Prayer of the Day:
♥ We pray for those who have lost their loved ones & family at Sandy Hook School ♥ We pray for understanding & compassion at this time ♥
Understanding and Compassion (prayer experience): "other-mindness"
'The technique whereby you can accept another's ideas as yours is the same whereby you may “let the mind which was in Christ be also in you.”' Reference Page:
'The technique whereby you can accept another's ideas as yours is the same whereby you may “let the mind which was in Christ be also in you.”' Reference Page:
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
"Jesus put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’"
- Matthew 13:31-32
"Truth has a power of its own...
A poem can inspire a movement.
A pamphlet can spark a revolution. Civil disobedience can arouse people and provoke us to think."
- Howard Zinn
Today, spend a few minutes resting in silence with God. Turn the volume down, the electronics off, or find a space where you can be free of distractions to rest, wait, listen.
"Jesus put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’"
- Matthew 13:31-32
"Truth has a power of its own...
A poem can inspire a movement.
A pamphlet can spark a revolution. Civil disobedience can arouse people and provoke us to think."
- Howard Zinn
Today, spend a few minutes resting in silence with God. Turn the volume down, the electronics off, or find a space where you can be free of distractions to rest, wait, listen.
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
"As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think."
- Toni Morrison
God of healing, we pray for those who are in pain -- physical or emotional, real or imagined. Lord, only you know the depths of their suffering. You alone know the path to healing and recovery. In your mercy, wipe away their aches and pains, their headaches and heartaches. Amen.
"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
"As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think."
- Toni Morrison
God of healing, we pray for those who are in pain -- physical or emotional, real or imagined. Lord, only you know the depths of their suffering. You alone know the path to healing and recovery. In your mercy, wipe away their aches and pains, their headaches and heartaches. Amen.
Linford Detweiler
Linford Detweiler
"The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all."
- Proverbs 22:2
Slowly the land reveals itself
To us.
We learn to recognize
The difference between
Killing time
And resting.
- Linford Detweiler
God, we pray for the global systems of microfinance: strengthen these institutions so that people will be able to realize their dreams and put their talents to use. Give wisdom to both those giving and receiving loans so that they may bless each other with their work and resources, alleviating poverty and establishing dignity. Amen.
"The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all."
- Proverbs 22:2
Slowly the land reveals itself
To us.
We learn to recognize
The difference between
Killing time
And resting.
- Linford Detweiler
God, we pray for the global systems of microfinance: strengthen these institutions so that people will be able to realize their dreams and put their talents to use. Give wisdom to both those giving and receiving loans so that they may bless each other with their work and resources, alleviating poverty and establishing dignity. Amen.
Marian Wright Edelman
"If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be."
- Deuteronomy 15:7-8
"Only when enough adults practice and teach children love and respect at home, in schools, religious congregations, and in our political and civic life will racial, gender, and religious intolerance and hate crimes subside in America and the world."
- Marian Wright Edelman, from Lanterns
Lord God, we pray for the air and the atmosphere around us. We confess that we have not protected it as we ought. Protect your creation from our acid rain, our smog, and our pollution. Give us the determination to clean this air so that all of us -- whether creatures, birds, or people -- may breathe deeply and know that the air we breathe is indeed good. Amen.
"If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be."
- Deuteronomy 15:7-8
"Only when enough adults practice and teach children love and respect at home, in schools, religious congregations, and in our political and civic life will racial, gender, and religious intolerance and hate crimes subside in America and the world."
- Marian Wright Edelman, from Lanterns
Lord God, we pray for the air and the atmosphere around us. We confess that we have not protected it as we ought. Protect your creation from our acid rain, our smog, and our pollution. Give us the determination to clean this air so that all of us -- whether creatures, birds, or people -- may breathe deeply and know that the air we breathe is indeed good. Amen.
Søren Kierkegaard
"Return to the Lord, your God, for [the Lord] is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing."
- Joel 2:13
"O thou who art unchangeable, whom nothing changes! Thou art unchanged in love, precisely for our welfare not subject to any change: may we too will our welfare, submitting ourselves to the direction of thy unchangeableness, so that we may, in unconditional obedience find our rest and remain at rest in thy unchangeableness."
- Søren Kierkegaard from,
The Prayers of Kierkegaard
Almighty God, we long for the day when poverty and injustice will be no more. Bless those who are currently living in poverty or in the shadows of injustice. Fill their stomachs and quench their thirst. Break the chains of injustice and oppression, that those who have been crippled by unfair laws, policies, and practices will be set free. Amen.
"Return to the Lord, your God, for [the Lord] is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing."
