Prayer

Love in Action,

As we celebrate the Feast of St. Gregory the Great, we thank you for the boldness and clarity with which Gregory reformed and inspired your Church. Thank you for the practical wisdom he shared, inspiring others to unite their spirituality with everyday life. In the ups and downs and as we work beside others, let us share something of Gregory’s pastoral spirit, shepherding each other into lives of love in action, spreading the concrete effects of love with all those around us. Amen.

Prayer

Holy God,

We will stand in many places over the course of this day. Some will be places of business, with tasks to accomplish. Some will be places of need, where compassion and healing are called into service. Some will be places of friendship and peace or perhaps, instead, places of conflict and fear. Wherever we stand today, may we be sensitive to the spirits around us and so filled with awareness that we will know how to make a positive difference. May we change the atmosphere around us so that all feel welcome and enriched by our engagement together. Amen.

Prayer

Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer,

It’s typical for us to assert our rights and claim our independence, more than to affirm our obligations and our call to communion. On this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, we take time to grieve and reform this unfortunate tendency, which continues to reveal just how self-defeating it can be. The world that you gave us to steward together is in trouble. It can feel sometimes as if the ship is sinking. Yet rather than fall to despair, inspire our hope and quicken our consciences, today and tomorrow and tomorrow again. That we might unite our prayers and our efforts as one human family, to renew the health and well-being of this home we share in common. For the sake of all living things we pray, Amen.

Compassionate God,

Too often we judge ourselves more harshly than we should. Whether its guilt and self-loathing for mistakes in the past, or the lies others have spoken over us that we still seem to hold on to. Whatever it is that prevents us from accepting your compassionate love, we ask for your healing embrace to come closer today than ever before. Remove the obstacles we put in the way of your grace and restore us, from the inside out. May we walk in the freedom of your love so as to love others more selflessly. United as one by your compassionate love, we pray. Amen.

Prayer

Contagious Love,

People filled with joy are contagious. The smiles they share are emblems of a generous spirit, a spirit that chooses to love the world by bringing at least some measure of peace, even in times of pain and trial. There’s nothing shallow about these smiles; they have power to change hearts and set wrongs to right. Today, may each one of us have the depth of spirit to share a genuine smile with those we encounter. May we be able to put the world’s brokenness into proper perspective and find ways to transform it, one smile at a time. Amen.

Prayer

Almighty Creator,

Today we pray for the colleagues around us, who give so much of themselves in support and care of others. Colleagues who have devoted their whole lives to the success of the mission we share together, even to the point of burnout. We have all known the dangers of overreaching our limits, and so we are mindful of those who are most in need of revival today. We lift them up to you, even as we commit to being a comforting presence beside them, sharing their burden, and keeping them secure on the pathway to wholeness. Amen.

Prayer

Rest Giver,

Your words are spirit and life. You invite those who are weary to come, receive rest, and learn from your meek and humble heart. Teach us each day to be more unreserved in trusting ourselves to your care. Give us whole-hearted devotion that we might take on your yoke and follow your steps and so be absorbed by your spirit of love. Free us to discover more and more the rest you are giving within the work that we do in your name. Amen.