Daily Prayers for October 2
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 “The Kingdom of God”
Give justice, Lord, to the orphan : and free us from terror’s power.
Psalm 10:12 – 19
Rise up, O Lord; lift up your hand, O God : do not forget the afflicted.
Why should the wicked revile God? : why should they say in their heart, “You do not care”?
Surely, you behold trouble and misery : you see it and take it into your own hand.
The helpless commit themselves to you : for you are the helper of orphans.
Break the power of the wicked and evil : search out their wickedness until you find none.
The Lord is King for ever and ever : the ungodly shall perish from his land.
The Lord will hear the desire of the humble : you will strengthen their heart and your ears shall hear;
to give justice to the orphan and oppressed : so that mere mortals may strike terror no more.
Give justice, Lord, to the orphan : and free us from terror’s power.
Jeremiah 36:1 – 10 James 1:16 – 27
Give justice, Lord, to the orphan : and free us from terror’s power.
Ignacio Ellacuria, a Jesuit martyr of San Salvador, asked, “What is it to be a companion of -Jesus today? It is to engage, under the standard of the cross, in the crucial struggle of our time: the struggle for faith and that struggle for justice which it includes.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, enable us to live so that others can truly say, “They engaged in the crucial struggle of our time.” 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.
Daily Prayers for October 1
Therese of Lisieux (1873 – 1897)
Therese was born to a middle-class family in Lisieux, France. When she was fifteen, she got special permission to join her two older sisters at the Carmelite monastery in their hometown. When she died of tuberculosis nine years later at the age of twenty-four, she was little known outside her community. At the request of her spiritual director, however, Therese had written a memoir of her spiritual journey, titled The Story of a Soul. It became a spiritual classic almost immediately for its powerfully clear articulation of one ordinary person’s desire to give her whole life to Christ by following every moment in the “Little Way” of love and ser-vice to one’s neighbors. “After my death,” Therese wrote, “I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven in doing good upon earth.”
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 “Ubi Caritas”
I am only a very little soul : bringing little things to you, O Lord.
Psalm 4:4 – 8
Tremble, then, and do not sin : speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.
Offer the appointed sacrifices : and put your trust in the Lord.
Many are saying, “Oh, that we might see better times!” : Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord.
You have put gladness in my heart : more than when grain and wine and oil increase.
I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep : for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
I am only a very little soul : bringing little things to you, O Lord.
Jeremiah 35:1 – 19 James 1:1 – 15
I am only a very little soul : bringing little things to you, O Lord.
Therese of Lisieux wrote, “My vocation is love! In the heart of the Church, who is my Mother, I will be love. So I shall be everything and so my dreams will be fulfilled — to make Love loved.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, strengthen our will to heed your commandments. We pray to be found faithful in the smallest things, that you might deem us worthy of more opportunities to serve 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.
Daily Prayers for September 30
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”
Through our lives and by our prayers : your kingdom come!
Psalm 145:10 – 13
All your works praise you, O Lord : and your faithful servants bless you.
They make known the glory of your kingdom : and speak of your power;
that the -peoples may know of your power : and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom : your dominion endures throughout all ages.
Through our lives and by our prayers : your kingdom come!
Jonah 3:1 – 4:11 Matthew 12:43 – 50
Through our lives and by our prayers : your kingdom come!
Sadhu Sundar Singh, an early-twentieth-century Indian missionary, wrote, “Diamonds do not dazzle with beauty unless they are cut. When cut, the rays of the sun fall on them and make them shine with wonderful colors. So when we are cut by the cross, we shall shine as jewels in the kingdom of God.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, keep us from making crosses out of the splinters of discomfort in our lives. Help us recognize the true crosses you call us to bear, those whose weight lends to the freedom and provision of others. 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. Track down old teachers and mentors. Let them know the influence they have had on your life.
2. Hold a ritual of prayerfully cutting up credit cards.
3. Move to a place that makes you uncomfortable, or visit a place where you will be a minority.
4. Ask your pastor to remove the US flag from the altar, or to include the flags from the other 195 countries of the world.
