Prayer

Spirit of peace,

We celebrate the Feast of Lorcán Ua Tuathail today, remembering with gladness the life of this devoted servant, church reformer, and humble leader of Irish Catholicism. May we all be so willing to put others first and serve your causes of justice and peace in all our lands. As we extend your mission today, give us a greater sense of appreciation for the breadth and depth of the tradition of compassion that informs who we are as a ministry, and why we are here. Amen.

Prayer

Spirit of kindness,

We should marvel more often at how you made us both sacred and social. You made us in such a way that we are transformed inwardly through our service on behalf of others. On World Kindness Day, help us embrace this great mystery of our common bond, by seeking to cheer one another and show each other genuine kindness. Colleagues and friends, patients and families and all of our neighbors. May we find inner peace by serving them all with kindness. Amen.

Prayer

All-loving God,

This is one area of our lives where you seem to allow no compromise, no in-between, no easy alliance between forces. You teach us that our attachment to money is a threat to our freedom to love and trust you wholeheartedly. In a challenging economy like we face today, liberate us to live into your truth more and more. May we be free of every unhealthy attachment so we can love you as you invite us to do, receiving all as gift and loving our neighbor without constraint. As we serve your mission today, we pray. Amen.

Prayer

Almighty God,

We bless you today, the one true rock of salvation, our deliverer and our refuge. Today, we express our gratitude for the selfless service offered by our veterans on behalf of our nation. May we be inspired by their example of courage and commitment to pursue the mission of mercy and care you entrust to us. Stir within us the willingness to offer our thanks to the veterans serving alongside us in our shared ministry. And may all our veterans, living or dead, be honored, as we commit ourselves to extending the values for which they gave their lives: dignity, freedom, justice, and peace. In admiration and love, we pray. Amen.

Prayer

Divine Friend,

In spite of all our tools and technologies promising “connection,” we know that many among us report feeling lonely and friendless, struggling to sustain a supportive circle of friendship. If we count ourselves among those blessed with an abundance of friends, help us be glad and not take them for granted. Let us be open to practicing inclusion and welcoming strangers. If we are among those wanting for connection, help us practice the virtue of being the friend we wish to have. Let our acts of humility amount to a new change of culture, in which all people find belonging and love within this one human family. Amen.

Prayer

God of truth,

As we pursue your mission together, empower us to foster a work culture in which it’s safe for us to admit we don’t know what we don’t know. May we find help and support in each other, so that a genuine spirit of teamwork and cooperation can continue to grow among us. For the sake of higher quality care for patients and greater impact in our communities, help us share a learner’s mindset, encouraging each other to learn from mistakes while developing new ways and methods to respond faithfully to the needs we encounter around us. Amen.

Prayer

Spirit of Wholeness,

Having a body is an incredible gift that we sometimes take for granted, until it’s too late and exhaustion or sickness remind us that, in a very real sense, we are our bodies. Yet our faith tradition also reminds us that our bodies are good and you came to save and redeem them, out of your great love for us and for all of creation. May we treasure our bodies, therefore, as temples of your spirit, and may we express our gratitude in the concrete choices we make about sleep, play, work, and diet. Inspire us to take good care of our bodies, as a sign of our love for you and as an investment in the future you wish to give us. Amen.