- Joel 2:13
"O thou who art unchangeable, whom nothing changes! Thou art unchanged in love, precisely for our welfare not subject to any change: may we too will our welfare, submitting ourselves to the direction of thy unchangeableness, so that we may, in unconditional obedience find our rest and remain at rest in thy unchangeableness."
- Søren Kierkegaard from,
The Prayers of Kierkegaard
Almighty God, we long for the day when poverty and injustice will be no more. Bless those who are currently living in poverty or in the shadows of injustice. Fill their stomachs and quench their thirst. Break the chains of injustice and oppression, that those who have been crippled by unfair laws, policies, and practices will be set free. Amen.
Archbishop Oscar Romero
"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace."
- James 3:17-18
“A church that doesn’t provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what gospel is that?”
- Archbishop Oscar Romero
God, release us from everything within our minds that would keep us bound to limitation, suffering, forgetfulness, and fear. We want to be free... Please direct out thoughts and guide our visions. Help us to see in all people only what you would have us see, and help us to see in ourselves only what you would have us see. Show us the way to healing and to peace. Amen.
Adapted from Diane Berke's "Prayer Process for Healing Relationships"
"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace."
- James 3:17-18
“A church that doesn’t provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what gospel is that?”
- Archbishop Oscar Romero
God, release us from everything within our minds that would keep us bound to limitation, suffering, forgetfulness, and fear. We want to be free... Please direct out thoughts and guide our visions. Help us to see in all people only what you would have us see, and help us to see in ourselves only what you would have us see. Show us the way to healing and to peace. Amen.
Adapted from Diane Berke's "Prayer Process for Healing Relationships"
John Wesley
John Wesley
"Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you."
- Luke 17:20-21
“When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, least it find a way into my heart.”
- John Wesley
O God who art Peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, and who has taught us that the peacemakers are Thy children, pour Thy sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, and all that makes for peace be sweet for us forever. Amen.
Prayer from Galasia
"Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you."
- Luke 17:20-21
“When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, least it find a way into my heart.”
- John Wesley
O God who art Peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, and who has taught us that the peacemakers are Thy children, pour Thy sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, and all that makes for peace be sweet for us forever. Amen.
Prayer from Galasia
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
"'The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!'"
- Matthew 6:22-23
"Like splendid palm branches, we are strewn in the Lord’s path."
- Latin Antiphon
Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow human beings throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Through our hands, grant them this day their daily bread; and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy. Amen
Daily prayer of the co-workers of Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
"'The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!'"
- Matthew 6:22-23
"Like splendid palm branches, we are strewn in the Lord’s path."
- Latin Antiphon
Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow human beings throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Through our hands, grant them this day their daily bread; and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy. Amen
Daily prayer of the co-workers of Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Henri J.M. Nouwen
"For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
- Isaiah 55:12
"Patience is not waiting passively until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient, we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else. Let’s be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
Most Holy Lord, You are ever present and ever merciful for people on the move. We thank you for the blessings of our own immigrant heritage. We thank you for the privilege of participating in the government of this great country. Help us as people of faith call boldly for justice in our immigration laws. May our call be heard and echoed by our legislators and our president. Amen.
A prayer from Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Services
"For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
- Isaiah 55:12
"Patience is not waiting passively until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient, we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else. Let’s be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
Most Holy Lord, You are ever present and ever merciful for people on the move. We thank you for the blessings of our own immigrant heritage. We thank you for the privilege of participating in the government of this great country. Help us as people of faith call boldly for justice in our immigration laws. May our call be heard and echoed by our legislators and our president. Amen.
A prayer from Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Services
Emmet Fox
Emmet Fox
"No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."
- Romans 6:13-14
"Welcome any change that comes into any phase in your life; insist that it is going to turn out for the better – and it will. See the Angel of God in it, and the Angel of God will make all things new."
- Emmet Fox
God, give me the patience to rest in you. make me lie down in green pastures; take me by the hand to still waters. Lord, refresh my weary soul even when I resist. Amen.
"No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."
- Romans 6:13-14
"Welcome any change that comes into any phase in your life; insist that it is going to turn out for the better – and it will. See the Angel of God in it, and the Angel of God will make all things new."
- Emmet Fox
God, give me the patience to rest in you. make me lie down in green pastures; take me by the hand to still waters. Lord, refresh my weary soul even when I resist. Amen.
Kathleen Norris - New York Times bestseller: "The Cloister Walk"
Kathleen Norris
"As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share."
- 1 Timothy 6:17-18
“We shortchange ourselves by regarding religious faith as a matter of intellectual assent. This is a modern aberration; the traditional Christian view is far more holistic, regarding faith as a whole-body experience. Sometimes it is, as W.H. Auden described it, 'a matter of choosing what is difficult all one's days as if it were easy.”
