The Coffee Prayer

For better or for worse, many of us find ourselves relying on coffee or some caffeinated beverage to power us through these busy days of the end of the semester. The coffee plant, grown in over 50 countries throughout the world, has long been the topic of ethical conversation when it comes to the impact on both the environment and humans in terms of growing, production, distribution, and sale. According to Fairtrade International, 60% of the world’s coffee is produced by small farmers, yet about half of those small farmers live in poverty. It takes a lot of people and a lot of work to get our cup of coffee. 

In spite of the business this week, take a moment to pause with your cup of coffee or beverage of choice and think about the interconnectedness of our existence. We rely on each other as an interconnected web of life across the globe each and every day, in ways that often appear invisible. Perhaps say a prayer for the farmer who grew the coffee beans that made your coffee, or the pilot who flew the beans to the United States. May our cup of coffee be a reminder that, across the world, we hold each other up in love and solidarity as one human family, and that we can get through this time of chaos, one cup of coffee at a time.

Bonus: Visit Campus Ministry’s booth at Mayfest to purchase direct trade coffee from the San Lucas Mission in Guatemala!

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