A Prayer for Haiti (by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells, Dean of Duke Chapel)

God of the living and the dead,
we wail in grief at the pain and loss and horror and distress
of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
We do not understand your ways –
that those who already suffer the most,
now suffer so much more.
Lead us to repentance,
that we who have sinned so much are punished so little,
and they who already struggle have now impossible burdens to bear.
Where people are still breathing under collapsed buildings,
give them air and hope and courageous searchers.
Where children are injured or orphaned,
find them trusted friends and generous caregivers.
Where despair is infectious and disease or looting spreads,
bring patience and forbearance and healing and strength to conquer temptation.
And when others look with compassion from afar,
release resources, empower expertise, shape political will,
and bring deliverance for your people in their distress.
Through him who was crushed and bruised for us,
in the comfort of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer after Earthquake in Haiti 

 Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.

 As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.

 Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief
and the names of missing dead.

 Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.
Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this day.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

 Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth
find only misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day,
to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.

 And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life's daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.

 For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
now and forever. Amen.

Copyright © 2010, Diana Macalintal
Diana is the Director of Liturgy for the Diocese of San Jose, California, and a Saint John's School of Theology·Seminary Alum.
Permission is given to reprint for non-commercial use.