Daily Prayers for September 12
In 1915, the genocide of Armenians began in Turkey, marking the first of four acts of genocide that would plague the twentieth century.
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 “Lamb of God”
Save us, God, from the clutches of death : and bring forth life from our hands.
Psalm 64:1, 5 – 7
Hear my voice, O God, when I complain : protect my life from fear of the enemy.
They hold fast to their evil course : they plan how they may hide their snares.
They say, “Who will see us? who will find out our crimes? : we have thought out a perfect plot.”
The human mind and heart are a mystery : but God will loose an arrow at them, and suddenly they will be wounded.
Save us, God, from the clutches of death : and bring forth life from our hands.
Hosea 3:1 – 5 Matthew 7:1 – 12
Save us, God, from the clutches of death : and bring forth life from our hands.
Tatian the Assyrian, a second-century theologian, wrote, “Die to the world by renouncing the madness of its stir and bustle. God created nothing evil. It is we who brought forth wickedness. Those who brought it about can also do away with it again.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, stir up the remnants of your goodness in us so that together we might proclaim, “Another world is possible — indeed, it is already here in Christ!” 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 11
On this day in 1973, the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende was overthrown in Chile by a CIA-backed coup. On the same day in 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the United States Pentagon killed twenty-eight hundred -people.
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 “Waters of Babylon”
In God the Lord, whose word I praise : in God I trust and will not be afraid.
Psalm 56:3 – 7
Whenever I am afraid : I will put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not be afraid : for what can flesh do to me?
All day long they damage my cause : their only thought is to do me evil.
They band together; they lie in wait : they spy upon my footsteps; because they seek my life.
Shall they escape despite their wickedness? : O God, in your anger, cast down the -peoples.
In God the Lord, whose word I praise : in God I trust and will not be afraid.
Hosea 2:14 – 23 Matthew 6:25 – 34
In God the Lord, whose word I praise : in God I trust and will not be afraid.
Theophilus of Antioch, a second-century bishop, wrote, “Say to those that hate and curse you, ‘You are our brothers!’ ”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
You who prayed from the cross for your Father to forgive those who were killing you, grant us the courage to forgive those who harm us in our families, in our communities, and in our world. Help us recognize our own need to seek the forgiveness 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.
Daily Prayers for September 10
Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910 – 1997)
Mother Teresa was born Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Albania. She joined the Sisters of Loreto, a Catholic religious order, at eighteen. After years of prayer and monastic discipline, she heard a “call within the call” to minister to Christ among the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India. Moved with compassion for -people who were dying in the streets, Mother Teresa took them in and gave them basic care. With no resources or established programs, she begged for food and supplies to care for those she welcomed. When others came to help her, she started the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. For nearly half a century, she committed herself, and the movement she led, to serving Christ in his most distressing disguise among the poor, the sick, the orphaned, and the dying.
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 “Ubi Caritas”
Give us grace to be poor with your poor : and to love you among the dejected.
Psalm 51:16 – 20
Open my lips, O Lord : and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice : but you take no delight in burnt offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit : a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Be favorable and gracious to Zion : and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with the appointed sacrifices, with burnt offerings and oblations : then shall they offer young bullocks upon your altar.
Give us grace to be poor with your poor : and to love you among the dejected.
Hosea 2:2 – 14 Matthew 6:19 – 24
Give us grace to be poor with your poor : and to love you among the dejected.
Mother Teresa said, “We can do not great things, only small things with great love. What is important is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, teach us the distinction between the brokenness that leads us to squander our gifts and the brokenness that leads us to seek and find you, even in the most desolate places. 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 9
Peter Claver (1580 – 1654)
The patron saint of slaves and African-Americans, Peter Claver was a Jesuit priest who served the church in seventeenth-century Cartagena, Colombia. During his ministry, as many as ten thousand African slaves came through the port of Cartagena each year. Recognizing the blasphemy of human slavery, Claver worked tirelessly in ministry among the slaves, baptizing and preaching to as many as three hundred thousand in his lifetime. After welcoming them into the church in a society that considered itself Christian, Claver advocated for slaves’ legal rights as fellow Christians.
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 “Guide My Feet”
Free us, Lord, from every chain : except the love that binds us to your way.
Psalm 44:15 – 18
My humiliation is daily before me : and shame has covered my face;
because of the taunts of the mockers and blasphemers : because of the enemy and avenger.
All this has come upon us : yet we have not forgotten you, nor have we betrayed your covenant.
Our heart never turned back : nor did our footsteps stray from your path.
Free us, Lord, from every chain : except the love that binds us to your way.
Hosea 1:1 – 2:1 Matthew 6:7 – 15
Free us, Lord, from every chain : except the love that binds us to your way.
Peter Claver liked to say, “Deeds come first, then the words.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, open our eyes to see that the fruit of life comes when we plant seeds of hope among those whom the world rejects. 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 8
In 1965, Filipino and Mexican farmworkers in Delano, California, went on strike, leading to the founding of the United Farm Workers Union.
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”
Send your light to guide us : may we follow wherever it leads.
Psalm 43:1 – 4
Give judgment for me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly -people : deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.
For you are the God of my strength; why have you put me from you? : and why do I go so heavily while the enemy oppresses me?
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me : and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling;
that I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness : and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my God.
Send your light to guide us : may we follow wherever it leads.