- Kathleen Norris
God, the rocket attacks in Syria remind us of our brothers and sisters there who live everyday in fear. Comfort the families of victims and give them peace. Bring peace to the whole country. Change the hearts of those in power. Give wisdom and discernment to the international community as they think of ways to peacefully intervene. Amen.
"As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share."
- 1 Timothy 6:17-18
“We shortchange ourselves by regarding religious faith as a matter of intellectual assent. This is a modern aberration; the traditional Christian view is far more holistic, regarding faith as a whole-body experience. Sometimes it is, as W.H. Auden described it, 'a matter of choosing what is difficult all one's days as if it were easy.”
- Kathleen Norris
God, the rocket attacks in Syria remind us of our brothers and sisters there who live everyday in fear. Comfort the families of victims and give them peace. Bring peace to the whole country. Change the hearts of those in power. Give wisdom and discernment to the international community as they think of ways to peacefully intervene. Amen.
Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
"Isn’t the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Isn’t the loaf of bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, because we all share the one loaf of bread."
- 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (Common English Bible)
“Helping, fixing, and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul.”
- Rachel Naomi Remen from,
A Time for Listening and Caring
Holy God, source and sovereign, you put all power and authority into the hands of Christ -- Christ, who washes our feet in humble service. Teach us to love one another as Christ has loved us, so that everyone will know that we are his disciples; through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
From PC(USA)'s liturgical resources
"Isn’t the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Isn’t the loaf of bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, because we all share the one loaf of bread."
- 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (Common English Bible)
“Helping, fixing, and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul.”
- Rachel Naomi Remen from,
A Time for Listening and Caring
Holy God, source and sovereign, you put all power and authority into the hands of Christ -- Christ, who washes our feet in humble service. Teach us to love one another as Christ has loved us, so that everyone will know that we are his disciples; through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
From PC(USA)'s liturgical resources
Annie Dillard - Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Annie Dillard
"Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing."
- 1 Peter 3:8-9
"If the landscape reveals one certainty, it is that the extravagant gesture is the very stuff of creation. After the one extravagant gesture of creation in the first place, the universe has continued to deal exclusively in extravagances, flinging intricacies and colossi down aeons of emptiness. . . . The whole show has been on fire from the word go."
- Annie Dillard
God, we pray for those who have acted as bullies, and for all who continue to bully others. Lord, though we may not know what elicits this behavior, we ask that you help them to see the humanity in their peers and in themselves. Help the people in their lives to plant seeds of kindness, patience, and self-control. Amen.
"Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing."
- 1 Peter 3:8-9
"If the landscape reveals one certainty, it is that the extravagant gesture is the very stuff of creation. After the one extravagant gesture of creation in the first place, the universe has continued to deal exclusively in extravagances, flinging intricacies and colossi down aeons of emptiness. . . . The whole show has been on fire from the word go."
- Annie Dillard
God, we pray for those who have acted as bullies, and for all who continue to bully others. Lord, though we may not know what elicits this behavior, we ask that you help them to see the humanity in their peers and in themselves. Help the people in their lives to plant seeds of kindness, patience, and self-control. Amen.
2015 Meister Eckhart
"With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."
- Acts 4:33-35
"Whether you like it or not, whether you know it or not, secretly all nature seeks God and works toward [God]."
- Meister Eckhart
God, we pray for all the children who have or are currently being bullied. Guard their hearts, Lord, and give them strength to face the day. Place mentors, teachers, and friends in their life to comfort them and encourage them. Amen.
"With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."
- Acts 4:33-35
"Whether you like it or not, whether you know it or not, secretly all nature seeks God and works toward [God]."
- Meister Eckhart
God, we pray for all the children who have or are currently being bullied. Guard their hearts, Lord, and give them strength to face the day. Place mentors, teachers, and friends in their life to comfort them and encourage them. Amen.
Augustine of Hippo
2015 Augustine of Hippo
"Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed."
- Isaiah 56:1
"Let us leave a little room for reflection in our lives, room too for silence. Let us look within ourselves and see whether there is some delightful hidden place inside where we can be free of noise and argument. Let us hear the Word of God in stillness and perhaps we will then come to understand it."
- Augustine of Hippo
O Lord, baptize our hearts into a sense of the conditions and needs of all people. Amen.
Taken from a prayer by George Fox
"Love the sinner and hate the sin." Augustine of Hippo
"Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed."
- Isaiah 56:1
"Let us leave a little room for reflection in our lives, room too for silence. Let us look within ourselves and see whether there is some delightful hidden place inside where we can be free of noise and argument. Let us hear the Word of God in stillness and perhaps we will then come to understand it."
- Augustine of Hippo
O Lord, baptize our hearts into a sense of the conditions and needs of all people. Amen.
