Daily Prayers for February 7
Dom Helder Camara of Recife (1909 – 1999)
Born February 7, 1909, in Fortazela, Brazil, Dom Helder Camara became a bishop of the Catholic Church and one of the twentieth century’s great apostles of nonviolence. After joining a conservative political movement as a young priest, Camara experienced a conversion while ministering among the poor in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. “When I fed the poor they called me a saint,” Camara said. “When I asked why they were poor, they called me a Communist.” Labeled “the red bishop,” Camara worked tirelessly for democracy and human rights in Brazil, even as he watched friends and fellow priests imprisoned, tortured, and killed. When a hired assassin knocked on the elderly Camara’s door, he was so moved by the sight of the bishop that he blurted out, “I can’t kill you. You are one of the Lord’s.”
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 sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Song “Magnificat”
Lord, give us a good start : and the grace never to give up.
Psalm 37:5 – 9
Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him : and he will bring it to pass.
He will make your righteous-ness as clear as the light : and your just dealing as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord : and wait patiently for him.
Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers : the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
Refrain from anger, leave rage alone : do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
Lord, give us a good start : and the grace never to give up.
Genesis 26:1 – 6, 12 – 33 John 14:18 – 31
Lord, give us a good start : and the grace never to give up.
Bishop Camara wrote, “To walk alone is possible, but the good walker knows that the great trip is life and it requires companions.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, though each of us rises alone to start this new day, bind us to the faith of the saints who have gone before us, and guide us to walk with our brothers and sisters in community. 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.
