A Prayer for Aspiring Allies

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Lisa Vahey (she/her)

Educator and Co-Founder, Honesty for Ohio Education

Allied Christian

I grew up Catholic and attended traditional Catholic schools, which meant Spring Fridays were spent experiencing “The Stations of the Cross.” We were grade school children slowly moving through the church, stopping over a dozen times at representative plaques to hear a short bible passage and pray, to understand the pain of Jesus’ crucifixion, to better appreciate the joy and redemption of Easter Sunday. By the time sixth grade rolled around, I’d memorized most of the passages and prayers, reciting them with automaticity and very little interest in reflecting on meaning. Except for one – where the plaque showed the woman Veronica, tenderly wiping the bloody face of Jesus, providing a small act of kindness as Jesus was cruelly led to His death, carrying his own cross. Well, I now know the Veronica story is legend, but the lines I recited many Spring Fridays still hold meaning:

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. (Sirach 6:14)

My 10-year-old self loved collecting quotes about what it meant to be a good friend (thank you, James Taylor!), and now, as LGBTQIA+ friends, neighbors, and well, strangers, face threats in our state that push us into othering and away from friendship, it’s time to dust these lines off, and reflect on my work as a straight, cis- woman, a mother, and a Christian who must find the compassion and strength Veronica showed.

With grace and care, dear God, help me see a friend in each person I meet.

Let me recognize how important building sturdiness is, as the storms of hate and injustice swirl around us.

Let me be a creator of shelters of all kinds - a warm smile and a comforting hug; a brave voice calling out harm and calling in others to see friends in each person we meet; and a champion for Veronicas in our work, in our world - those willing to move from standing on the sidelines of others’ pain to standing up with compassion.

With grace and care, dear God, I ask for forgiveness for the times I missed my opportunity to be shelter. When I chose the path of silence, stepped away, eschewed faithfulness, denied sturdiness. With your love as my model, I can do better.

Dear God, let me be a listener, a learner, to understand what is needed. And let me also hold the truth that sometimes, I will need to move before I fully understand. We are all children of God - your children! What a gift, to see you in each of us, to actively deny the hate and harm others create in your name. Let me be love in action, with you and Veronica as my guides.