Reflection

“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.” –Brené Brown

Prayer

Empowering God,

Our organizational value of integrity calls us to act ethically and to model right relationships in all our encounters. Even when it’s hard or when nobody’s watching, help us to embody the values that anchor us as agents of your healing love, extending your son’s compassionate ministry. Forgive us for times when we’ve struggled to express our value of integrity and lead us to greater alignment with who you’ve called us to be. As your hands and feet to those in need, we pray. Amen.

Call to Action

Refresh my awareness of the deepest values to which I’m committed and renew my willingness to practice them today.

Reflection

“Jesus said, ‘What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.’” –Luke 13:18-19

Prayer

God of growth,

We cannot control the outcome of the seeds of service we plant today. Yet our faith impels us to believe: wherever your grace abounds, a harvest beyond all our earthly measure is sure to follow! May it be so among us. As a ministry and as people of conscience, expand our sense of expectation about what you can do through us as we faithfully plant the seeds we can, in obedience and humility to your call. Remind us that apart from you we can do nothing of ultimate value. In the hope of your kingdom, we pray. Amen.

Call to Action

Be deliberate today about using my words and deeds to plant seeds of love that have lasting value.

Spiritual Care Week

Spiritual Care Week

Reflection

“The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization.” –Pope Leo XIV

Prayer

Gracious God,

As we recognize Spiritual Care Week and celebrate our colleagues in spiritual health, we also pray eagerly that all of us would exhibit greater fidelity to the universal call we have as your children, to extend compassion to those hurting and to love our neighbors in mind, body, and spirit—not just once in a while or through big, showy gestures, but through our steady, ongoing commitment in word and deed. In the hope of renewing a more civil and truly human society, we pray. Amen.

Call to Action

This year’s theme for Spiritual Care Week: “Healing Through Presence and Grace.” Renew my commitment to be gracious and fully present to those I am privileged to encounter this day.

Reflection

“Talents are best nurtured in solitude: character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.” –Goethe

Prayer

Strengthening Spirit,

We can’t do much to avoid challenges in life. Rather you promised they would come! And so we ask, when the storms of life come our way, fill us with grace and the strength to embrace our challenges for how they might strengthen our character, ignite our hope, and instill new perseverance. We are especially mindful of patients and families who are right now in the midst of such storms. May all our talents be put to the cause of alleviating their pain and lifting their burdens, however we can, so that they won’t be alone as they navigate the path ahead. Amen.

Call to Action

What storms am I facing today? How can I face them with greater resilience and strength of character? Reach out to a friend today for help in responding appropriately.

Reflection

“It is a mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.” –Ann Landers

Prayer

Unifying Spirit,

Our culture today is so divided on issues and ideas that it becomes tempting to forget that people are more than their vote, or their social media feeds, or their bumper stickers. Help us form a more robust sense of community that sees deeper than politics, welcoming diverse perspectives while recognizing the inherent value of all people—simply for who they are and how they manifest your image in our world. On the basis of that unity may we learn to disagree better, exemplifying an attitude of peaceable love and forward vision. Together we pray, Amen.

Call to Action

Practice being more charitable in the way I engage people with whom I disagree. Insist on having a spirit of hospitality, even if we might not see eye to eye on this or that issue.