Daily Prayers for January 22
On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that a mother has the legal right to end her pregnancy up until the point at which the fetus can live outside of her womb. We lament the death of each child lost to abortion. We pray for each parent who has chosen to terminate a pregnancy. And we commit to become a -people who welcome life in a culture of death.
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 “Take My Life and Let It Be”
Today you set before us life and death : in everything we do, may we choose life.
Psalm 107:33 – 38
The Lord changed rivers into deserts : and water springs into thirsty ground,
a fruitful land into salt flats : because of the wickedness of those who dwell there.
He changed deserts into pools of water : and dry land into water springs.
He settled the hungry there : and they founded a city to dwell in.
They sowed fields, and planted vineyards : and brought in a fruitful harvest.
He blessed them, so that they increased greatly : he did not let their herds decrease.
Today you set before us life and death : in everything we do, may we choose life.
Genesis 15:1 – 11, 17 – 21 Ephesians 2:1 – 10
Today you set before us life and death : in everything we do, may we choose life.
Cyprian of Carthage, a third-century North African bishop, wrote, “The world is going mad in mutual extermination, and murder, considered as a crime when committed individually, becomes a virtue when it is committed by large numbers. It is the multiplication of the frenzy that assures impunity to the assassins.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we all suffer varying degrees of blindness. We are blind to love, to justice, to grace, and to life. Help us not to condemn one another in our blindness, but rather to work together to help one another see more clearly by your light. 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.
