Goodness isn’t always popular, Jesus;
There are those who doubt that it has value,
that fear that goodness only leaves us vulnerable
and unable to navigate the complexities of the real world.
But, we believe that the opposite is true,
that it is goodness that must ultimately prevail,
and that holds the key to the wholeness and happiness we seek.
And so we pray for goodness to infiltrate every un-good place,
where callous self-interest humiliates and impoverishes others,
where casual disregard for the common good
undermines security and neighbourliness,
where unexamined or overstated fear addicts us to control,
where our obsession with the immediate
blinds us to the consequences of our actions.
Teach us the power of the good,
the healing of the noble,
the life of the praiseworthy,
and capture our hearts that we may give ourselves to know
your goodness –
the only goodness that is truly worth pursuing.
Amen.
