Daily Prayers for May 31
Feast of the Visitation
On May 31, the church celebrates Mary’s visit with her cousin Elizabeth, after she had learned from the angel Gabriel that she was carrying the creator of the universe in her womb. Elizabeth was herself pregnant with John the Baptist at the time, and the gospel account tells us that he leapt for joy inside his mother when she embraced Mary. The joy of these two hosts — Mary and Elizabeth — is a reminder to us of the delight that comes when we practice hospitality, inviting God to come right into our lives.
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 “This Little Light of Mine”
Sing and rejoice, O daughters of Zion : the Lord is coming and has now come.
Psalm 149:1 – 4
Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song : sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in his Maker : let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise his name in the dance : let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his -people : and adorns the poor with victory.
Sing and rejoice, O daughters of Zion : the Lord is coming and has now come.
Zephaniah 3:14 – 18a Luke 1:39 – 49
Sing and rejoice, O daughters of Zion : the Lord is coming and has now come.
Jeanne de Chantal, seventeenth-century founder of the Order of the Visitation, said, “No matter what happens, be gentle with yourself.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, you have done great things for us, many of which we have hardly noticed. You are Lord over the past, sovereign in the present, and victorious in the future. Even in our trials, we celebrate you. 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.
Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers: A Few Ideas
1. Wash your clothes by hand and dry them on a line. Remember the 1.6 billion -people who do not have electricity.
2. Learn to sew. Try making your own clothes for a year.
3. Eat only one bowl of rice a day for a week. (Be sure also to take a multivitamin.) And remember the twenty-five thousand -people who die of malnutrition and starvation each day.
4. Keep the Sabbath holy. Rest one day a week this year — don’t answer the phone or the door, and don’t use the internet. Do something that brings you life that day.
5. Go to a city council meeting. Pray. Speak as the Spirit leads.