5. Babysit for someone free of charge, especially someone who might really need a night off and not be able to afford a sitter.
Daily Prayers for September 29
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 “Guide My Feet”
Bury us in wonder, Lord : and raise us to sing your praise.
Psalm 139:2 – 5
You trace my journeys and my resting places : and are acquainted with all my ways.
Indeed, there is not a word on my lips : but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
You press upon me behind and before : and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me : it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
Bury us in wonder, Lord : and raise us to sing your praise.
Jonah 1:17 – 2:10 Matthew 12:33 – 42
Bury us in wonder, Lord : and raise us to sing your praise.
In his last sermon before being assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a -people, will get to the Promised Land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we thank you for the cloud of witnesses who remind us that loving you is a perpetual call to active duty. Grant us both passion and courage to answer the call to peace and justice, no matter where it might lead us. 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.
Daily Prayers for September 28
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 “Woke Up This Mornin’ ”
You give your -people justice : and show compassion to your servants.
Psalm 135:3 – 7
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good : sing praises to his name, for it is lovely.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself : and Israel for his own possession.
For I know that the Lord is great : and that our Lord is above all gods.
The Lord does whatever pleases him, in heaven and on earth : in the seas and all the deeps.
He brings up rain clouds from the ends of the earth : he sends out lightning with the rain, and brings the winds out of his storehouse.
You give your -people justice : and show compassion to your servants.
Jonah 1:1 – 17a Matthew 12:22 – 32
You give your -people justice : and show compassion to your servants.
In his Rule for monastic communities, Benedict of Nursia wrote, “Indeed, obedience must be given with genuine good will, because God loves a cheerful giver. If obedience is given with a bad will and with murmuring not only in words but even in bitterness of heart, then even though the command may be externally fulfilled it will not be accepted by God, for he can see the resistance in the heart of a murmurer. One who behaves in such a way not only fails to receive the reward of grace but actually incurs the punishment deserved by murmurers. Only repentance and reparation can save such a one from this punishment.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, teach us to listen not only with our ears but with spirits that are eager to hear your will and do it. 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.
Daily Prayers for September 27
Vincent de Paul (1581 – 1660)
The son of French peasants, Vincent de Paul studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1600. While serving the church, he was kidnapped by Turkish pirates and sold into slavery. After converting his master, Vincent escaped and returned to France, where he ministered to the poor and imprisoned, and invited others to join him, founding the Vincentians and the Daughters of Charity with Louise de Marillac. He prayed, “May the poor forgive me the bread that I give them.”
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 “Oh the Deep, Deep Love of -Jesus”
Let every deed we do today : rise up as a prayer of love.
Psalm 128:1 – 6
Happy are they all who fear the Lord : and who follow in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of your labor : happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house : your children like olive shoots round about your table.
The man who fears the Lord : shall thus indeed be blessed.
The Lord bless you from Zion : and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
May you live to see your children’s children : may peace be upon Israel.
Let every deed we do today : rise up as a prayer of love.
Micah 7:1 – 7 Matthew 12:15 – 21
Let every deed we do today : rise up as a prayer of love.
Vincent de Paul said, “We must love God, but let it be in the work of our bodies, in the sweat of our brows. For very often many acts of love for God, of kindness, of good will, and other similar inclinations and interior practices of a tender heart, although good and very desirable, are yet very suspect when they do not lead to the practice of effective love.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, you have shown us what love looks like. Help us through acts of forgiveness and reconciliation to so love one another that our neighbors know we are your disciples and know that to be good news. 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.
Daily Prayers for September 26
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 “I Want -Jesus to Walk with Me”
I call with my whole heart : your word will give me life.
Psalm 119:146 – 52
I call to you; oh, that you would save me! : I will keep your decrees.
Early in the morning I cry out to you : for in your word is my trust.
My eyes are open in the night watches : that I may meditate upon your promise.
Hear my voice, O Lord, according to your loving-kindness : according to your judgments, give me life.
They draw near who in malice persecute me : they are very far from your law.
You, O Lord, are near at hand : and all your commandments are true.
