Read

Spend 9 Minutes, 29 Seconds With This Prayer for Racial Justice

Creator:
Published:
January 9, 2024
May 24, 2021
Follow this guided reflection that we have created on the anniversary of George Floyd's death — a time to reflect on his death and the racial injustice that confronts people every day.|Follow this guided reflection that we have created on the anniversary of George Floyd's death — a time to reflect on his death and the racial injustice that confronts people every day.

When a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck during an arrest on May 25, 2020, Darnella Frazier pulled out her phone. She pressed “record” and for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, we all became witnesses.

George’s death sparked a new reckoning with the racial injustice that still stains our culture. This reckoning took collective shape in the protests of the summer of 2020 and the community organizing and advocacy that followed. It also must take shape in each of us as individuals — but that process is not as simple as showing up to a city square and holding a sign. We must each examine the ways that racism has implicitly shaped our worldview and find new ways to recognize the God-given dignity in each other.

The anniversary of George Floyd’s death is a good time to reflect on what happened during those 9 minutes and 29 seconds on the corner of East 28th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. We need to grapple with the dehumanization we witnessed there because it is also happening on street corners all across America — and within our own hearts. We must come to terms with that violence if we are to be transformed by it and come through the other side with hearts more full of love and hungry for justice.

As we reflect on George Floyd’s death and the racial injustice that confronts people every day, let’s not forget to use the tools of reflective prayer. Bringing God into the conversation opens up new horizons for us; bringing voices from others who have faced — and transcended — oppression gives us hope.

That’s why we created this reflective prayer service on the anniversary of George Floyd’s death. It is structured around his final words: though they were uttered in despair, this reflection exercise brings new light to see them as jumping off points for a search for hope and meaning. The prayer can be carried out in 9 minutes and 29 seconds — if you’d like to have some music to accompany your reflection, use this playlist of songs curated to amplify the themes.

Many thanks to Melissa Marley Bonnichsen, M.Div., Director of Leadership Formation for the Center of Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame, for creating this prayer service.

Click here to download this free prayer for racial justice.

Creators:
Grotto
Published:
January 9, 2024
May 24, 2021
On a related note...
Raising Census Awareness in Undercounted Communities

Raising Census Awareness in Undercounted Communities

Grotto

How This Nun is Helping Immigrants at the Border

How This Nun is Helping Immigrants at the Border

Grotto Shares

Swap Out Your 5-Year Plan With These Daily Goals

Swap Out Your 5-Year Plan With These Daily Goals

Katie Ekblad Traver

Nonprofit Combats Racial Disparity in the Bail System

Nonprofit Combats Racial Disparity in the Bail System

Grotto

5 Superheroes You Didn’t Know Are Catholic

5 Superheroes You Didn’t Know Are Catholic

Hunter Cates

Catholic Worker House Builds Community and Changes Lives

Catholic Worker House Builds Community and Changes Lives

Grotto

4 Timeless Lessons from Time Spent with an Elderly Friend

4 Timeless Lessons from Time Spent with an Elderly Friend

Bethany Meola

4 Tips for Staying Joyful in a World that Glorifies Stress

4 Tips for Staying Joyful in a World that Glorifies Stress

Molly Gettinger

Educate Yourself On Racial Injustice with These Movies

Educate Yourself On Racial Injustice with These Movies

Grotto Shares

Walking with the Homeless in Denver | Little Ways: Engage

Walking with the Homeless in Denver | Little Ways: Engage

Grotto

Family of Piñata Artists Shows Resilience

Family of Piñata Artists Shows Resilience

Grotto

FIRE: A Famous Philosopher’s Description of Meeting God

FIRE: A Famous Philosopher’s Description of Meeting God

Rick Yoder

I Was Hiding My Pain, Not Healing

I Was Hiding My Pain, Not Healing

Alessandra Harris

9 Ways to Set Aside Sunday as Special

9 Ways to Set Aside Sunday as Special

Megan O’Brien Crayne

Dorothy Day’s Life of Heroic Virtue

Dorothy Day’s Life of Heroic Virtue

Jessie McCartney

How Your Vocation May Differ from Your Occupation

How Your Vocation May Differ from Your Occupation

Dan Masterton

St. Nicholas Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

St. Nicholas Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

How I Knew God Was Calling Me to be a Foster Parent

How I Knew God Was Calling Me to be a Foster Parent

Manda Carpenter

Tips for Discerning Your Next Major Life Decision

Tips for Discerning Your Next Major Life Decision

Mike Tenney

4 Informal Ways to Pray (No Words Necessary)

4 Informal Ways to Pray (No Words Necessary)

Emily Mae Mentock

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.