Prayer

Life eternal,

We remember today your many faithful witnesses, who shared your good news and embodied your love in the face of misunderstanding, hostility, and even the threat of death. We especially remember today the Irish Martyrs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, who were willing to share in the ultimacy of your sacrifice, upon their own soil within their own homeland. In memory of them and others like them today, we pray for the day when our world is transformed and death will be no more, when no one will pay for their faith, hope, and love with their lives. Until that day comes, may we all consider more thoughtfully that the way we face death is another way we face life. Amen.

Prayer

Father God,

Today is a happy intersection of holidays, as we celebrate Juneteenth and Father’s Day, too. On the one hand, we acknowledge and remember that emancipation, freedom, and equality are not merely matters of decree, but the result of decisive, real-world progress in the lived experience of community. May it be so, today! On the other hand, we consider the gifts of our fathers and grandfathers and our ancestors before them, all those who embody the spirit of fatherhood, giving us courage to go forth and attain dreams and hopes beyond even their expectations. May it also be so! And so we rise, with gratitude and with joyful determination: to honor our fathers by shaping a better, more equitable world for all. Amen.

Prayer

God of communion,

Help us speak boldly about what we believe to be true, right, and good. Just as urgently, though, lead us to listen, with sincere consideration and without any prejudice. Turn our eyes and our ears to those we are prone to overlook and ignore because we assume there is no common ground. Induce in us the virtue of humility that we might model a community built on genuine dialogue. May we find our way through this thicket of brokenness and into your pasture of peace together. Together, we pray, Amen.

Prayer

God of excellence,

This ministry is brimming with talented, gifted people, eager to put their whole selves into offering the highest quality care to people in need, especially those who are poor, dying, and underserved. Thank you for each one of our colleagues and associates and ministry partners. We know that the excellence of our service is the reflection of the wisdom, dedication, and selflessness of so many. We pray you will add to our number while restoring the weary among us. And lead us all to continued success in the mission we share with you and each other. Amen.

Prayer

God of my neighbor,

Your son Jesus taught us that we will find you precisely within the acts of service performed for the sake of those who are in need. As we strive to do so, we pray for a passion not just to serve, but to love you more deeply, as we strive to show love to those who can sometimes seem unlovable. May we be committed to showing authentic hospitality and inclusion to all those our society tends to shun and exclude. Let our sites of care be places of refuge and community for all those who lack the loving concern of others. Amen.

Prayer

God who leads,

This ministry is a remarkable orchestration of people and activities. Yet we share it all together, in the unity of mission and purpose and direction, in response to the call you have given. As we continue to serve our neighbors and communities into the future, bless us with insight and discernment for the decisions we face on the road ahead. Give us agility and wisdom as we respond to obstacles and pursue new opportunities, never letting go of the unity we share, through all our diversity and difference. In your name we pray, Amen.

Prayer

Lifegiving God,

Could there be a greater demonstration of our common humanity, than that we can share with each other the substance of life, our very own blood? On this World Blood Donor Day, we give thanks for all those who already participate in this simple and profound act, gladly giving life for the sake of others in need. May they be blessed for their selflessness. Yet we pray as well and most urgently, in view of the great need for safe blood across the whole world, we pray for others to be inspired, showing solidarity by way of donation. As we all give thanks for the life you have put in our veins, we pray. Amen.