Taken from a prayer by George Fox
"Love the sinner and hate the sin." Augustine of Hippo
Teilhard de Chardin - French Philosopher
2015 Teilhard de Chardin French Philosopher
"So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please [God]."
- 2 Corinthians 5:9
“It is too easy to find an excuse for inaction by pleading the decadence of civilization, or even the imminent end of the world. This defeatism, whether it be innate or acquired or a mere affection, seems to me the besetting temptation of our time. Defeatism is invariably unhealthy and impotent; can we also prove that it is unjustified? I think so.”
- Teilhard de Chardin, from Building the Earth
God, we pray for the country of North Korea - for all those who are hungry and thirsty, voiceless and marginalized. Lord, make yourself known, so that they may know peace. Amen.
"So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please [God]."
- 2 Corinthians 5:9
“It is too easy to find an excuse for inaction by pleading the decadence of civilization, or even the imminent end of the world. This defeatism, whether it be innate or acquired or a mere affection, seems to me the besetting temptation of our time. Defeatism is invariably unhealthy and impotent; can we also prove that it is unjustified? I think so.”
- Teilhard de Chardin, from Building the Earth
God, we pray for the country of North Korea - for all those who are hungry and thirsty, voiceless and marginalized. Lord, make yourself known, so that they may know peace. Amen.
G.A. Studdert Kennedy Anglican priest and poet
2015 G.A. Studdert Kennedy Anglican priest and poet
"Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Don’t be conformed to your former desires, those that shaped you when you were ignorant. But, as obedient children, you must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who called you is holy. It is written, 'You will be holy, because I am holy.'"
- 1 Peter 1:13-16 (Common English Bible)
“[God] if he, the Christ, were Thy Reveler / Truly the First Begotten of the Lord, / Then must Thou be a Suff’rer and a Healer, / Pierced to the heart by the sorrow of the sword. / Then must it mean, not only that thy sorrow / Smote Thee that once upon the lonely tree, / But that today, tonight, and on the morrow, / Still will it come O Gallant God, to Thee.”
- G.A. Studdert Kennedy from, “The Suffering God”
Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice, your pain and suffering. Thank you for your love -- a love greater than we have ever known -- and your obedience even to the point of death on a cross. Lord, today we remember your wounds and the sins that you bore on that cross. Amen.
"Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Don’t be conformed to your former desires, those that shaped you when you were ignorant. But, as obedient children, you must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who called you is holy. It is written, 'You will be holy, because I am holy.'"
- 1 Peter 1:13-16 (Common English Bible)
“[God] if he, the Christ, were Thy Reveler / Truly the First Begotten of the Lord, / Then must Thou be a Suff’rer and a Healer, / Pierced to the heart by the sorrow of the sword. / Then must it mean, not only that thy sorrow / Smote Thee that once upon the lonely tree, / But that today, tonight, and on the morrow, / Still will it come O Gallant God, to Thee.”
- G.A. Studdert Kennedy from, “The Suffering God”
Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice, your pain and suffering. Thank you for your love -- a love greater than we have ever known -- and your obedience even to the point of death on a cross. Lord, today we remember your wounds and the sins that you bore on that cross. Amen.
Kathleen Norris The Cloister Walk
2015 Kathleen Norris The Cloister Walk
"Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for [God's] good pleasure."
- Philippians 2:12-13
“For grace to be grace, it must give us things we didn't know we needed and take us places where we didn't know we didn't want to go. As we stumble through the crazily altered landscape of our lives, we find that God is enjoying our attention as never before.”
- Kathleen Norris, from Acedia & me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life
God, broaden my world view, that I might see you in people unlike me and in places where I dare not go. Help me to embrace all the different experiences and paths that have lead my brothers and sisters in Christ to you. Amen.
"Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for [God's] good pleasure."
- Philippians 2:12-13
“For grace to be grace, it must give us things we didn't know we needed and take us places where we didn't know we didn't want to go. As we stumble through the crazily altered landscape of our lives, we find that God is enjoying our attention as never before.”
- Kathleen Norris, from Acedia & me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life
God, broaden my world view, that I might see you in people unlike me and in places where I dare not go. Help me to embrace all the different experiences and paths that have lead my brothers and sisters in Christ to you. Amen.
Desmond Tutu
2/17/13 Desmond Tutu
"But the LORD says, 'Because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy, I’m now standing up. I will provide the help they are gasping for.' The LORD’s promises are pure, like silver that’s been refined in an oven, purified seven times over!"
- Psalm 12:5-6 (Common English Bible)
“After the grueling work of the commission I came away with a deep sense – indeed an exhilarating realization – that, although there is undoubtedly much evil about, we humans have a wonderful capacity for good. We can be very good. That is what fills me with hope for even the most intractable situations.”
