Prayers

St. Patrick's Breastplate

Christ be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie,
Christ where I sit,
Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every many who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.



Draw Me to Yourself

In this moment
draw me to yourself, Lord,
and make me aware
not so much of what I've given
as of all I have received
and so have yet to share.

Send me forth
in power and gladness
and with great courage
to live out in the world
what I pray and profess,
that, in sharing,
I may do justice,
make peace,
gorw in love,
enjoy myself,
other people,
and your world now,
and you forever.





The Morning Offering
Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of this morning.
I offer you all that I am this day.
I offer you:
My mind that it may be open to your understanding of the meaning of life,
My mouth to speak your words of peace,
My feet to follow where you would lead me,
My eyes to see the world as you do,
My sensitivity to the pain of people around me,
My faith to believe in God in the midst of suffering,
My hope to heal those you would heal through me,
My love of others to reflect your live of everyone,
My whole being that I may grow through your spirit.




May you be blessed with the Spirit of Abundance - to see deeply, to live boldly, and to share the truly abundant life in the midst of want and worry.

May you be blessed with the Spirit of Openness - to share your whole self and to receive freely the gifts and challenges of new moments in new mission.

May you be blessed with the Spirit of Abundance - to continue to live the beauty and journey of mission, to share the stories of hope in the midst of want and worry.

May you be blessed with the Spirit of Openness - to embrace the present moment; its uncertainties, promise of responsibility, bittersweet endings and new beginnings.

May you be blessed with the Spirit of Abundance, which transcends all difficulties, to live and work from a place of possibilities.

May you be blessed with the Spirit of Openness - to hear and respond to the movement of all that calls us closer to the Source of Life.





O God,
Who am I now?
Once I was secure
In familiar territory
In my sense of belonging
Unquestioning of
The norms of my culture
The assumptions built into my language
The values shared by my society.

But now you have called me out and away from home
And I do not know where you are leading.
I am empty, unsure, uncomfortable.
I have only a beckoning star to follow.

Journeying God,
Pitch your tent with mine
So that I may not become deterred
By hardship, strangeness, doubt.
Show me the movement I must make
Toward a wealth not dependent on possessions
Toward a wisdom not based on books
Toward a strength not bolstered by might
Toward a God not confined to heaven
But scandalously earthed, poor, unrecognized . . .

Help me to find myself
As I walk in others' shoes.

Kate Compston




Blessing for Equilibrium

* Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore, may the music of laughter break through your soul.
* As the wind wants to make everything dance, may your gravity be lightened by grace.
* Like the freedom of the monastery bell, may clarity of mind make your eyes smile.
* As water takes whatever shape it is in, so free may you be about who you become.
* As silence smiles on the other side of what's said, may a sense of irony give perspective.
* As time remains free of all that it frames, may fear or worry never put you in chains.
May your prayer of listening deepen enough to hear in the distance the laughter of God.




Prayer for Discernment
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 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 that 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 will do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will 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.

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude



Dear Lord,
I do not ask to see the path. In darkness, in anguish and in fear I will hang on tightly to your hand and I will close my eyes so that you know how much trust I place in you.

Blessed Mary Elizabeth HasselbladI



I turn this situation over to you, knowing you love me and are in control of my days. Help me to live believing you are constantly working in my behalf. And let me be on the lookout today for evidences of your miracle touch.

Shared by Lyn Smith



Go forth in peace
Don't fear the darkness,
Your life and ours
Are one in the Lord.
Though you don't know this road
He walks before you
And waits ahead with open arms
To welcome you.
So lift your eyes
Set down your burden
Make your step light
And greet this day with joy.

When we are weary
And cannot face the morning
He carried us safely
Within his loving arms.
Wherever we go now
We're never alone.
Wherever we go now
We're only going home.

Vicki Armour-Hileman