By: Rev. Brigitta Vieyra, Minister and Cofounder of the Liberating Lineages Collective
It can be heartbreaking and soul-shaking to witness the life-denying systems and structures that surround us. Yet, Luke’s “Exhortation to Watch” in 21:34-36 challenges us: if we are to create more life-affirming ways of being, we must remain consistently attentive through an active, prayerful life. “Be alert at all times, praying…”
To be alert, one must also be present. Ruth Wilson Gilmore prophetically declares, “abolition is presence.” So, what does an abolitionist prayer look like?
It is a prayer that brings us close to the people and places marginalized, stigmatized, dehumanized, and criminalized by life-swallowing systems so that together, we can find a way to rehumanize. An abolitionist prayer is relational and embodied—an act of focusing our present attention on the wholeness and holiness of people who use drugs. It is a kind of attention rooted in deep spiritual wisdom, recognizing that harm reduction requires us to be a compassionate, loving, and nonjudgmental presence. Only through this presence, by staying alert at all times to how the Holy calls us to move toward freedom, can we, together, become a prayer for healing and liberation in our lives.
Inhale: Love calls me to stay close.
Exhale: My attention is my prayer.
Music: “In God’s Hands” by Tracy Howe
Offered by: Tracy Howe
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