Tuesday Prayer

I once envisioned intercession as bringing requests to God that God may not have thought of, then talking God into granting them. Now I see intercession as an increase in my awareness. When I pray for another person, I am praying that God open my eyes so I can see that person as God does, and then enter into the stream of love that God already directs toward that person....

In short, prayer allows me to see others as God sees them (and me): as uniquely flawed and uniquely gifted bearers of God's image. I begin seeing them through Jesus' eyes, as beloved children who the Father longs to embrace. I know that God wants their marriages to grow stronger and their children to stay out of trouble; God wants them healthy, and strong to resist temptation, capable of reaching out to others in need. I bring those prayers to God because I know God wills the very same thing.

What I desire in the people I pray for, God desires all the more.

Philip Yancey Prayer: Does It Make a Difference?

The Gift and the Response

Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

The Lord has exalted me by a gift so great, so unheard of, that language is useless to describe it, and the depths of love in my heart can scarcely grasp it.

I offer then all the powers of my soul in praise and thanksgiving.

As I contemplate [God's] greatness, which knows no limits, I joyfully surrender my whole life, my senses, my judgment, for my spirit rejoices in the eternal Godhead of that Jesus, that Savior, whom I have conceived in this world of time.

The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

From a commentary on Luke by the Venerable Bede.

Sunday Prayer

Gracious God,
God of light,
God of life,
God of all that is

You come to us
in the darkness
of the night
and call us by name

Give us, we pray
the grace
to hear you -
the hope
to see you -
the love
needed
to mend
a broken world.

Help us
to be your
hands -
your
heart
your hope.

Be with us, we pray
with those
who suffer,
with those
who weep,
with those
dying
this night/day
and give us, we pray
your peace.

Amen.

Crossposted on the Revgals prayer pals blog

A Prayer For St. Stephen's Day...

...a day to remember in prayer the poor and weak of the world and the persecuted Church everywhere:

Fear not, O little flock, the foe

Who madly seeks your overthrow,

Dread not his rage and power:

What though your courage sometimes faints,

His seeming triumph o'er God's saints

Lasts but one little hour.

Be of good cheer; your cause belongs

To Him who can avenge your wrongs,

Leave it to Him our Lord.

Though hidden yet from all our eyes,

He sees the Gideon who shall rise

To save us, and His word.

As true as God's own word is true,

Nor earth nor hell with all their crew

Against us shall prevail.

A jest and by-word are they grown;

God is with us, we are His own,

Our victory cannot fail.

-- Jonann Altenburg, tr. Catherine Winkworth

Christmas Blessings

Title:	Amiens - Nativity with Mary, Joseph and the New-Born Christ
Notes:	Composition by J. Le Breton; glass studio of Gaudin, Paris.
Date:	1933
Building:	Cathedral of Notre Dame Art in the Christian Tradition

Christmas

If, as with Herod,
we fill our lives with things,
and again with things;
If we consider ourselves
so important
That we must fill every moment of our
lives with action;
When will we have the time
to make the long, slow journey
Across the burning desert
as did the Magi?
Or sit and watch the stars
as did the shepherds?
Or brood over the coming
of the Child
as did Mary?
For each of us
there is a desert to travel
A star to discover
and a being within ourselves
to bring life.

~~by Richard Rohr

Tuesday Prayer

In the bleak midwinter

Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone;

Snow had fallen,

Snow on snow,

Snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter,

Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him,

Nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away

When he comes to reign;

In the bleak midwinter

A stable place sufficed

The Lord God incarnate,

Jesus Christ.

Enough for him, whom Cherubim

Worship night and day

A breast full of milk

And a manger full of hay.

Enough for him, whom angels

Fall down before,

The ox and ass and camel

which adore.

Angels and archangels

May have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim

Thronged the air;

But his mother only,

In her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the Beloved

With a kiss.

What can I give him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb,

If I were a wise man

I would do my part,

Yet what I can I give Him —

Give my heart.

O Rex Gentium

O King of the Nations,

and the one they desired,

Keystone,

who makes both peoples one,

come and save humankind,

whom you shaped from the clay.

Sunday Prayer

Holy and Gracious One,
God of our Mothers and Fathers,
we give you thanks,
this day
and every day.

Thank you
for this gift of life.
It is a precious blessing
from which we hope
to magnify Your Name.

Be with us
as we labor
through
this life.

Be with us
as we struggle
through pain.

Be with us
in our suffering.

Be with us
through the storms
the ice, snow, wind.
Real or metaphor.

Be with us
this day.

Be with us
as we labor
to birth
new life,
whatever
that new life might be.

Be with us
that we can be
your hands
and heart
in a
broken
world.