Long have I known from your decrees : that you have established them for ever.
I call with my whole heart : your word will give me life.
Micah 6:1 – 8 Matthew 12:1 – 14
I call with my whole heart : your word will give me life.
We have these verses from John of the Cross:
I will mourn my death already,
lament the life I live, as long
as misdeed, sin and wrong
detain it in captivity.
O my God, when will it be?
The time when I can say for sure,
at last I live: I die no more.
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Save us, Lord, from the grip of death that so often controls our lives. Help us each to say with the psalmist, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the 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.
Daily Prayers for September 25
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 “Be Thou My Vision”
The earth, O Lord, is full of your love : instruct us in your statutes.
Psalm 119:57 – 63
You only are my portion, O Lord : I have promised to keep your words.
I entreat you with all my heart : be merciful to me according to your promise.
I have considered my ways : and turned my feet toward your decrees.
I hasten and do not tarry : to keep your commandments.
Though the cords of the wicked entangle me : I do not forget your law.
At midnight I will rise to give you thanks : because of your righteous judgments.
I am a companion of all who fear you : and of those who keep your commandments.
The earth, O Lord, is full of your love : instruct us in your statutes.
Micah 5:1 – 4, 10 – 15 Matthew 11:16 – 30
The earth, O Lord, is full of your love : instruct us in your statutes.
God spoke to fourteenth-century mystic Catherine of Siena, saying, “I did not intend my creatures to make themselves servants and slaves to the world’s pleasures. They owe their first love to me. Everything else they should love and possess, as I told you, not as if they owned it but as something lent them.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, for the abundance of blessings you shower upon us. Forgive us for the many ways we have turned your gifts into our achievements and so forgotten your generosity. Open our eyes to see that everything is a gift, and that every gift is to be shared for your glory. 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.
Daily Prayers for September 24
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 “It Is Well with My Soul”
Be tender with your little ones : steady our souls as we learn to live.
Psalm 116:5 – 8
The Lord watches over the innocent : I was brought very low, and he helped me.
Turn again to your rest, O my soul : for the Lord has treated you well.
For you have rescued my life from death : my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord : in the land of the living.
Be tender with your little ones : steady our souls as we learn to live.
Micah 3:9 – 4:5 Matthew 11:1 – 15
Be tender with your little ones : steady our souls as we learn to live.
A seventeenth-century French monk known as Brother Lawrence wrote of his experience with God: “I began to live as if there were not one in the world but Him and me. I adored Him as often as I could, keeping my mind in his holy presence and recalling it as often as it wandered. I had no little difficulty in this exercise, but I kept on despite all the difficulties and was not worried or distressed when I was involuntarily distracted. I did this during the day as often as I did it during the formal time specifically set aside for prayer; for at all times, at every hour, at every moment, even in the busiest times of my work, I banished and put away from my mind everything capable of diverting me from the thought of God.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, you have brought us in safety to this new day. Preserve us by your mighty power that we may not fall into sin nor be overcome by adversity, and in all that we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose, through -Jesus 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.
Daily Prayers for September 23
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 “We Are Marching in the Light of God”
Establish our hearts in your mercy, Lord : and establish your mercy in our hearts.
Psalm 112:4 – 8
Light shines in the darkness for the upright : the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
It is good for them to be generous in lending : and to manage their affairs with justice.
For they will never be shaken : the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.
They will not be afraid of any evil rumors : their heart is right; they put their trust in the Lord.
Their heart is established and will not shrink : until they see their desire upon their enemies.
Establish our hearts in your mercy, Lord : and establish your mercy in our hearts.
Micah 3:1 – 8 Matthew 10:16 – 42
Establish our hearts in your mercy, Lord : and establish your mercy in our hearts.
Gregory Palamas, a fourteenth-century monk of Mount Athos, said, “This is the nature of prayer: that it raises one from earth to heaven, higher than every heavenly name and dignity, and brings one before the very God of all.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lift our hearts to you, Lord -Jesus, that we might by your Spirit’s power be instruments of your mercy, to the glory of God the Father. 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.