- Desmond Tutu from, No Future Without Forgiveness
God, we pray for the families and the friends of the victims of yesterday's shooting at Oikos University. We pray for everyone at Oikos - the students and faculty - as well as the greater Oakland community. Lord, comfort them and give them peace. Amen.
Desmond Tutu
"But the LORD says, 'Because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy, I’m now standing up. I will provide the help they are gasping for.' The LORD’s promises are pure, like silver that’s been refined in an oven, purified seven times over!"
- Psalm 12:5-6 (Common English Bible)
“After the grueling work of the commission I came away with a deep sense – indeed an exhilarating realization – that, although there is undoubtedly much evil about, we humans have a wonderful capacity for good. We can be very good. That is what fills me with hope for even the most intractable situations.”
- Desmond Tutu from, No Future Without Forgiveness
God, we pray for the families and the friends of the victims of yesterday's shooting at Oikos University. We pray for everyone at Oikos - the students and faculty - as well as the greater Oakland community. Lord, comfort them and give them peace. Amen.
Desmond Tutu
Jean Vanier
2/16/13 Jean Vanier
"Haven’t you read this scripture, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes?'"
- Mark 12:10-11 (Common English Bible)
“Those with whom Jesus identifies himself are regarded by society as misfits. And yet Jesus is that person who is hungry; Jesus is that woman who is confused and naked. Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if we all discovered that? The face of the world would be changed.”
- Jean Vanier from, From Brokenness to Community
Almighty God, we know that you can do all things, and no plan of yours can be thwarted. We pray for your sons and daughters, in Africa and around the world, who are suffering from, or at risk for, malaria. Lord, bless and aide the malaria intervention programs so that they would be as effective and efficient as possible. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.
Adapted from the Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Arongo, Diocese of Tamale, Ghana
Almighty God, we know that you can do all things, and no plan of yours can be thwarted. We pray for your sons and daughters, in Africa and around the world, who are suffering from, or at risk for, malaria. Lord, bless and aide the malaria intervention programs so that they would be as effective and efficient as possible. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.
"Haven’t you read this scripture, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes?'"
- Mark 12:10-11 (Common English Bible)
“Those with whom Jesus identifies himself are regarded by society as misfits. And yet Jesus is that person who is hungry; Jesus is that woman who is confused and naked. Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if we all discovered that? The face of the world would be changed.”
- Jean Vanier from, From Brokenness to Community
Almighty God, we know that you can do all things, and no plan of yours can be thwarted. We pray for your sons and daughters, in Africa and around the world, who are suffering from, or at risk for, malaria. Lord, bless and aide the malaria intervention programs so that they would be as effective and efficient as possible. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.
Adapted from the Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Arongo, Diocese of Tamale, Ghana
Almighty God, we know that you can do all things, and no plan of yours can be thwarted. We pray for your sons and daughters, in Africa and around the world, who are suffering from, or at risk for, malaria. Lord, bless and aide the malaria intervention programs so that they would be as effective and efficient as possible. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.
Alice Walker
2/15/13 Alice Walker
"And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God."
- Philippians 1:9-11
“As Americans we have a rich history of both heroes and villains. If we cultivate the compassionate understanding that even the ‘worst’ people are undoubtedly doing the best that they know, and that this ‘knowing’ is often seized by ignorance, suffering, and fear, we can learn from them all.”
- Alice Walker, from We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For
God, you sent your son, Jesus, through Samaria. You sent him to talk to the lepers, beggars, tax collectors, and thieves. Through your son, you reconciled yourself to all things. Lord, with your power and wisdom, help us to reconcile with one another, especially to those who are not like us. Amen.
"And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God."
- Philippians 1:9-11
“As Americans we have a rich history of both heroes and villains. If we cultivate the compassionate understanding that even the ‘worst’ people are undoubtedly doing the best that they know, and that this ‘knowing’ is often seized by ignorance, suffering, and fear, we can learn from them all.”
- Alice Walker, from We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For
God, you sent your son, Jesus, through Samaria. You sent him to talk to the lepers, beggars, tax collectors, and thieves. Through your son, you reconciled yourself to all things. Lord, with your power and wisdom, help us to reconcile with one another, especially to those who are not like us. Amen.
Richard Rohr Franciscan friar
2/14/13 Richard Rohr Franciscan friar
"Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
- 2 Corinthians 3:1-3
“It’s a gift to joyfully recognize and accept our own smallness and ordinariness. Then you are free with nothing to live up to, nothing to prove, and nothing to protect. Such freedom is my best description of Christian maturity, because once you know that your 'I' is great and one with God, you can ironically be quite content with a small and ordinary 'I.' No grandstanding is necessary. Any question of your own importance or dignity has already been resolved once and for all and forever.”