Amen.

O Clavis David

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Prayer For Peace

We thank You, Master and Lover of humankind, Sovereign of the ages and giver of all good things, for destroying the dividing wall of enmity and granting peace to those who seek your mercy. We appeal to You to awaken the longing for a peaceful life in all those who are filled with hatred for their neighbors, thinking especially of those at war or preparing for war. Grant peace to your servants. Implant in them the fear of You and confirm in them love one for another. Extinguish every dispute and banish all temptations to disagreement. For You are our peace and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

We pray, Lord our God, for all those who suffer from acts of war.

We pray for your peace and your mercy in the midst of the great suffering that people are now inflicting on each other. Accept the prayers of your Church, so that by your goodness peace may return to all peoples. Hear us and have mercy on us.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

Lord our God, remember and have mercy on our brothers and sisters who are involved in every civil conflict. Remove from their midst all hostility, confusion and hatred. Lead everyone along the path of reconciliation and peace, we pray You, hear us and have mercy on us.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

Let all believers turn aside from violence and do what makes for peace. By the strength of your mighty arm save your people and your Holy Church from all evil oppression; hear the supplications of all who call to You in sorrow and affliction, day and night. Merciful God, let their lives not be lost, we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

But grant, O Lord, peace, love and speedy reconciliation to your people whom You have redeemed with your precious blood. Make your presence known to those who have turned away from You and do not seek You, so that none of them may be lost, but all may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, so that everyone, in true love and harmony, O long-suffering Lord, may praise your all holy Name. Amen. -- from the Orthodox Peace Fellowship

Thursday Prayer

God of Surprises, let us be your Christ-bearer, your servant, your deacon in this world grown too distracting and complicated. Make us ready for the gifts you give, the grace you impart, the opportunities you make available to help us grow in holiness. Grant that our eyes might be open to see, our ears to listen, our hearts to love, and our mouths to laugh with delight and joy when our awareness of your presence informs any moment of the day.
Amen.

Judith A. Bauer and John J. Cleary, Advent and Christmas with Thomas Merton. Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 2002. 43.

Tuesday Prayer

When we get tired and anxious and overwhelmed by Christmas preparations
Forgive us God and help us refocus
When we lose sight of the purpose of Advent and Christmas
Forgive us God and help us refocus
When we resist the change and transformation that Jesus Christ brings into our lives
Forgive us God and help us refocus
When we are tempted to put Christmas away with the decorations
Forgive us God and help us refocus
Amen.


The Minister's Annual Manuel for Preaching and Worship Planning 2008-2009, Logos Productions Inc, Prayer of Confession, p 188

The Mirror of God's Radiance

Happy, indeed, is she to whom it is given to share this sacred banquet,
to cling with all her heart to Him
Whose beauty all the heavenly hosts admire unceasingly,
Whose love inflames our love,
Whose contemplation is our refreshment,
Whose graciousness is our joy,
Whose gentleness fills us to overflowing,
Whose remembrance brings a gentle light,
Whose fragrance will revive the dead,
Whose glorious vision will be the happiness
of all the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Inasmuch as this vision is the splendor of eternal glory,
the brilliance of eternal light and the mirror without blemish,
look upon that mirror every day, O queen and spouse of Jesus Christ,
and continually study your face within it, so that you may adorn yourself
inside and out with beautiful robes and cover yourself
with the flowers and garments of all the virtues...

Look at the parameters of this mirror, that is,
the poverty of Him Who was placed within a manger
and wrapped in swaddling clothes.
O marvelous humility, O astonishing poverty!
The King of the angels,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
is laid in a manger!

St. Clare of Assisi, Fourth Letter to Blessed Agnes of Prague

Francis and Clare: the Complete Works (Paulist, 1982), pp. 204-205.

Sunday Prayer

Holy and gracious God,
the giver of light and life,
we thank you for this gift of life.

We thank you
for those who come into our lives
as prophets,
pointing us toward that most precious gift,
your Son.

We thank you
for those we travel with us
as we seek to know more fully
who we are
as your people.

Come to us this day
and every day.
Come to us
in the trials and tribulations.

Be with us
in through the storms of life,
weather
and otherwise.

Come to us
in our birthings
and in our dyings.

Come to us
and comfort us.
Come to us
and give us your peace.

Come to us
that we might see the way.
Come to us
that we can be
Your hands and heart.

Come to us
that we might be
the source
of healing
and reconciliation
in this broken world.

O Come, Emmanuel.
Come.
Amen.

