Prayer at Harvest from Mexico

Coming through the amazing interconnection of liturgy that is Red Crearte is this prayer for sharing rooted in justice not charity by Joel Elí Padrón Ibáñez of the Iglesia Reformada Peniel, México. The original literal translation to English is by Katie Fiegenbaum and this looser adaptive translation is my own.

God gives to us…let us share

God of Love and Justice
give us our daily bread, in this way —
give us strength to work the land
to sow and harvest and share and eat.
Give us the particular bread
of each and every day,
not grabbing the bread of tomorrow
nor the meal of the day after tomorrow,
so that we are not tempted to confide
in our own security,
but instead in You
and in your providence.

Awaken within us this ambition only —
that we neither desire nor hoard
that which belongs to others,
nor strip them unfairly,
but learn to respect and to collaborate.

Free us, deliver us, from selfish greed.
Separate us from our temptation
to indefinite growth.
Do not let us fall into selfish pride,
feelings that are merely pretense,
nor a “love” that is seeking only
the applause of others.

Grant us a new heart,
God, Father and Mother,
so we are able to call each day good,
and call all of the world – sister, brother.
May we be neighbors
always sharing whatever we have
for we are seated at the same table
in this world,
and hope finally to sit with You
at the abundant table
of your holy realm.

Dios Amor y Justicia
danos el pan de cada día,
danos fortaleza para trabajar la tierra
y sembrar y cosechar y repartir y comer.
Danos lo de cada día,
no lo de mañana o pasado mañana,
para que no confiemos en nuestras seguridades,
sino en Ti y en Tu providencia.
Arranca de nosotros la ambición,
para que no acaparemos lo de los otros,
ni despojemos a los otros de lo suyo,
sino que sepamos respetar y colaborar.
Líbranos del egoísmo.
Aparta de nosotros la tentación del crecimiento indefinido,
no nos dejes caer en el egoísmo,
ni en sentimiento fingido,
ni “amor” que cumple
para que se le aplauda.
Concédenos un corazón nuevo
para poder llamarte cada día Dios Bueno, Padre y Madre,
para llamar a todo el mundo hermana y hermano
y para ser prójimos y repartiendo, compartiendo,
sentados a la misma mesa en este mundo,
para sentarnos Contigo en la exquisita mesa de Tu Reino.