Lenten prayer from Iona~

Teach me, O Christ,
Teach me to recognize the dignity, the uniqueness,
the divine possibility,
of every living person.

Teach me to take no one for granted,
no friend or stranger,
no crowd or category,
no statistic or stereotype.
Let me never overlook the hidden ones
who yearn for recognition,
and secretly ask, ‘Who am I?’

And in that recognition,
in that deepest knowing,
let me encounter you.

Excerpt from a poem by Brian Woodcock, in Lent & Easter Readings from Iona

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