Daily Prayers for April 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 “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”
Who is the King of glory? : The Lord of hosts is King!
Psalm 24:1 – 6
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it : the world and all who dwell therein.
For it is he who founded it upon the seas : and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
“Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? : and who can stand in his holy place?”
“Those who have clean hands and a pure heart : who have not pledged themselves to falsehood, nor sworn by what is a fraud.
They shall receive a blessing from the Lord : and a just reward from the God of their salvation.”
Such is the generation of those who seek him : of those who seek your face,
O God of Jacob.
Who is the King of glory? : The Lord of hosts is King!
Exodus 16:10 – 21 1 John 3:1 – 10
Who is the King of glory? : The Lord of hosts is King!
Oscar Romero, a martyr of the church’s struggle in El Salvador, wrote, “I do not tire of telling everyone, especially young -people who long for their -people’s liberation, that I admire their social and political sensitivity, but it saddens me when they waste it by going on ways that are false. Let us, too, all take notice that the great leader of our liberation is the Lord’s Anointed One, who comes to announce good news to the poor, to give freedom to the captives, to give news of the missing, to give joy to so many homes in mourning, so that society may be renewed as in the sabbatical years of Israel.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
-Jesus, you are the King of Glory and the King of Creation. Teach us to recognize the ways of your kingdom that we might participate as faithful and devout residents in the space between a broken world and the coming kingdom of God. 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 April 4
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968)
Martin Luther King Jr. was a black American preacher who became a civil rights leader, teaching nonviolent resistance to evil, and opposing racism and segregation. Working out of his home in the church, King organized a diverse coalition of -people to combat the evils of racism, poverty, and militarism. In many ways he was a flawed hero, but he was a committed man who died for his faith and for the freedom of his -people. It was while he was advocating for sanitation workers that he was killed in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.
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 Will Trust in the Lord”
In our lives this day, O Lord : may we love you among the least.
Psalm 20:1 – 4, 6 – 7
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble : the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
send you help from his holy place : and strengthen you out of Zion;
remember all your offerings : and accept your burnt sacrifice;
grant you your heart’s desire : and prosper all your plans.
Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed : he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand.
Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses : but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God.
In our lives this day, O Lord : may we love you among the least.
Exodus 15:22 – 16:10 1 John 2:18 – 29
In our lives this day, O Lord : may we love you among the least.
Martin Luther King Jr. reflected in a sermon, “Every now and then I think about my own death, and I think about my own funeral. Every now and then I ask myself, ‘What is it that I want said?’ I’d like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I’d like for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day, that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day, that I did try to feed the hungry. And I want you to be able to say that day, that I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say, on that day, that I did try, in my life, to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
We give thanks today for our brother Martin and for the ways you spoke through him to expose the poverty of our wealth, the insecurity of our war-making, and the contradictions of our racism. Give us grace to love you among the least today, O Lord, and to live the good news Martin preached in his life and in his death. 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 April 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 “O Mary, Don’t You Weep”
The Lord is my strength and my song : you have become my salvation.
Psalm 16:5 – 9
O Lord, you are my portion and my cup : it is you who uphold my lot.
My boundaries enclose a pleasant land : indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel : my heart teaches me, night after night.
I have set the Lord always before me : because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.
My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices : my body also shall rest in hope.
The Lord is my strength and my song : you have become my salvation.
Exodus 15:1 – 21 1 John 2:12 – 17
The Lord is my strength and my song : you have become my salvation.
A reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossians: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
We thank you, Lord -Jesus, that you have risen from the dead and won victory over the powers to save us from our sin. We praise you for our salvation, and ask for grace to praise you with our whole lives. 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 April 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 sing to the Lord: let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Song “Be Thou My Vision”
Awake, O sleeper, rise from the dead : and Christ will shine on you.
Psalm 9:1 – 3, 9 – 10
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart : I will tell of all your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in you : I will sing to your name, O Most High.
When my enemies are driven back : they will stumble and perish at your presence.
The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed : a refuge in time of trouble.
Those who know your name will put their trust in you : for you never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.
Awake, O sleeper, rise from the dead : and Christ will shine on you.
Exodus 14:21 – 31 1 John 2:1 – 11
Awake, O sleeper, rise from the dead : and Christ will shine on you.
