Wednesday, March 06, 2019

Our Daily Bread in Santa Fe

LORD GOD, I pray for our Governor, the members of our New Mexico State Legislature, and other elected leaders. May they be moved to make ending hunger in our state a priority. Grant them clear minds and generous hearts to sustain and improve those programs that provide help and opportunity to many people.  Amen. 

-Adapted from Bread for the World's Daily Prayers for an End to Hunger

After a productive day at the State Legislature, fellow Interfaith Hunger Coalition advocate Joy Dinaro and I were waiting at the Santa Fe Depot Railrunner station to catch the 4:15 p.m. train back to Albuquerque.

As we stood on the platform minutes before the train opened its doors to passengers, Joy spotted a woman she knows called Felis, with whom she has served on prison ministry. Felis had traveled to Santa Fe with a friend to celebrate that friend's birthday.

As Joy introduced me to Felis, she mentioned my role as volunteer state coordinator for Bread for the World in New Mexico. Felis' eyes lit up, and she proceeded to tell us a wonderful story about how she connected in a small way with our anti-hunger organization. Felis and her companion had visited the nearby Santuario de Guadalupe. On the resource table, they spotted a single copy of Bread for the World's brochure Daily Prayers for an End to Hunger. "Even though it was the only one left, I just had to have it," said Felis, who was looking for a prayer resource to use during Lent. And the timing was right for her to find the brochure because the following day was Ash Wednesday.

In retrospect, the appearance of a set of prayers on hunger was appropriate for those of us who had just spent time in the State Legislature, where Legislative Memorials were introduced reconfirming the creation of Hunger Council and Hunger Caucus to put a priority on addressing all aspects of hunger and finding long-term and broad solutions to the problem that has affected our state for so long. A few of us were on hand, when the House Memorial was read on the House floor on Tuesday. More on that later.

I adapted the prayer for Tuesdays from Prayers to End Hunger in this post as a response to our successful day in Santa Fe, as well as to mark the beginning of Lent (especially in the context of how Felis found that lone brochure at the Santuario de Guadalupe). 

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