Prayers

God, lead me today to those whom I need and
those who need me, and let something I do have some eternal significance.

God of life, thank you for giving me this day. This day may I love You with all my heart, with all my soul and all my mind. Receive the worship of my heart, may I live my life in praise of you. You make all things possible. Make it possible for me to forgive from my heart. Relieve me of the burdens of the stings I bear within my soul. May what I do and say give honor to you. Help me to offer you what is yours: my very self . Father, you promise to be with us until the close of the age. Help me not to fear life or death, for you are with me in all things.. Heal me of my illnesses and afflictions. Send your healing power upon all who suffer in body, mind and, spirit. Use me in your work to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to welcome the stranger, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick and the imprisoned. By Your grace make us whole. Amen

Lord inspire us today with the qualities of good leadership. Give us insight to make wise decisions, integrity to face the truth, courage to make difficult choices and compassion for the needs of others. Make us a model of justice and honor to the world, and let us never forget that our job is to serve, both you and others. Amen

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, Pardon. Where there is doubt, Faith. Where there is darkness, Light and where there is sadness, joy. Father, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console, to be understood, as to understand, to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning, that we are pardoned, it is in dying, that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. (by Thomas Merton)

Holy Spirit,
grant that people of every race and nation may understand one another,
and as one, proclaim the praises of God.
Grant that all may be one, as you, Spirit, with the Father and the Son
are one God, one Lord.
Grant unity to the Body of Christ; grant unity to the human family.

Dear God,
You said that You created each of us different
and that we are special. Then why do some people
consider me different just because of my color,
my race, my religion, or the clothes I wear?
I remember that You also were an outcast and
that You didn't try to hide it from anyone. You stood up
for your beliefs and even died for them.
Help me to stand up and not hide my beliefs either.
I am still young and don't fully understand everything,
but I trust that you know what is best for me.

Lord, teach us to be generous,
teach us to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for any reward,
except that of knowing that we are doing your will.

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits and blessings
which You have given me,
For all the pains and insults
which You have borne for me.
Merciful friend, Brother and Redeemer,
May I know You more clearly,
Love You more dearly,
And follow you more nearly,
Day by day.

God, give me the courage to be revolutionary
as your Son Jesus was
Give me the courage to loosen myself from this world.
Teach me to stand up free.
Allow me to warm the often cold, impersonal
scene of modern life with your burning love.
Strengthen me, by your Holy Spirit
to carry out my mission of changing the world
or some definite part of it, for the better.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Prayer to Abolish the Death Penalty (by Helen Prejean, CSJ)
God of Compassion,
You let your rain fall on the just and the unjust.
Expand and deepen our hearts
so that we may love as You love
even those among us
who have caused the greatest pain by taking life.
For there is in our land a great cry for vengeance
as we fill up death rows and kill the killers
in the name of justice, in the name of peace.

Jesus, our brother,
you suffered execution at the hands of the state
but you did not let hatred overcome you.
Help us to reach out to victims of violence
so that our enduring love may help them heal.

Holy Spirit of God,
You strengthen us in the struggle for justice.
Help us to work tirelessly
for the abolition of state-sanctioned death
and to renew our society in its very heart
so that violence will be no more.      Amen.

Dear God,
Please help me to always be proud of my faith.
Even in times of trial and discrimination, help me to never
shame what I believe. Let me grow to be a strong, true
Christian who loves You more than anything else.
Give me the courage to face those who try to do wrong.
Give me strength to be the good person I strive to be.

Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of life. Thanks for family, friends,
and even animals which roam the earth. Thank you
for making us all such a diverse species. Help me
to always nurture life and its beings. Help me to care
for your creatures. Help me to love all the animals
that you call your own. Help me to treat them as
I wish to be treated.

Prayer For Unity
Holy Spirit,
grant that people of every race and nation
may understand one another,
and as one, proclaim the praises of God.
Grant that all may be one,
as you, Spirit, with the Father and the Son
are one God, one Lord.
Grant unity to the Body of Christ;
grant unity to the human family.

Each of us is different
Dear God,
You said that You created each of us different
and that we are special. Then why do some people
consider me different just because of my color,
my race, my religion, or the clothes I wear?
I remember that You also were an outcast and
that You didn't try to hide it from anyone. You stood up
for your beliefs and even died for them.
Help me to stand up and not hide my beliefs either.
I am still young and don't fully understand everything,
but I trust that you know what is best for me.
Amen! (by David Le)

St. Ignatius' Prayer for Generosity
Lord, teach us to be generous,
teach us to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for any reward,
except that of knowing
that we are doing your will.

