wherever there is love, there you are.
Help me to know that I am not alone in this time of need.
Amen.

A Prayer for Staff to Read at the Time of Death of a Child
In this time of sacred, heart-breaking mystery, we give thanks for this precious life
now to be held in the protective arms of God.
May the Divine presence and light, surrounding (child’s name) bring peace,
and may that same Presence also give strength and courage
to those who will hold this child forever in their hearts.
Amen.

Pandemic Prayer by Carol Penner

Pandemic Prayer
Carol Penner

Great God,
you are an ever-present help in times of trouble,
and that’s why we’re praying now.
We are troubled and we’re worried things
are going to get more troubling.
This virus is spreading around the world:
so many are seriously ill
or will be seriously ill,
so many health care systems are stretched
or will be stretched.
Be with front line medical workers,
give them courage to do their work
and keep them safe.
Be with public health officials
as they make decisions for the common good,
and politicians as they roll those decisions out.
Help us to be kind to one another,
because anxiety can make us snappy.
Help our communities to be resilient
and expansive as we reach out to help
all who are isolated and afraid.
In these times of shutdowns and slowdowns,
when travel is restricted or banned,
as routines are disrupted and we spend
less time together or more time together,
help us zero in on what is essential.
Thank you that love is also contagious
and stronger than any virus.
You will be with us,
and we will be with each other
in sickness and in health.
Amen.

Copyright Carol Penner  www.leadinginworship.com.

Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, ON

A Caretaker Prayer