- Richard Rohr
Sustaining God, you are the source of all life. Thank you for the gift of spring, the gift of new life. Help me to appreciate your beauty and your majesty today. Amen.
"Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
- 2 Corinthians 3:1-3
“It’s a gift to joyfully recognize and accept our own smallness and ordinariness. Then you are free with nothing to live up to, nothing to prove, and nothing to protect. Such freedom is my best description of Christian maturity, because once you know that your 'I' is great and one with God, you can ironically be quite content with a small and ordinary 'I.' No grandstanding is necessary. Any question of your own importance or dignity has already been resolved once and for all and forever.”
- Richard Rohr
Sustaining God, you are the source of all life. Thank you for the gift of spring, the gift of new life. Help me to appreciate your beauty and your majesty today. Amen.
Marilynne Robinson (author - GILEAD)
2/13/13 Marilynne Robinson (Author – Gilead)
"And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to [the Lord], to love the name of the Lord, and to be [the Lord's] servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered."
- Isaiah 56:6-8
“The moon looks wonderful in this warm evening light, just as a candle flame looks beautiful in the light of morning. Light within light...It seems to me to be a metaphor for the human soul, the singular light within that great general light of existence.”
- Marilynne Robinson, from Gilead
God of peace, we pray today for the country of Mali and its people. Bring about reconciliation between enemies -- rebels and the government -- so that peace and stability may be restored. Guide Malian leaders, and give them wisdom. Amen.
"And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to [the Lord], to love the name of the Lord, and to be [the Lord's] servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered."
- Isaiah 56:6-8
“The moon looks wonderful in this warm evening light, just as a candle flame looks beautiful in the light of morning. Light within light...It seems to me to be a metaphor for the human soul, the singular light within that great general light of existence.”
- Marilynne Robinson, from Gilead
God of peace, we pray today for the country of Mali and its people. Bring about reconciliation between enemies -- rebels and the government -- so that peace and stability may be restored. Guide Malian leaders, and give them wisdom. Amen.
Mahatma Gandhi
2/12/13 Mahatma Gandhi
"Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.’"
- Ezekiel 47:9, 12
"We have to make truth and nonviolence not matters for mere individual practice but for practice for groups and communities and nations. That at any rate is my dream. I shall live and die trying to realize it."
- Mahatma Gandhi
God, forgive us for our divisions, for creating idols that distract us from you. Help us, as the Church, to live into the reality that we are one body. Cleanse us, O God, so that we may please you and worship you. Amen.
"Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.’"
- Ezekiel 47:9, 12
"We have to make truth and nonviolence not matters for mere individual practice but for practice for groups and communities and nations. That at any rate is my dream. I shall live and die trying to realize it."
- Mahatma Gandhi
God, forgive us for our divisions, for creating idols that distract us from you. Help us, as the Church, to live into the reality that we are one body. Cleanse us, O God, so that we may please you and worship you. Amen.
Hans Urs Von Balthasar - Theologian
2/11/13 Hans Urs Von Balthasar
"The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing."
- Psalm 145:14-16
"The silence required of the Christian is not found fundamentally and primarily of human making. Rather, believers must realize that they already possess within themselves and at the same time in God the quiet, hidden “chamber” into which they are to enter and in which they are with [God].”
- Hans Urs Von Balthasar
We praise thee O God, we thank thee O Light, in whom darkness dwelleth not. And why we give thanks, I tell you I will be saved and I will save. I will be loosed and I will loose. I will be born and I will bear... Glory to God the Creator, Word, and Spirit. Amen.
"The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing."
- Psalm 145:14-16
"The silence required of the Christian is not found fundamentally and primarily of human making. Rather, believers must realize that they already possess within themselves and at the same time in God the quiet, hidden “chamber” into which they are to enter and in which they are with [God].”
- Hans Urs Von Balthasar
We praise thee O God, we thank thee O Light, in whom darkness dwelleth not. And why we give thanks, I tell you I will be saved and I will save. I will be loosed and I will loose. I will be born and I will bear... Glory to God the Creator, Word, and Spirit. Amen.
Anaïs Nin - author & diarist
2/10/13 Anaïs Nin
"But as for you, return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God."
- Hosea 12:6
"There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic."
- Anaïs Nin
"But as for you, return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God."
- Hosea 12:6
"There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic."
- Anaïs Nin
Evelyn Underhill - Mystic
2/9/13 Evelyn Underhill
"Surely [God's] salvation is at hand for those who fear [God], that [God's] glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky."
- Psalm 85:9-11
"Many people feel unaware of any guidance, unable to discern or understand the signals of God; not because the signals are not given, but because the mind is too troubled, clouded, and hurried to receive them."
