In Your Power

Dear God,

Although we know that You control the universe and at Your will anything and all things can change: Let us do Your will, turning our wills to Yours. Abled in Your power, we can do the work for which You made us.

Listen Heed Follow

Lord,

Let us learn this lesson well:

Your words are eternal life. All we must do is listen, heed and follow. It is not our work to say, “This is what He really meant” so that we may run in a direction of our own choosing. Keep our feet on the path of Your choosing, O God.

Call to the Lord

Call upon the name of the Lord,

In peace, in trouble;

In beauty, in devastation;

In joy, in sorrow;

Lift your eyes to His holy mountain,

Lift your heart to Heaven,

Lift your voice and call upon His name.

All Creation Sings

Lord,

We praise you for what is created, and we praise you with what has been created. This earth, our island home, resonates with praise for you. Let the birds sing, and the animals call, the seas sigh and roar, the wind trumpet and the very rocks cry out. We join with them in the voices of angels, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna!’

Wise Use of Knowledge

Lord of All,

Give us hearts to use knowledge wisely, whether it is of our own discovery or learned from others. Show us the way to turn our curiosity, intelligence and learning to Your glory. Keep us from misusing the intimacy of the universe for our own gain, our own hubris. Let us help others, enlighten darkness, extend the hand of love You give us. Kill in us pride and temptation.

A Prayer for Patience

Lord, You know I hurry too much. I want to get it done, finish it, move on. I want to say what I will say. I am always haunted by a strong desire to get away and be on my own.

But You have put me in places with people who need my time. While quiet time is necessary, so is patient listening and attention. If my desire to escape were only that I could be with You in prayer, it would be more understandable. Instead, it is often to merely withdraw from the needs of others.

Give me the right kind of patience, Lord. Patience with others, patience with myself, to build a Church of love and relation.

For Morning Light

Dear Creator God,

Each day the sun comes to us. In summer, it is bright, warm and inviting. In the winter, it is gentler, dimmer, and distant. And yet we welcome it, whether we are in summer’s pastures and breezes, or behind walls, sheltered from winter winds. It is the source of our life on Earth, and it is the symbol of Your presence in our lives. When it is dark, we sleep and wait for light to return. When it is too intense, we must slow down and work mindfully. When it is dim, we stay away from harsh weather, and hope for the return of spring. If we grow in Your wisdom, Lord, we know there are seasons in faith, not one better than the others, and all necessary to the full cycle of our time on Earth. Shine Your grace upon us, Lord, and keep us walking in Your light.

Merely Enough Today

Dear God,

I do not want to be burdened with having too much. I also know that what I consider merely enough is more than I truly need. Lead me, Lord, to know that what I have is not mine, but Yours. If I truly believe in this holy way of life, in being the subject of Lady Poverty, then make my heart willing to give up anything You call me to share with another.

The Strange Blessings

Dear Father,

Much of what we receive in life is what we thought we did not want. We complain and cry to You, and do not recognize these gifts. We thank You instead for what holds us back from real communion. We are grateful for our complacency, and not for the cleansing fire. Open our eyes, Lord, to the real gifts of life. Help us to put down the useless baggage we carry of desire and possession.

For the Saints

Beloved Father,

You have created Your children to be wonderful. When we have gone astray, You have called us back to You. You have granted us eternal life in Jesus Christ, the Son of Your very nature. And You have given us the family of saints, the brothers and sisters who have been courageous, kind, holy, and strong. The diversity of Your gifts is apparent in their communion.

Father, make me a saint. Fill my heart with the holy love of the Spirit, so that I, too, can walk in Your ways and enlighten the world as those who went before us have.