Daily Prayers for January 12
On January 12, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi began his last successful fast in New Delhi to convince Hindus and Muslims in the city to work toward peace. Six days later, convinced that harmony was achieved, he ended the fast. For most of his adult life, Gandhi read -Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount every morning, convinced that it contained a truth more powerful than the empire that occupied his native India or the enmity that divided Hindus and Muslims. Through “experiments in truth” like the public fast, he sought to put -Jesus’ teachings into practice for the sake of peace.
O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you
as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Come, let us bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “-Jesus, Help Us Live in Peace”
Lord, give us strength: to pray against the powers.
Psalm 67:1 – 4
May God be merciful to us and bless us : show us the light of his countenance and come to us.
Let your ways be known upon earth : your saving health among all nations.
Let the -peoples praise you, O God : let all the -peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy : for you judge the -peoples with equity and guide all the nations upon earth.
Lord, give us strength: to pray against the powers.
Genesis 6:1 – 8 Galatians 3:23 – 29
Lord, give us strength: to pray against the powers.
Gandhi said, “Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, as we wait for you, teach us how self-denial might open our spirits to receive your instruction and strength. Amen.
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;
may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;
may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.
