Five ways to pray for the world food crisis
Caroline Stanton of CAFOD’s Theology team, suggests five ways we might pray for the world food crisis this Harvest.
Next Friday, 7 October, is Family Fast Day. Like many, I’ve been moved by Talaso’s story. She lives with her two young sons in northern Kenya. A prolonged drought means the family have no way to earn income or grow food. Talaso struggles each day to feed her two young sons and worries that her children won’t have a chance of an education.
Listen to Talaso explain how the world food crisis has impacted her family.
We know this isn’t an isolated story. Families here, and globally, are struggling to get the food they need. There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but, according to the UN, there are still 957 million people who do not have enough to eat.
In the face of such suffering, we naturally want to reach out to our sisters and brothers who are struggling here at home and across the world. Spending time in prayer is one way we can do so. It helps us draw closer to God and to our global family. Trusting in God strengthens us to persist in active love and working for justice. As Pope Francis has said:
One of the most effective ways we have to help is that of prayer. Prayer unites us; it makes us brothers and sisters … It is in prayer that our hearts find the strength not to be cold and insensitive in the face of injustice. In prayer, God keeps calling us, opening our hearts to charity.
Pope Francis (2015)
So how can we pray together this Harvest?
Pray the rosary
October is the month of the rosary, and this year Family Fast Day falls on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Perhaps it’s been a while since you last prayed the rosary and you’re not quite sure what to do. If so, don’t worry, you’re not alone. A great way to get started is to pray one decade of the rosary, contemplating the mysteries it offers.
Our new rosary podcast guides us through praying the luminous mysteries of the rosary for an end to the hunger, nourishing our commitment to respond with compassion and courage to the scandal of hunger and poverty in our world.
During August and September, a group gathered online to pray these mysteries each Thursday morning. One participant, Margaret Clark, the President of the National Board of Catholic Women, describes the sense of ‘togetherness and belonging’ which praying the rosary communally brought.
“By sharing our anxiety and concerns for those starving throughout the world, it gives a feeling of solidarity and strength to conquer the problem” she said
Jane Martens, another member of the online praying community, commented;
“As the weeks have passed I find it easier to quieten my brain as we say the rosary in a group, until I find the voices and the prayers soothing and powerful. It is very holy. I also like the reflections on the various crises our world is enduring, and I hope the power of our weekly rosary contributes towards positive change.”
Use our world food crisis prayer
Pray with us for our sisters and brothers affected by the world food crisis, especially those severely affected in East Africa. As we do so, we ask also for the compassion and courage to be catalysts of the change we are asking God to send.
Pray by fasting
Friday 7 October is Family Fast Day. A day when we are encouraged to eat simply in solidarity with those in poverty. We can give what we save to help people like Talaso and her community have what they need to survive. Fasting helps make us more aware of our dependence on God and our responsibility to share his gifts with grateful, joyful and generous hearts.
Have a simple meal today and give what you save to our Harvest appeal.
Pray with our family prayer ideas
If you have children at home, you may like to explore our family prayer resources. We have some ideas on the theme of food, which help us to thank God for this gift that connects us to the earth and the needs of others. We reflect on food in the Bible and pray for those who don’t have enough to eat.
Use our food family prayer ideas
Pray with the Bible
St Augustine said, “The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.”
Spending some time each day praying with a passage from the Bible, can help us listen to the heart of God. As we immerse ourselves in the story of God’s self-giving love, and the people and communities shaped by it, we find ourselves drawn into a new way to live. You may like to get together with others and share your questions and insights as you ponder God’s word.
Sign up for our weekly reflection emails on the Sunday gospel
Whatever way you choose to pray for the World Food Crisis, may you be blessed with a heart open to letting that prayer challenge, sustain and strengthen you in working for the flourishing of all people and all creation.