Prayer
Prayer is being in relationship with the Holy. It doesn't have to be spoken, it may be felt.
It is the connection that is the essence of prayer. When you turn your attentive to the presence of the Holy, in that moment that is prayer.
Prayer takes work but if you are willing it can and will change your life.
Written and spoken prayers are created to encourage the connection but it is only the beginning.
As you read or hear a prayer you are invited to deepen the relationship with your God.
Let your mind and heart speak to God and listen for a response.
The prayers below are mine unless otherwise credited.
In this section I will post prayers from many sources, thoughts about prayer and some methods of praying. I hope they will be helpful.
A PRAYER FOR OUR NATION
Oh God in Your mercy free us from ourselves.
Let us love. Let hatred leave our thoughts.
Let forgiveness come to us and from us.
Open our hearts wide to embrace rather than shun.
Open our minds to understand that we are all human beings with needs.
Open our hands
To let go of some things that control us and
To grab on to things that make the world a better place.
Open our mouths to speak the truth to ignorance and injustice
To give voice to those who currently have no voice
To encourage others to care
To offer words to uplift and support and not diminish or shame.
Open our ears and eyes
To see the needs
To hear those who cry out for help
To witness the good in the world and make known the cruelties
To acknowledge and accept people in their desire to live their life freely.
O Holy One, give us a sense of self worth that dictates our treatment of others.
Let us live our lives as if we know that each action matters.
Let us behave as if every life on earth matters
And Let it explode throughout humanity.
AMEN
Winter Prayer
In winter we we are reminded of great potential as we look on dormant trees with abandoned nests.
Soon spring will come but deep down there is stored for that time when all will be made new.
O Holy one help us to see that potential in ourselves when we are in a state of dormancy or lacking energy in this season of cold and low light.
Renew us, let us be filled for what is to come and not rush the process.
If we pause to be filled we might be more attentive to what you might have in store for us. Amen
Autumn Prayer
Oh God of Autumn, the earth shouts out your greatness in breathtaking reds, yellows, golds, oranges, greens and browns.
Thanks you dearly for breathing life into being at the beginning of creation and for showing us yourself each and every day.
Summer Prayer
O God as we feel the warmth of the sun heating up the earth and helping things grow, we pray for the world and all you have created.
Spring
God of Springtime, in this time of Lent I pray that you make me new like the beautiful flowers that pop out of the sleeping earth.
They lend their brilliant color to a somber grey/brown scene, reminding us of the hope Your loving presence give to us even in times of struggle, pain and loss.
I want to be transformed and to be continually transforming into the person you want me to be for this place and time and always.
Thank You, O God!
AMEN.
As the World Hurts
Loving God, we see all the hurt and struggle in the world.
People are suffering from want of food, shelter, and water.
Babies cry out but no one is there to hold them.
Children see their parents gunned down before their eyes.
The mountain comes falling down on them, Another bomb explodes.
A woman is sold into slavery. Oil pours out into the river.
Crops are lost to drought. Fires burn and consume homes.
There are so many needs around the world. Corrupt individuals take advantage of their power.
Greedy ones lose respect for life. We know you are mindful of all Your creation.
Help us open ourselves to these needs and make a difference.
Help us to know how to love one another in these trying times.
Open our hearts to share the many gifts you so abundantly give so that everyone has what they need.
Break open our hardened hearts to be your presence in the world of hurt.
We know that we cannot solve all the problems of the earth alone but with Your love and grace we can each care for people so that the care for one becomes care for many and your love will be spread exponentially, loving one another as you love to give comfort, aid, and the basic things needed to survive in a world full of pain.
AMEN
Invocation
O God , Surround us with you love, envelop us in your grace,
clothe us with your compassion.
Send forth your spirit so we may hear your word and internalize it for your lives.
We come before you as open vessels ready to be filled.
Published in From the Psalms to the Cloud
, by M Mankin and M Tirabassi
A Prayer To Begin the Day
Good morning God!
I greet the new day by realizing that I am breathing and in that breath recognizing your spirit moving in me.
I praise you and am filled with gratitude for another day.
Please help me be aware of your presence with me throughout the day so that I may live a life that reflects your greatness.
Let me be a positive addition to your creation of a new day.
Help me to make good choices, to love and respect others and see your light in them, and to face challenges head on knowing you are with me always.
Amen
A Prayer For Healing
O God of the Universe, who created all there is from the highest mountain to the tiniest microbe, Your love is endless and all encompassing.
Please send your healing power on (Name).
Make him/her whole again.
Take the pain away, strengthen the body's defenses, increase the body's healing power which in your wisdom you made part of the living being.
The healing capacity of the human body is great.
Let this disease process leave this body, let it heal and let (Name) be strong.
Help him/her to trust in you, to not give in to despair, and to be strengthened in the fight.
Support your child in her/his need so that (s)he does not tire, and continues to have the will to be well.
Please be with those who care for (Name) so that we might be a source of comfort and support as well.
In the name of Jesus, the Christ, we pray.
Amen
Prayer For Discernment
O God of all, you give so abundantly to your people.
As we enter into a time of discernment we ask you to walk with us.
Help us to listen to your voice in the midst of the thoughts, ideas and suggestions we hear.
Please give us wisdom to weigh options, the strength to accept other possibilities,
the trust to give it over to you for your guidance, and the hope for a holy outcome.
Your love is unconditional and we know that your desire for us is
that we find the best for our growth, health and well being.
We want to live a life full of your grace.
We open our hearts and minds to You.
Amen
A prayer for the graduates
O Holy One, you have blessed [name] with a mind that can learn and grasp ideas, and think. We celebrate this time of transition. It is the end of one phase but the beginning of another. Please hold your child(ren) in your loving embrace as (s)he/ they face(s) a new world. Help him[her/them] to put the fear of the unknown aside, to be open to the possibilities of the future. Let the joy of graduation carry him[her/them] to the next steps. Give wisdom, confidence and courage so that [name] can be successful in whatever choice is made. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
Prayer For our Children
Precious life giving God, we place our children in your loving care. Please help us to give them the space they need to grow, the wisdom to know when to intercede, and the strength to do all that is necessary to help them on their way. O God, give each of them inner peace in a world that is not so easy, where fear is a real presence. Help them to feel Your Holy presence in their lives, so that trust and assurance are more deeply known than worry. When everyday violence is commonly witnessed in news, movies, games, and even bullying behavior in school and on social media, help them know your love and act accordingly. Thank you dear God for the chance to share the lives of your dear ones, guide us in our care. Amen
Prayer of St. Francis – Hymn version set to music by Sebastian Temple
Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love,
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,
And where there's doubt true faith in you.
Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope,
Where there is darkness, only light,
And where there's sadness, ever joy.
O Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved, as to love with all my soul!
Make me a channel of your peace:
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving of ourselves that we receive,
And in dying that we are born to eternal life.
A small prayer for the new Pope – Pope Francis.
Most Holy God of All, I ask for your special care and guidance for Pope Francis as he begins in Your service as leader of the world's catholics. Please give him wisdom and courage. I pray that he will turn to You in everything he does. Amen