Lord Jesus Christ,
we see your compassion in the personal touch
that healed the lepers, the blind, and the lame.
In our day, personal touch is not so healing,
but often spreads a disease that can be debilitating, if not fatal.
Be with our healthcare workers:
nurses, doctors, and chaplains
those present with the afflicted during this pandemic.
Bestow your compassion upon these people
that your presence might flow through them as they care for the sick and the dying.
Be with the elderly in nursing homes where Covid is spreading.
Be with those who provide care for the aged, incoherent and incontinent.
Be with those who expose their wellbeing
to serve others at personal risk to themselves and their families
as they provide simple, necessary comforts.
Give them courage, kindness and perseverance
as they offer themselves.
Be with those who are dying.
May they not die alone
but place a caring person at their side as they pass.
Be with those who grieve
Be with us in our grief.
Help us to grieve.
Amen.
EM
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When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”
Jesus wept.
prayer & verse 