- Evelyn Underhill
Heavenly parent, we pray today for the families and children that are wrongly discriminated against. May you continue to guard and guide their hearts, giving them strength and endurance. Amen.
"Surely [God's] salvation is at hand for those who fear [God], that [God's] glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky."
- Psalm 85:9-11
"Many people feel unaware of any guidance, unable to discern or understand the signals of God; not because the signals are not given, but because the mind is too troubled, clouded, and hurried to receive them."
- Evelyn Underhill
Heavenly parent, we pray today for the families and children that are wrongly discriminated against. May you continue to guard and guide their hearts, giving them strength and endurance. Amen.
John Lennon
2/8/13 John Lennon
"I pray that, according to the riches of [God's'] glory, [God] may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through [God's] Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love."
- Ephesians 3:16-17
"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace."
- John Lennon
O Lord, you alone are God. You are good, deserving of all my praise. Help me to surrender my life to you. Amen.
"I pray that, according to the riches of [God's'] glory, [God] may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through [God's] Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love."
- Ephesians 3:16-17
"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace."
- John Lennon
O Lord, you alone are God. You are good, deserving of all my praise. Help me to surrender my life to you. Amen.
G.K. Chesterton
2/7/13 G.K.CHESTERTON
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But as for you, [people of God], shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness."
- 1 Timothy 6:10-11
“So far from it being irreverent to use silly metaphors on serious questions, it is one’s duty to use silly metaphors on serious questions. It is the test of one’s seriousness. It is the test of a responsible religion or theory whether it can take examples of pots and pans and boots and butter-tubs. It is a test of a good philosophy whether you can defend it grotesquely. It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.”
- G.K. Chesterton, from All Things Considered
Burned out forest, and no one could do anything for me. But you put food in my body and water in my dry bed. And to my blackened branches you brought the springtime green of a new life. Lord, you have redeemed my soul. Surely, nothing is impossible for you. Amen.
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But as for you, [people of God], shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness."
- 1 Timothy 6:10-11
“So far from it being irreverent to use silly metaphors on serious questions, it is one’s duty to use silly metaphors on serious questions. It is the test of one’s seriousness. It is the test of a responsible religion or theory whether it can take examples of pots and pans and boots and butter-tubs. It is a test of a good philosophy whether you can defend it grotesquely. It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.”
- G.K. Chesterton, from All Things Considered
Burned out forest, and no one could do anything for me. But you put food in my body and water in my dry bed. And to my blackened branches you brought the springtime green of a new life. Lord, you have redeemed my soul. Surely, nothing is impossible for you. Amen.
"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." G.K. Chesterton
Thomas Merton
2/6/13 Thomas Merton
"Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.' But he said to him, 'Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?'"
- Luke 12:13-14
"And the wounded are healing, / though in a place of flame. / The sick in a great ship / Are riding. They are riding home. / Suppose the dead could crown their wit / With some intemperate exercise, / Spring wine from their ivory, / Or roses from their eyes?"
- Thomas Merton, from "A Responsory, 1948" in Selected Poems
God of peace, in Syria, where we see nothing but darkness, pain and suffering, would you be a light to all people. Would you soften the hearts of those who harm others, give perseverance to those in conflict, and grant wisdom and compassion to all in positions of leadership. May we always be mindful of the world around us, and continue to lift the people of Syria up to you. Amen.
"Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.' But he said to him, 'Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?'"
- Luke 12:13-14
"And the wounded are healing, / though in a place of flame. / The sick in a great ship / Are riding. They are riding home. / Suppose the dead could crown their wit / With some intemperate exercise, / Spring wine from their ivory, / Or roses from their eyes?"
- Thomas Merton, from "A Responsory, 1948" in Selected Poems
God of peace, in Syria, where we see nothing but darkness, pain and suffering, would you be a light to all people. Would you soften the hearts of those who harm others, give perseverance to those in conflict, and grant wisdom and compassion to all in positions of leadership. May we always be mindful of the world around us, and continue to lift the people of Syria up to you. Amen.
Thomas Merton
2/5/13 Raïsa Maritain
"When your children ask you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ Then you shall say to your children, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand."
- Deuteronomy 6:20-21
"It is an error to isolate oneself.... If God does not call one to solitude, one must live with God in the multitude, make [God] known there and make [God] loved."
- Raïsa Maritain
Almighty God, we pray for peace in the Middle East. We know, O Lord, that you bring peace, you will let justice rain down over all. Amen.
"When your children ask you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ Then you shall say to your children, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand."
- Deuteronomy 6:20-21
"It is an error to isolate oneself.... If God does not call one to solitude, one must live with God in the multitude, make [God] known there and make [God] loved."
