SICKNESS AND DEATH
Rafael Calvo BecaThanksgiving
It is our duty to thank you wholeheartedly
for the depthless wonders of the universe,
the creation of mankind
and our own existence.
Thank you, Lord, for being what you are.
You are the liberating God,
the hope of captives and the oppressed.
You are the good god,
in whom the poor of this world place their faith..
You are the God of life,
which we live together with you, although we cannot see you.
We are ashamed when we recognise
that you count for very little in our lives,
that we have marginalised you,
as we have done with so many of our brothers and sisters.
We promise to change; at least, to become responsible
for our most defenceless brothers, the sick,.
To look after them and share with them the goods which we enjoy.
United now with all the people of goodwill,
we recite in your honour this hymn of praise.
Memorial of the Lord's Supper
You are holy, God and father,
so is your Spirit that gives strength to our weakness,
and holy is your son Jesus, who teaches us how to fight.
The example of Jesus, so near, brightens our path.
You showed yourself, perhaps without wanting to, as the good samaritan.
You felt compassion for the people who followed you,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and you dedicated your life to show them
how they could help each other
and how they should share their bread and their talents.
A world like that, more humane, generous and compassionate,
you called the Kingdom of God
and you dedicated your life in this task.
When your death was near, you asked us for help
and you entrusted us to continue your struggle for the kingdom.
Invocation to the Spirit of God
Here we are, father God, charged with memories,
of the painful passion and death of our brother Jesus,
although we have the consolation of knowing
that he is already in the loving hands of our father.
We need your Spirit, Lord,
to overcome our many limitations.
We humbly recognise
that we don't want to see you in our brothers,
that we act like blind people
when we meet the needy
and we pretend we are deaf or busy
when they come to ask for our help.
Give us a great soft heart, good father,
to make us more like you.
Give us an abundance of mercy,
so we cannot be insensible to the sufferings and hunger
of more than half of humanity.
Inspire us with the right words
for our depressed brother
and help us to show ourselves always available
for anyone who needs us.
Grant us motherly eyes, full of understanding,
to see the basic goodness in all people.
We raise this prayer with the hope that in this possible other world,
we are not alone in this task,
if we count, father God, with the strength of your Spirit
and the presence amongst us of your son, Jesus
AMEN
Rafael Calvo
Traducción de Hugo Castelli