Like many of us, I have witnessed the transformative energy of prayer. I know, that if I ask my mother to pray for or with me, God will respond. My mother’s faith is powerful; therefor, her petitions are heard. Mostly, she doesn’t stop praying until the job is done. I have learned to ask for what I need from others, from family, friends and God. I ask in prayer, so that I experience breakthrough, and also understand that the power of collective intention and dedicated prayer is effective. My mother and I know that if we “Ask, and it shall be given; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened” (Luke 11:9).
Prayer, meditation, intercession are ways that humans have devised to harness the energy of our minds. Without focus, discipline and intention, we are apt to flounder and lose our way. That is why church communities pray together, as well as many families and religious groups. Prayer, meditation and intercession represent the moment when thought turns into action. This is when leadership is crucial, because we have to ask ourselves, “What is our prayer?”
As we approach a new era of understanding in our society, we must look to our collective healing. While some Americans continue to prosper, many more Americans in communities of color are suffering hardships of food and economic insecurity, historic discrimination, as well as traumatic, violent deaths of family members and the associated costs of death. It is my conviction that our collective, national focus on the plight of Black Fathers is one of the most powerful and best ways to honor and celebrate Father’s Day and begin to change the injustice we see all around us by opening our hearts and minds.
“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a Father, will he give him a stone?” (Luke 11:11).
Lesson 11: On Father’s Day 2020, join us in compassionate action: With your community of worship, Sangha, family and friends, pray for Black Fathers and the Fathers of Black Children.
The loss of lives in Black communities owing to violence, oppression and Covid-19 is overwhelming. Black families across our nation are bereaved and mourning recent and ongoing loss and violence and threats of violence from the highest office in the land. We need what Dr. Eric Lewis Williams calls Radical Solidarity to transform this moment and heal our society through supplication.
Karma Compass 