Esther 8:1 – 8, 15 – 17 Matthew 6:1 – 6, 16 – 18
Send your light to guide us : may we follow wherever it leads.
American activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez said, “When we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines what kind of men we are. It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life. I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness is to sacrifice ourselves for others in totally nonviolent struggle for justice.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we know the importance of doing for others. Teach us the importance of being for others, that we might take time to fast and pray and dwell with you in order to see more clearly how your light illuminates the faces of those we struggle alongside for justice. 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 7
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 “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah”
Humble us in your presence, Lord : that we may delight in abundance of peace.
Psalm 37:11 – 14
In a little while the wicked shall be no more : you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
But the lowly shall possess the land : they will delight in abundance of peace.
The wicked plot against the righteous : and gnash at them with their teeth.
The Lord laughs at the wicked : because he sees that their day will come.
Humble us in your presence, Lord : that we may delight in abundance of peace.
Esther 7:1 – 10 Matthew 5:38 – 48
Humble us in your presence, Lord : that we may delight in abundance of peace.
Mechthild of Magdeburg, a thirteenth-century mystic, wrote, “What hinders spiritual -people most of all from complete perfection is that they pay so little attention to small sins. I tell you in truth: when I hold back a smile which would harm no one, or have a sourness in my heart which I tell to no one, or feel some impatience with my own pain, then my soul becomes so dark and my heart so cold that I must weep greatly and lament pitiably and yearn greatly and humbly confess all my lack of virtue.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, that no sin is too small to bring the conviction of heart that may lead us to repentance and more faithful living. Convict us of our smallest sins so we might learn to delight in your ways. 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 6
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 “Nothin’ but the Blood”
To the faithful you show yourself faithful : may we keep faith when trust is broken.
Psalm 31:21 – 24
Blessed be the Lord! : for he has shown me the wonders of his love in a besieged city.
Yet I said in my alarm, “I have been cut off from the sight of your eyes.” : Nevertheless, you heard the sound of my entreaty when I cried out to you.
Love the Lord, all you who worship him : the Lord protects the faithful, but repays to the full those who act haughtily.
Be strong and let your heart take courage : all you who wait for the Lord.
To the faithful you show yourself faithful : may we keep faith when trust is broken.
Esther 6:1 – 14 Matthew 5:27 – 37
To the faithful you show yourself faithful : may we keep faith when trust is broken.
English priest C. F. Andrews, who was called Deenabandhu (Friend of the Poor) by the Indians among whom he served, said this: “Christ seeks from us deeds not words. Devotion to him is in the first place not sentimental but practical. If the Christian faith has no power to restore or recreate the human will, leading one to deeds of unselfish ser-vice, then it stands self-condemned.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, keep us from following a faith that awaits peace in heaven. You are our peace, and you are always with us. May your peace come and your will be done on earth, as indeed it is in heaven. 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 5
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”
Open wide the doors of our homes: that we may embrace you with joy.
Psalm 24:7 – 10
Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors : and the King of glory shall come in.
“Who is this King of glory?” : “The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.”
Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors : and the King of glory shall come in.
“Who is he, this King of glory?” : “The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.”
Open wide the doors of our homes: that we may embrace you with joy.
Esther 5:1 – 14 Matthew 5:21 – 26
Open wide the doors of our homes: that we may embrace you with joy.
In his book With Open Hands, Henri Nouwen wrote, “In another’s eyes I see my plea for forgiveness, and in a hardened frown I see my refusal. When someone murders, I know that I too could have done that, and when someone gives birth, I know that I am capable of that as well. In the depths of my being, I meet my fellow humans with whom I share love and have life and death.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, for the witness of women, like Esther, who understood themselves only in relation to their communities of faith. Grant us such a heart, and a similar mindset! Strengthen us with the joy of all those saints who have gone before us, that like them we might stand up to the powers that threaten your kingdom. 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 4
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 “Come, Thou Fount”
Open our lives wide : to taste and see that you are good.
Psalm 19:7 – 10
The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul : the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.
The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart : the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever : the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold : sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.
Open our lives wide : to taste and see that you are good.
Esther 4:4 – 17 Matthew 5:17 – 20
Open our lives wide : to taste and see that you are good.
In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says this to us: “Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it. But God’s grace speedily shatters such dreams. By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. The sooner this shock of disillusionment comes to an individual and to a community, the better for both.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, give us the imagination to dream and catch glimpses of the life you intend for us to live. Show us how our individual lives are entwined with those around us, and help us to live so truly together that we embody your good news in this world. 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 3
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 “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”
You, and you alone, are Lord : our good above all others.
Psalm 16:1 – 4
Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you : I have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my good above all other.”
All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land : upon those who are noble among the -people.
But those who run after other gods : shall have their troubles multiplied.
Their libations of blood I will not offer : nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.
You, and you alone, are Lord : our good above all others.
Esther 3:1 – 4:3 Matthew 5:11 – 16
You, and you alone, are Lord : our good above all others.
Alphonsus Liguori, eighteenth-century founder of the Redemptorists, wrote, “Persecutions are to the works of God what the frosts of the winter are to plants; far from destroying them, they help them to strike their roots deep in the soil and make them more full of life.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, where your church is weak through comfort, strengthen us through the necessary trials. Where your church is invisible through fear, make your word known through the boldness of prophets and through the courage of ordinary -people like 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.