Fourth-century bishop Athanasius of Alexandria wrote, “That mystery the Jews traduce, the Greeks deride, but we adore. For it is a fact that the more unbelievers pour scorn on him, so much the more does he makes his Godhead evident. Thus by what seems his utter poverty and weakness on the cross he overturns the pomp and parade of idols, and quietly and hiddenly wins over the mockers and unbelievers to recognize him as God.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
God of power and might, you raised -Jesus from the dead after you had raised Israel out of Egypt. As we arise in the light of this new day, raise us to live by your power the life that only you can give.
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.
Eucharist and Communion
Eucharist is from the Greek eucharistein, meaning “thanksgiving.”
Communion is from the Latin, meaning “union with.”
One of the church’s peculiar practices is communion, also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist. The early Christians were accused of being cannibals because they talked of eating flesh and drinking blood together. It was a way of remembering, as Christ had asked them to remember him in this way.
“Re-member-ing” has to do with becoming something new, the body of Christ, in which we lose ourselves in something bigger than ourselves; we are re-membered into a new body.
Sadly, and ironically, the sharing of the Eucharist or communion table is both the most unifying and the most divisive practice in the Christian church. After all, sacrament is a “mystery,” so we don’t want to try to systematically analyze the practice of Holy Communion. What we want to do is invite you into the deepest part of this mystery. We are what we eat.
When we take the wine and bread and eat it, we are digesting Christ — or an even better way of understanding might be that we are made into a new creation as we are digested into the body of Christ. Performing the Eucharist with a community makes us into the body of Christ. As often as Christians take the common elements of bread and wine, they re-member themselves into -Jesus. In the Eucharist, we don’t just remember -Jesus in general; we remember his suffering. The bread is a broken body, and the wine is poured like shed blood. Both grain and grapes have to be crushed and broken to become something new together. If you are what you eat, the Eucharist is indeed the act of uniting yourself with the one who lovingly suffered at the hands of his enemies. If you ritually cross yourself (like Catholics do), you are stamping upon yourself the sign of the cross; you are identifying with -Jesus’ suffering love. Those who ingest and become one with the suffering body of Christ all together become the body of Christ.
We pray as we take the elements that the blood of -Jesus would run through our veins and that we would be digested into the body of Christ. The early church used to say, “God became man that we might become God.” Certainly none of us is God alone, but all of us are God’s body together. God has chosen to have no hands but ours, no feet but ours. Maybe this is the greatest sacrament or mystery of our faith — that these broken pieces become one body.
Daily Prayers for April 1
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”
Our delight is in the law of love : may we walk in Christ’s light day and night.
Psalm 1:1 – 3, 6
Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked : nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
Their delight is in the law of the Lord : and they meditate on his law day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither : everything they do shall prosper.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous : but the way of the wicked is doomed.
Our delight is in the law of love : may we walk in Christ’s light day and night.
Exodus 14:5 – 22 1 John 1:1 – 10
Our delight is in the law of love : may we walk in Christ’s light day and night.
American humorist Garrison Keillor has said, “Some -people think it is difficult to be a Christian and to laugh, but I think it’s the other way around. God writes a lot of comedy, it’s just that he has so many bad actors.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
You who led Israel through the waters, plant us by streams of living water. Root us in your love and grow us up to bear the fruit of your Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 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 March 31
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 “All Creatures of Our God and King”
Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem : praise your God, O Zion.
Psalm 148:7 – 13
Praise the Lord from the earth : you sea monsters and all deeps;
fire and hail, snow and fog : tempestuous wind, doing his will;
mountains and all hills : fruit trees and all cedars;
wild beasts and all cattle : creeping things and winged birds;
kings of the earth and all -peoples : princes and all rulers of the world;
young men and maidens : old and young together.
Let them praise the name of the Lord : for his name only is exalted, his splendor is over earth and heaven.
Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem : praise your God, O Zion.
Exodus 13:17 – 14:4 Mark 10:46 – 52
Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem : praise your God, O Zion.
Twentieth-century Jesuit theologian Henri de Lubac wrote, “The finest and boldest Christian effort, the freshest and most enduring, has always flourished from the roots of tradition.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we mark time with hours, days, months, and years. You mark time in ways we cannot comprehend. Help us learn to mark time with worship, praise, and prayers, rooting our lives in the living tradition of your beloved 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.
Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers: A Few Ideas
1. Take a break from noise. Turn off things that make noise for a day or a week, and spend the time in silence, speaking only when necessary. Also remember those in our world whose voices have been silenced.
2. Go to a home for the elderly and get a list of folks who don’t get any visitors. Visit them each week and tell stories, read together, or play board games.
