Prayer

Loving God,

We affirm the joys of love this Valentine’s Day and take time to remember especially the depth of love you have shared with us and that you invite us to share with others. May we do so more and more faithfully each day, knowing that love ultimately calls us beyond emotions and to commit to living well in community. As a ministry community anchored upon your healing love, help us stand out to the people we serve today. May they experience the depth of your love for them in all that we do and say. Amen.

Prayer

God with us,

We are very good at making plans, but often very bad at dealing with setbacks. For all those who are discouraged today by the apparent obstacles standing in the way of their goals, we pray you would bless them with an abundance of patience. Comfort them in the truth that you are always beside them, regardless of circumstance, and that despite the way things look you are somehow accomplishing your good purposes each and every day. May we all be blessed today with more patience. Amen.

Prayer

Source of all peace,

Today we choose to be agents of peace in your name. For the patients and families we are privileged to serve, for our colleagues and partners in this ministry of healing, and for the wider communities you have sent us to bless and protect. As we do so, may each one of us be given at least some opportunity, however brief, simply to pause before you and surrender our hearts to your goodness and grace. May we be filled with your divine peace—a peace beyond understanding, which we can then share meaningfully and powerfully with all those in need, especially the poor, dying, and underserved. Amen.

Prayer

Loving God,

On this World Day of the Sick, we take time as a ministry to pledge our ongoing solidarity with all those who suffer, struggle with illness, or otherwise await a comforting present to accompany them in a time of need. In our facilities and various sites of care, wherever you send us today, let us be open to mutually enriching encounters with all those we have the privilege of serving. May we be united in the cause of their healing and be present to them as persons in community, even as we give them the very best high-quality care we can offer. Amen.

Prayer

God of hope,

When the world looks dark and the future gives us occasion to worry, we invite you again to fill us with your life-giving Spirit of hope. Help us resist the forces of confusion and uncertainty, and to stand up as people of hope, expressing joy and peace as we believe in your word and trust in your promises, for us and for those around us. We know that you will not give us more than we can handle, and so we ask for your power to make us more effective as we serve the common good together and work to build communities in which all people thrive and flourish. Amen.

Prayer

God of peace,

You instruct us not to worry or be anxious about anything, and yet that is so much easier said than done! Our imaginations are often prone to dwell on things we wish to avoid. Help us through such weakness, so that instead of worrying we might build our thoughts on hope, endurance, and an abiding trust in you. We are especially mindful of all those who are worried or afraid today in the face of sickness or disease or other struggles. Use us to build them up in spirit. May we extend your compassion to them in ways that quell anxiety and cultivate hope. Amen. 

“Loving Father,

We seek your divine protection for all who are exploited and enslaved. For those forced into labor, trafficked into sexual slavery, and denied freedom. We beseech you to release them from their chains. Grant them protection, safety, and empowerment. Restore their dignity and provide them a new beginning. Show us how we might end exploitation by addressing its causes. Help us reach out in support of victims and survivors of human trafficking. Make us instruments of your spirit for their liberation. For this we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.”  Prayer, from USCCB handout for World Day of Peace 2015