Day by Day
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits and blessings
which You have given me,
For all the pains and insults
which You have borne for me.
Merciful friend, Brother and Redeemer,
May I know You more clearly,
Love You more dearly,
And follow you more nearly,
Day by day.

God, give me the courage
God, give me the courage to be revolutionary
as your Son Jesus was.
Give me the courage to loosen myself from this world.
Teach me to stand up free.
Allow me to warm the often cold, impersonal
scene of modern life with your burning love.
Strengthen me, by your Holy Spirit
to carry out my mission of changing the world
or some definite part of it, for the better.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Psalm 23
The lord is my sheperd I shall not want
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul
And guides my path in righteousness
For his name’s sake.
Surely goodness and loving kindness
Shall follow me al the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the lord
Forever and ever and ever.
Though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death
I will not fear, thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table
Before me in the presence of my enemies.
Thou anointest my head with oil
My cup overflows
Surely goodness and loving kindness
Shall follow me al the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the lord
Forever and ever and ever.

Prayers for the EARTH

O GOD,
we thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the ocean and streams, for the towering hills and the whispering wind, for the trees and green grass. We thank you for our senses by which we hear the songs of birds, and see the splendor of fields of golden wheat, and taste autumn's fruit, and rejoice in the feel of snow, and smell the breath of spring flowers.
GRANT US a heart opened wide to all this beauty; and save us from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even the common thorn bush is aflame with your glory. For each new dawn is filled with infinite possibilities for new beginnings and new discoveries. Life is constantly changing and renewing itself. In this new day of new beginnings with God, all things are possible. We are restored and renewed in a joyous awakening to the wonder that our lives are and, yet, can be.     Amen.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote many years ago:
"There is no place where God is not. God is there in a thousand wonders, upholding rocky barriers, filling the buttercups with their perfume and refreshing the lonely pines with the breath of his mouth. Descend…into the lowest depths of the ocean, where undisturbed water sleeps, and the very sand is motionless in unbroken quiet, but the glory of the Lord is there, revealing its excellence in the silent palace of the sea. Borrow the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the sea, but God is there."
His beauty is stamped in all of creation:
The glory of God can be seen
from the smallest raindrop to the mighty flash of lightning;
from the tiny rosebud to the huge magnolia blossom;
from the rich, fertile soil of the Mississippi Delta to the arid, dusty land of the desert.
We can see His stamp of glory in all the world,
from the music of a sparkling brook to the majestic tumbling waterfall;
from the gnarled, gentle hands of a loving grandfather to the birth-fresh fragility of a baby’s fingernail;
from the silence of the stars to the peal of thunder;
from the mirror-like smoothness of a placid lake to the wind-driven thunderous waves smashing on the shore.
In the fresh greenery of the spring; in the dazzling color of autumn; in the joy of discovery on a baby’s face; and in the fulfillment and meaning of the New Birth, we can see the glory of God.

The Sacred Seven Prayers
O Great Spirit, who art before all else and who dwells in every object, in every person and in every place, we cry unto Thee. We summon Thee from the far places into our present awareness.
O Great Spirit of the North, who gives wings to the waters of the air and rolls the thick snowstorm before Thee, Who covers the Earth with a sparkling crystal carpet above whose deep tranquility every sound is beautiful. Temper us with strength to withstand the biting blizzards, yet make us thankful for the beauty which follows and lies deep over the warm Earth in its wake.
O Great Spirit of the East, the land of the rising Sun, Who holds in Your right hand the years of our lives and in Your left the opportunities of each day. Brace us that we may not neglect our gifts nor lose in laziness the hopes of each day and the hopes of each year.

O Great Spirit of the South, whose warm breath of compassion melts the ice that gathers round our hearts, whose fragrance speaks of distant springs and summer days, dissolve our fears, melt our hatreds, kindle our love into flames of true and living realities. Teach us that he who is truly strong is also kind, he who is wise tempers justice with mercy, he who is truly brave matches courage with compassion.