3. Laugh at advertisements, especially ones that teach you that you can buy happiness.
4. Go down a line of parked cars and add money to the meters that are expired. Leave a little note saying something nice.
5. Connect with a group of migrant workers or farmers who grow your food. Visit their farm. Maybe even pick some veggies with them. Ask what they get paid.
Daily Prayers for March 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 “Sing and Rejoice”
In you alone we put our trust : let us not be put to shame.
Psalm 146:1 – 3
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, O my soul! : I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth : for there is no help in them.
When they breathe their last, they return to earth : and in that day their thoughts perish.
In you alone we put our trust : let us not be put to shame.
Exodus 13:1 – 2, 11 – 16 Mark 10:32 – 45
In you alone we put our trust : let us not be put to shame.
Peter Maurin, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, said, “The world would be better off if -people tried to become better. And -people would become better if they stopped trying to become better off.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, our efforts at faithfulness are fraught with failure more often than we care to admit. Thank you that your love for us is never wasted. Keep us rooted in your word, eating at your table, and praying by your Spirit, so that we may remember when we fail that we are part of your family not because we deserve to be but because you want 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 March 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 bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “Nothin’ but the Blood”
Receive, Lord, the offering of our lives : that every breath might be holy to you.
Psalm 141:1 – 3
O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly : hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense : the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips : let not my heart incline to any evil thing.
Receive, Lord, the offering of our lives : that every breath might be holy to you.
Exodus 13:3 – 10 Mark 10:17 – 31
Receive, Lord, the offering of our lives : that every breath might be holy to you.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a twentieth-century Jesuit philosopher, prayed, “Since once again, Lord, I have neither bread nor wine nor altar, I will raise myself beyond these symbols, up to the pure majesty of the real itself; I, your priest, will make the whole earth my altar and on it will offer you all the labors and suffering of the world.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord God, we give you thanks that no building can house you fully and no place of worship can contain your majesty. Teach us by our deeds of peace and justice and joyful celebration to erect altars in the world, so that when some other soul comes across them, they will see that you are indeed present everywhere. 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 March 28
Amos the Prophet
Unlike other Old Testament messengers, Amos was not a professional prophet; he had no special training, nor was he related to any other prophets. He was a peasant farmer and sheep tender called by God for a special mission. A native of the southern kingdom of Judah, Amos received a powerful commission from God to preach to the -people of the northern kingdom of Israel. In the first half of the eighth century BC, during a time of great expansion and prosperity in Israel, Amos spoke out against the economic injustices between urban elites and the poor. Rich landowners were acquiring money and land, taking advantage of small farmers and peasants. Although Amos was not wealthy, he was sent to warn the wealthy and invite them back into the good way of God’s justice.
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 “-Jesus, Help Us Live in Peace”
Rain down justice upon us, Lord : that we might live in peace.
Psalm 133
Oh, how good and pleasant it is : when brethren live together in unity!
It is like fine oil upon the head : that runs down upon the beard,
upon the beard of Aaron : and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
It is like the dew of Hermon : that falls upon the hills of Zion.
For there the Lord has ordained the blessing : life for evermore.
Rain down justice upon us, Lord : that we might live in peace.
Exodus 12:40 – 51 Mark 10:1 – 16
Rain down justice upon us, Lord : that we might live in peace.
Amos spoke out, saying, “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring ruin to the poor of the land. I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteous-ness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
We give thanks, God, for the prophets who love us enough to tell us your hard truth. Show us where we need your words for our repentance and conversion, and teach us how to always speak your truth in love. 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 March 27
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”
My soul waits for the Lord : more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Psalm 130
Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice : let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss : O Lord, who could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you : therefore you shall be feared.
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him : in his word is my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning : more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, wait for the Lord : for with the Lord there is mercy;
with him there is plenteous redemption : and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
My soul waits for the Lord : more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Exodus 12:28 – 39 Mark 9:42 – 50
My soul waits for the Lord : more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Sadhu Sundar Singh, an early twentieth-century Indian missionary, wrote, “A silkworm was struggling out of the cocoon and an ignorant man saw it battling as if in pain, so he went and helped it to get free, but very soon after it fluttered and died. The other silkworms that struggled out without help suffered, but they came out into full life and beauty, with wings made strong for flight by their battle for fresh existence.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, mold us and form us into the kind of -people you want us to be. Be patient with us when we fall short of what love demands of us. And give us patience with ourselves. Catch us in the arms of your grace. 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.