- Raïsa Maritain
Almighty God, we pray for peace in the Middle East. We know, O Lord, that you bring peace, you will let justice rain down over all. Amen.
Raïsa Maritain
2/4/13 Charlotte Brontë
"Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured."
- Acts 5:14-16
“Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt! May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine. May you never appeal to Heaven in prayers so hopeless and so agised as in that hour left my lips: for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love.”
- Charlotte Brontë,
from Jane Eyre
God, we pray for those still affected by the famine in the horn of Africa. We pray that the hunger, the thirst, and the suffering would cease. God, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Amen.
"Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured."
- Acts 5:14-16
“Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt! May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine. May you never appeal to Heaven in prayers so hopeless and so agised as in that hour left my lips: for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love.”
- Charlotte Brontë,
from Jane Eyre
God, we pray for those still affected by the famine in the horn of Africa. We pray that the hunger, the thirst, and the suffering would cease. God, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Amen.
Charlotte Brontë
2/3/13
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God."
- Ephesians 2:19-22
"For me it is essential to have the inward peace and serenity of prayer in order to listen to the silence of God, which speaks to us, in our personal lives and in the history of our times, about the power of love."
- Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
God, we pray today for all the social workers in the United States and around the world. Give them bountiful strength and wisdom in their work, as many of the people they serve are broken and weary. For them, we pray for healing and restoration. Amen.
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God."
- Ephesians 2:19-22
"For me it is essential to have the inward peace and serenity of prayer in order to listen to the silence of God, which speaks to us, in our personal lives and in the history of our times, about the power of love."
- Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
God, we pray today for all the social workers in the United States and around the world. Give them bountiful strength and wisdom in their work, as many of the people they serve are broken and weary. For them, we pray for healing and restoration. Amen.
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
2/2/13
"David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: 'The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.'"
- 2 Samuel 22:1-3
“In abandoning the world we are lost; we are lost again and again. We may speak poignantly of the experience of being lost; but we cannot be clear about ourselves and our situation in so far as our thinking is dominated by that experience. Disillusionment with the world knows nothing of the sacrament of co-existence. It can find no place for the sacramental act. It can conjure out of itself no philosophy of action, for its ultimate implication is inaction.”
- Henry Bugbee, from The Inward Morning
O Lord God, when you give to your servants to endeavor any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but continuing of the same to the end, until it be thoroughly finished which yieldeth the true glory.
Attributed to Sir Francis Drake
"David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: 'The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.'"
- 2 Samuel 22:1-3
“In abandoning the world we are lost; we are lost again and again. We may speak poignantly of the experience of being lost; but we cannot be clear about ourselves and our situation in so far as our thinking is dominated by that experience. Disillusionment with the world knows nothing of the sacrament of co-existence. It can find no place for the sacramental act. It can conjure out of itself no philosophy of action, for its ultimate implication is inaction.”
- Henry Bugbee, from The Inward Morning
O Lord God, when you give to your servants to endeavor any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but continuing of the same to the end, until it be thoroughly finished which yieldeth the true glory.
Attributed to Sir Francis Drake
Henry Bugbee
2/1/13
"Those who ignore instruction despise themselves, but those who heed admonition gain understanding. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor."
- Proverbs 15:32-33
"Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy."
- Kahlil Gibran
God, grant me humility, that I might have wisdom and that I might be able to seek you more and more. Amen.
Kahlil Gibran
"Those who ignore instruction despise themselves, but those who heed admonition gain understanding. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor."
- Proverbs 15:32-33
"Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy."
- Kahlil Gibran
God, grant me humility, that I might have wisdom and that I might be able to seek you more and more. Amen.
Kahlil Gibran
Kahlil Gibran
1/31/13
"But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean."
- 2 Kings 5:13-14
"Dependence on God may be what is lacking in a society where consumerism and accumulation have become the root diseases of a world in which everything is not enough and nothing satisfies."
- Joan Chittister, from The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages
O God, you are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, and the fountain of blessings. Water us with plenteous streams from the riches of your grace; and from the most sweet springs of your kindness, make us children of quietness and heirs of peace. Amen.
From the Syrian Liturgy of St. Clement of Alexandria
Joan Chittister
"But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean."
- 2 Kings 5:13-14
"Dependence on God may be what is lacking in a society where consumerism and accumulation have become the root diseases of a world in which everything is not enough and nothing satisfies."
- Joan Chittister, from The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages
O God, you are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, and the fountain of blessings. Water us with plenteous streams from the riches of your grace; and from the most sweet springs of your kindness, make us children of quietness and heirs of peace. Amen.
From the Syrian Liturgy of St. Clement of Alexandria
Joan Chittister
Joan Chittister
JANUARY "PRAYER OF THE DAY" QUOTES
