Reflection   “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” –M. Scott Peck   Prayer   Gracious God,  As we extend your healing compassion to others in need today, help us to be fully present and truly to liste

Prayer

Gracious God,

As we extend your healing compassion to others in need today, help us to be fully present and truly to listen to patients and families and all those we encounter. Enable us to quiet our minds and give them our undivided attention, honoring their words in a way that reflects your attentive care for us. May our hearts be open to truly hear, understand, and respond to them with compassion and grace, so that our service to them mirrors the same focus and devotion that you so graciously show to us daily. Amen.

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Prayer

God of the journey,

As we celebrate Lunar New Year today, we take time to appreciate the gift of each and every day, for the new beginning each day gives us to live our best selves in community with others, all for the sake of your good purposes among us. Inspire us simply to keep going on the journeys to which you have called and equipped each of us, no matter what. For those who are tempted to stop, let neighbors, friends, and colleagues support and encourage them to take just the next step in the right direction. Amen.

     

 
    Reflection   “Surely, I wait for the LORD; who bends down to me and hears my cry,   Draws me up from the pit of destruction, out of the muddy clay,   Sets my feet upon rock, steadies my steps,   And puts a new song in my mouth, a hymn to

Prayer

God our deliverer,

It is often hard to wait on you and listen for your voice, especially when we feel ourselves sinking in the midst of challenging circumstances. For all those today who are sick, suffering, or otherwise in need of deliverance, we ask you to hear their cries and respond to their prayers. Use us as your instruments of healing today so that, to the best of our ability, we might guide them to wholeness through compassionate actions that can restore their footing, steady their steps, and revive their hope yet again. As we all learn to wait on you, we pray. Amen.

     

 
    Reflection   “To make the improving of our own character our central aim is hardly the highest kind of goodness. True goodness forgets itself and goes out to do the right thing for no other reason than that it is right.” –Lesslie Newbigi

Prayer

Always good God,

Our lives are always driven by a mixture of motives, yet we invite you to purify our hearts today, so that our service on behalf of others will better reflect the generous blessings of your own goodness and love. No matter what we’ve been called to do today, empower us to do it selflessly and for the right reasons. With hope and expectation, use our words and deeds to transform the brokenness around us while providing new paths of healing and wholeness, in service to the common good. Amen.

     

 
    Reflection   “Choose to be optimistic. It feels better.” –the Dalai Lama   Prayer   Liberating God,  In the course of a day we are confronted with many events beyond our control. It’s tempting at times to feel like victims of circumstanc

Prayer

Liberating God,

In the course of a day we are confronted with many events beyond our control. It’s tempting at times to feel like victims of circumstance, tempted to negativity. When this kind of pessimism starts to swell in our hearts, help us to stop, retrieve our composure, and remember the freedom you have won for us. May we freely choose to have a better attitude filled with a hope that can inspire us and overflow to those around us. Amen.

     

 
    Reflection   “The planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. . . . It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to

Prayer

Gracious Spirit,

Our culture invites us to adopt a narrow vision of success, driven by self-preservation, self-realization, and self-promotion. Yet these are the buzz words of a lonely existence, over-inflated with self-concern. As a ministry called to turn outward in service to others, help us keep our focus on what truly matters for the life and vitality of our communities, so that we may continue providing good help where it’s needed most. In pursuit of peace and healing, compassion and belonging, love and cooperation, we pray.  Amen.

Bon Secours Day

Bon Secours Day

Prayer

Loving God,

We gather in Your presence today to celebrate the Sisters of Bon Secours and the many ways they have shared Your healing, compassion, and liberation so faithfully, for over two hundred years. We take time as well to renew our commitment to the mission we share with them, as Bon Secours Mercy Health, mindful of our calling to extend their legacy by continuing to bring good help to those in need, both in the United States and in Ireland. Inspire us by Your Spirit and give us Your joy, as we use our gifts in the service of others. In Your name we pray, Amen.