SLEEPING PRAYER

I am placing my soul and my body
On Thy sanctuary this night, O God, 
On Thy sanctuary, O Jesus Christ, 
On Thy sanctuary, O Spirit of perfect truth,
The Three who would defend my cause,
Nor turn Their backs upon me. 

Thou, Father, who art kind and just, 
Thou, Son, who didst overcome death,
Thou, Holy Spirit of power, 
Be keeping me this night from harm; 
The Three who would justify me 
Keeping me this night and always. 
- From the Carmina Gadelica

Prayer in Times of Conflict

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ ~ ~ from The Book of Common Prayer

A Good Friday Benediction

The brutal scourge,

the thorny crown,

the cruel cross,

the intense pain,

the deep agony,

the merciless dying,

the horrific death,

the dark tomb,

the numbing shock,

the stunned silence.

Now we wait.

Though our hearts ache, we are not without hope.

But now . . . we wait.

We do not despair, for we have the promise.

But now . . . we wait.

The cross has spoken . . .

but the cross does not have the final word.

Death has spoken . . .

But death does not have the final word.

The tomb has made its decree . . .

but the tomb does not have the final word.

The final word belongs to Him who is the Resurrection and the Life.

And He will soon speak.

But now . . . we wait.

We go from this place, reflecting on the Cross, but anticipating the Resurrection, where death will be swallowed up in victory.

Now may the God of peace

who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,

the great shepherd of the sheep,

by the blood of the eternal covenant,

equip you with everything good that you may do his will,

working in us that which is pleasing in his sight,

through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

- Hebrews 13:20-21

Azariah's Prayer of Repentance

The following prayer of repentance is found in an apocryphal portion of the book of Daniel 3:25, 34-45. It is included in "Catholic versions" of the Bible. It is said to be the prayer Azariah (his Hebrew name, Abednego was his Babylonian name) prayed while in the fiery furnace. It is a beautiful prayer for the Lenten season.

²⁵ Then Azariah stood still in the fire and prayed aloud:
34  For your name’s sake do not give us up forever,
    and do not annul your covenant.
³⁵ Do not withdraw your mercy from us,
    for the sake of Abraham your beloved
    and for the sake of your servant Isaac
    and Israel your holy one,
³⁶ to whom you promised
    to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven
    and like the sand on the shore of the sea.
³⁷ For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any other nation,
    and are brought low this day in all the world because of our     sins.
³⁸ In our day we have no ruler, or prophet, or leader,
    no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,
    no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.
³⁹ Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be    accepted,
⁴⁰  as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls,
    or with tens of thousands of fat lambs;
    such may our sacrifice be in your sight today,
    and may we unreservedly follow you,
    for no shame will come to those who trust in you.
⁴¹ And now with all our heart we follow you;
    we fear you and seek your presence.
⁴² Do not put us to shame,
    but deal with us in your patience
    and in your abundant mercy.
⁴³ Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works,
    and bring glory to your name, O Lord.
44Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame;
    let them be disgraced and deprived of all power,
    and let their strength be broken.
⁴⁵ Let them know that you alone are the Lord God,
    glorious over the whole world.”
~ ~ ~ Taken from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Things Change

(Inspired by the Miracle at Cana in John's Gospel , chapter 2)

When Jesus manifests His power and glory things change:

• Water turns into the wine
• Law becomes grace
• Despair becomes hope
• Unbelief becomes trust
• Fear becomes faith
• Darkness becomes light
• Sorrow becomes joy
• Mourning turns into dancing
• Dry and barren deserts become fruitful gardens
• The downcast become the uplifted
• Broken people becomes whole people
• Sickness and pain becomes healing
• Bitterness becomes forgiveness
• Stale and stagnant become fresh
• Old becomes new
• Dying becomes eternal life
• Sinners becomes saints

May we walk in the manifest power and glory of the Lord this week.

May we see the Lord Jesus manifest His power and glory in our lives, in our families, in our churches, in our societies, in our nation, and in our world.
May the Lord bring about the changes we need in our lives. Amen.

Keep Christ in Christmas

The Story Begins Again

The Church calendar helps us tell the gospel story of Jesus. The following simple and succinct explanation of the Church year is given by Brian Zahnd:

ADVENT anticipates the coming of Messiah.
CHRISTMAS celebrates the birth of Jesus.
EPIPHANY remembers the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles.
LENT is the solemn journey to the cross.
EASTER is the celebration of the resurrection.
PENTECOST marks the birth of the church.
ORDINARY TIME (or Kingdom Time) leads us through the year and back to Advent.

Glory to God

Glory to you, O God, Creator and Father,

for the universe in which we live, 

and for men made in your own image. 

Glory to you, O Christ,

who took a human body and redeemed our fallen nature. 

Glory to you, O Holy Spirit, 

who made our bodies the temple of your presence. 

Glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

 whose will it is that we should be made whole

 in body, mind and spirit. 

Glory to God to all eternity.

~ ~ ~ George Appleton (1902-1993)

Grant Us Grace

O Lord our God,

grant us grace to desire thee with our whole heart,

that so desiring, we may seek and find thee; 

and so finding thee we may love thee; 

and loving thee we may hate those sins from which thou hast redeemed us;

for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen

~ ~ ~ Anselm (1033-1109)

How Great Is Your Goodness

How great is your goodness, dear Lord!
Blessed are you for ever!
May all created things praise you, O God,
for loving us so much that we can truthfully speak
of your fellowship with mankind, even in this earthly exile;
and however virtuous we may be,
our virtue always depends on your great warmth
and generosity, dear Lord.
Your bounty is infinite.
How wonderful are your works!

~ ~ ~ St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

A Prayer for Communion (Tozer)

Dear Lord and Savior, we come to your table in faith, for you have told us, "As often as you do this, do it in memory of Me." Help us to celebrate this remembrance of death and resurrection in the very best way we know how. Do then, we pray Thee, overshadow us with Thy very breathing Presence. Breathe on us, O Breath of God; quicken and heal and purify and cleanse. Strengthen and perfect that which is wanting in us. Bless the strangers and the friends who happen to be within our gates today. Dear Lord, make them sense that they have found a home among us as we worship, and to realize that they are just as much "owners" here as we are; for it is the Lord's house and the Lord's table—it is not ours. We are all guests and children in the household—all of us! And we pray that we may love Thee acceptably, for we would not wound Thee again! Thou didst love us with such poured-out love that not even the blood in Thy veins was dear enough to Thee—we were dearer than that blood! All of this we ask in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. ~ ~ ~ A. W. Tozer

PRAYER FOR RESTLESS DISCOMFORT

May God bless you with discontent with easy answers, half truths, superficial relationships, so that you will live from deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, abuse, and exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, equality, and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and to change their pain to joy.

May God bless you with the foolishness to think you can make a difference in this world, so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done.

If you have the courage to accept these blessings, then God will also bless you with
      happiness—because you will know that you have made life better for others.
      inner peace—because you will have worked to     secure an outer peace for others.
      laughter—because your heart will be light.
      faithful friends—because they will recognize your worth as a person.

These blessings are yours—not for the asking, but for the giving—from One who wants to be your companion, our God, who lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen.

Sister Ruth Fox, OSB
Sacred Heart Monastery
Richardton, ND