There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. —C.S. Lewis

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

“O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.”

SCRIPTURE: Galatians 6:2, 9-10 (NIV)

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

PRAYER FOCUS: Empathy

This week we pray for grace that we may be united in love to one another with pure affection. If I could see you through the lens of this pure affection that I pray for, what difference would it make in how I treat you?

C.S. Lewis’s most famous sermon “The Weight of Glory” ends with a sober reminder that every single person you encounter on the street, in the classroom, at your workplace, or at home is an immortal being, made in God’s own image.

This week, dear readers, we simply ask you to watch the short, extraordinary video below. We strongly recommend you go to “full screen” as you do. May God bless you.

VIDEO: Empathy

[Full Disclosure: Empathy was professionally produced as a vision statement for the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. While The Monday Prayer has no affiliation with this medical facility, we have been deeply moved by their message. As Christians we are called to do exactly this: to look past the images we see of people to behold in them what is unseen and true—to train our eyes to see each other as our Father-God does.]

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.” —C.S. Lewis