Daily Prayers for July 16

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 “O Lord, Have Mercy”

Arise, O God, and rule the earth : hear the cries from forgotten slums.

Psalm 82:1 – 4

God takes his stand in the council of heaven : he gives judgment in the midst of the gods:

“How long will you judge unjustly : and show favor to the wicked?

Save the weak and the orphan : defend the humble and needy;

rescue the weak and the poor : deliver them from the power of the wicked.”

Arise, O God, and rule the earth : hear the cries from forgotten slums.

Judges 14:1 – 19 Acts 21:1 – 14

Arise, O God, and rule the earth : hear the cries from forgotten slums.

South African pastor and bishop Peter Storey said, “American preachers have a task more difficult, perhaps, than those faced by us under South Africa’s apartheid, or Christians under Communism. We had obvious evils to engage; you have to unwrap your culture from years of red, white and blue myth. You have to expose, and confront, the great disconnection between the kindness, compassion and caring of most American -people, and the ruthless way American power is experienced, directly and indirectly, by the poor of the earth. You have to help good -people see how they have let their institutions do their sinning for them. This is not easy among -people who really believe that their country does nothing but good, but it is necessary, not only for their future, but for us all.”

Prayers for Others

Our Father

Lord, grant us the ability to think with your mind, to hear with your ears, to see with your eyes, to speak with your mouth, to walk with your feet, to love with your heart. We ask this through Christ our Lord. 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.

Whole Body Prayer

Worship is a physical act. Just as some folks see lifting their hands to God as a sign of worship, we also see lifting our hands out to a neighbor as an act of worship. When we “pass the peace” and give each other a hug or handshake, it is part of worship. In fact, if there is anyone we feel we cannot shake hands with, Scripture says that this stands in the way of worship, and we should get up from the altar and reconcile with our neighbor first. Homeless friends, who sometimes smell a little, have told us the only hugs they get during the week are in Mass on Sunday. It is a sad thing to hear, but thanks be to God that they get hugs on Sunday. And hopefully we have a church that is living a life of worship outside of Sunday, passing the peace on the streets and giving hugs away during the week, especially to those who smell a little.

Prayer doesn’t need to be boring. Consider mixing things up, perhaps kneeling during confessional sins or lifting your hands as you give thanks for something. One way many Christians gesture during prayer is by making the “sign of the cross,” using their right hand to touch the forehead, then the middle of the breast, then the left shoulder, and finally the right shoulder. As they do this, they say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” It is a way that we can remember that we are to take up our own crosses. And it is a way we can remember that, as Paul said, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). As we cross ourselves, we pray that Christ will be in our minds and in our hearts, and will live in us.