'A Blessing Over This Humble Offering'

As people of faith, we view our letters to Congress on hunger-related issues as an expression of our faith. Several of our Bread for the World congregations in Albuquerque ask their pastor or another member of the clergy to say a blessing over the letters before they are put in the mail.

Here are some photographs from the blessings of letters written at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Holy Ghost School, and St. John XXIII Catholic Community.

"One of the goals of Holy Ghost Catholic School is Care for Creation," said Rosemary Holland, who facilitates a retreat on this theme at the school. "As part of our action we close the school year with a retreat in each elementary class room to reflect on our responsibility to creation--which certainly includes people most in need. So we invite the students to write a Bread for the World letter."

Prayer Over Letters
God of the Hungry. God of Abundance. God of Grace.
Time and time again, you have called your people to care for those who are hungry and living in the margins. You have given us a world of abundance and we confess that we  have not been good stewards and shared justly.

We give thanks for the freedom and power you give us to resist this injustice. By writing these letters to Congress today, we use that power in a small way so that we might answer your call to feed those who are struggling with hunger.

We present these letters as a humble offering and ask your blessing upon them. Bless those who carry and deliver these letters. Bless the readers and decision makers they reach; that they may hear your call to allocate our shared resources so that people who hunger are fed. Amen.

Rev. Gene Gries, Holy Rosary Church

Litany
Leader: Our hearts desire to be in right relationship with God and one another. Therefore, we advocate to our lawmakers to support a budget that invests in programs that move people out of hunger and poverty. Let us act with a mind and heart for justice, love, and mercy.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of life, give us courage to care for all creation with mercy, to treat your people with kindness, and sustain our efforts with your love so all people thrive.

Rev. Ark Biczak, St. John XXIII

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of light, we pray for the wisdom to thoughtfully engage with our lawmakers, so they might pass a budget that supports an end to hunger in our world.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of wisdom, ensure in each of us gathered, the desire to speak with authenticity, compassion, and directness to change structures in place that keep people hungry.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of abundance, we pray for those who today will not have enough food to sustain themselves, their families, their neighbors. Challenge us to live in the spirit of your abundance to sustain and provide for all.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of life, may our call to stewardship be a worthy testament to what is most important in your heart: the care and protection of your most vulnerable people.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors. Amen.

(The blessing was created by Bishop Jose García and Justice H. Randolph. The litany was written by Genevieve Mougey. All three are members of Bread for the World's Church Relations staff).