A Prayer of Trust in God's Saving Power

Lord, I place my trust in your promise. Please, Lord, rouse your power and come into this place in my life, into my relationships, into any deep self-defeating patterns that keep me from wholeness of life and joy in living as your child and heir and member of your household. Please come here and save me. -- adapted from a Creighton University Advent prayer

Thursday Prayer

O God of Life,
plant your grace and favor in us this Advent.
Sow your seed.
Teach us to rest and be still,
and
we will rejoice with you
in life's new abundance.
Amen.

Caryll Houselander, Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany with Caryll Houselander, 31.

Savior of the Nations Come

Savior of the nations, come;
Virgin's son, here make thy home!
Marvel now, O heaven and earth,
that the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood;
by the Spirit of our God
was the Word of God made flesh,
woman's offspring, pure and fresh.

(Cross posted from my blog)

Tuesday Prayer

if
you want,
the Virgin will come walking down the road
pregnant with the holy,
and say,

"i need shelter for the night, please take me inside your heart,
my time is so close."

then, under the roof of your soul, you will witness the sublime
intimacy, the divine, the Christ
taking birth
forever.

as she grasps your hand for help, for each of us
is the midwife of God, each of us.

yes, there, under the dome of your being does creation
come into existence eternally, through your womb, dear pilgrim--
the sacred womb in your soul,

as God grasps our arms for help; for each of us is
His beloved servant
never
far.

if you want, the virgin will come walking
down the street pregnant
with Light and
sing...






poem from daniel ladinsky
in love poems from god
image "Madonna"

Benjamin Britten: Hymn to the Virgin

Of one that is so fair and bright
Velut maris stella,
Brighter than the day is light,
Parens et puella:
I cry to thee, thou see to me,
Lady, pray thy Son for me
Tam pia,
That I may come to thee.
Maria!

In sorrow, counsel thou art best,
Felix fecundata:
For all the weary thou art rest,
Mater honorata:
Beseech him in thy mildest mood,
Who for us did shed his blood
In cruce,
That we may come to him
In luce.

All this world was forlorn
Eva peccatrice,
Till our Lord was y-born
De te genetrice.
With ave it went away
Darkest night, and comes the day
Salutis
The well springeth out of thee.
Virtutis.

Lady, flow'r of ev'rything,
Rosa sine spina,
Thou bare Jesu, Heaven's King,
Gratia divina:
Of all thou bear'st the prize,
Lady, queen of paradise
Electa:
Maid mild, mother
Es effecta.

(Anonymous medieval text)

Sunday Prayer

From Compline, The Book of Common Prayer

Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous, and all for your love's sake. Amen.

And from my heart

Gracious God, be with us as we move through this day. Be a strong arm to hold us, a comforting shield to protect us, a loving embrace to enfold us, a gentle hand to lead us. May we know your transforming presence in our lives. Through the darkness, lead us to light. Through the sorrows lead us to hope. Through the fears lead us to peace. Lead us through these uncertain times. Help us do all this in the sure and certain hope of you. May we wait expectantly for you. May you be born again in us. Amen

cross posted at the RevGals Prayer Blog

Saturday prayer

Heavenly Father,whose Son Jesus Christ came to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, and to set free those who are oppressed:
give grace to the leaders of all the nations, that, being so hungry for justice for your poorest people,and fired with passion for their raising up,
they may be renewed in their determination to fulfil the promises they have made to them;
that the chains of hunger, disease and inequality may be broken;
and that all humanity may know life in all its fullness;
through him who came that we might have the same, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Prayer For Hope

Almighty God, I beg you to grant me the gift of hope.

My life is dark and full of sorrow. There seems nothing to look forward to but sadness.

Show me that life has duties and many pleasures still waiting for me.

Revive within me the desire to live.

Plant hope in my heart, that despair may vanish as the dew before the sun.

I know all good things come from you, and you have promised to give them

to your children who try to serve you.

Let the hope of happiness in the world, come to brighten my way.

I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen -- Prayer from an Ojibwa Christian community

Thursday Advent Prayer

May these holy Advent days renew our lives,
lead us to peace,
fill us with grace and hope,
disarm our hearts,
turn us back toward the God of peace,
and make us faithful watchers,
ready for Jesus and his Christmas gift of peace.

Amen.

By John Dear

Tuesday Prayer

Let it be with me according to your Word. Amen.

World Aids Day

It is a fearful thing
to love what death can touch.

A fearful thing
to love, hope, dream:

to be--

to be,
And! to lose.

A thing for fools, this,

and
a holy thing,

a holy thing
to love.

For your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was gift to me.

To remember this brings painful joy.

'Tis a human thing, love,
a holy thing,
to love
what death has touched.

--Anonymous

From a Worship Resources website for World Aids Day