Article December 16, 2019 Issue

Praying the news

Inge Schmidt

A version of this article appeared in The Christian Science Monitor’s Christian Science Perspective column October 29, 2019.

Following the news can feel pretty grim these days. Each day, there seems to be further news of power abused, governments run amok, and partisan polarization becoming increasingly entrenched around the world. I’ve heard some friends say that they simply don’t tune in anymore—and having closed my computer in despair on more than one occasion, I can relate to that sentiment.

Yet it seems to me that the world needs citizens who are more engaged, not less. Is it possible to follow current events in a productive way, instead of being consumed by them?

An experience I once had gave me a new perspective on what it means to not just follow the news as a passive consumer, but actively “pray the news.” By this I mean bringing my prayers to bear on the news and allowing God, the infinitely loving divine intelligence, to guide my response.

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