O Great Spirit of the West, the land of the setting Sun, with Your soaring mountains and free, wide rolling prairies, bless us with knowledge of the peace which follows purity of striving and the freedom which follows like a flowing robe in the winds of a well-disciplined life. Teach us that the end is better than the beginning and that the setting sun glorifies not in vain.

O Great Spirit of the heavens, in the day's infinite blue and amid the countless stars of the night season, remind us that you are vast, that you are beautiful and majestic beyond all of our knowing or telling, but also that you are no further from us than the tilting upwards of our heads and the raising of our eyes.

O Great Spirit of Mother Earth beneath our feet, Master of metals, Germinator of seeds and the Storer of the Earth's unreckoned resources, help us to give thanks unceasingly for Your present bounty.

O Great Spirit of our souls, burning in our heart's yearning and in our innermost aspirations, speak to us now and always so that we may be aware of the greatness and goodness of Your gift of life and be worthy of this priceless privilege of living.

God of unchangeable power, when you fashioned the world, the morning stars sang together and the host of heaven shouted for joy: Open our souls to the wonders of creation and teach us to manage faithfully the riches of this good earth, to the honor of your glorious name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ...

O heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty. Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness. For the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Creator God,
whose Spirit moved over the face of the waters,
who gathers the seas into their places
and directs the courses of the rivers,
who sends rain upon the earth
that it should bring forth life:
we praise you for the gift of water.

Redeemer God,
who spared Noah and creatures of every kind
from the waters of the flood,
who led your people over dry land through the sea
and across the Jordan to the land of promise,
who marks our adoption as children
with the sign of water:
we thank you for the gift of water.

Sustaining God,
create in us such a sense of wonder and delight
in this and all your gifts,
that we might receive them with gratitude,
care for them with love
and generously share them with all your creatures,
to the honor and glory of your holy name.

Gracious God, your amazing love extends through all time and space, to all parts of your creation, which you created and called good. You made a covenant with Noah and his family, putting a rainbow in the sky to symbolize your promise of love and blessing to every living creature, and to all successive generations. You made a covenant with Abraham and Sarah, blessing them and their descendants throughout the generations. You made a covenant with Moses and the Israelite people to all generations, giving them the 10 commandments and challenging them to choose life. In Jesus, you invite us to enter into a new covenant, in communion with all who seek to be faithful to you.
As people of faith, we are called into covenant. Your covenant of faithfulness and love extends to the whole creation. We pray for the healing of the earth, that present and future generations may enjoy the fruits of creation, and continue to glorify and praise you.

You alone are unutterable,
form the time you created all things
that can be spoken of.
You alone are unknowable,
from the time you created all things
that can be known.

All things cry out about you;
those which speak,
and those which cannot speak.
All things honor you; those which think,
and those which cannot think.
For there is one longing, one groaning,
that all things have for you ...
All things pray to you that comprehend your plan
and offer you a silent hymn.
In you, the One, all things abide,
and all things endlessly run to you who are the end of all.

Creator God, you make all things
and weave them together in an intricate tapestry of life.
Teach us to respect the fragile balance of life and to care for all the gifts of your creation.
Guide by your wisdom those who have power and authority,
that, by the decisions they make, life may be cherished
and a good and fruitful Earth may continue to show your glory and sing your praises.

Almighty God,
you have called us to tend and keep the garden of your creation.
Give us wisdom and reverence for all your plants and animals who share this planet with us and whose lives make possible our own.
Help us to remember that they too love the sweetness of life and join with us in giving you praise.

Prayer of Compassion   (By St. Basil the Great, 330-379.)
O God, enlarge within us the sense of
fellowship with all living things,
our brothers the animals to whom thou
gavest the earth as their home in
common with us.
We remember with shame that in the past
we have exercised the high dominion
of man with ruthless cruelty
so that the voice of the earth,
which should have gone up to thee
in song, has been a groan of travail.
May we realize that they live not for
us alone but for themselves and for
thee, and that they love
the sweetness of live.

Prayer of Praise    (By St. Gregory Nazianzen, c.330-389)
You alone are unutterable, form the time you created all things
that can be spoken of.
You alone are unknowable, from the time you created all things
that can be known.
All things cry out about you; those which speak,
and those which cannot speak.
All things honor you; those which think,
and those which cannot think.
For there is one longing, one groaning,
that all things have for you ...
All things pray to you that comprehend your plan
and offer you a silent hymn.
In you, the One, all things abide, and all things
endlessly run to you who are the end of all.



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