Daily Prayers for March 26
Harriet Tubman (1820? – 1913)
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in the 1820s. In 1849, she had a vision that compelled her to run away, traveling under the cover of night with only the North Star as her guide. Arriving safely in Pennsylvania, she felt like she was in heaven. “I had crossed the line,” she wrote. “I was FREE; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom.” Tubman committed herself to helping others escape to freedom, guiding at least three hundred fugitive slaves to Canada over the course of fifteen years. To those who traveled under her guidance, she was known as Moses.
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 “Steal Away to -Jesus”
Go down, Moses, way down to Egypt land : and tell old Pharaoh, “Let my -people go!”
Psalm 119:153 – 56
Behold my affliction and deliver me : for I do not forget your law.
Plead my cause and redeem me : according to your promise, give me life.
Deliverance is far from the wicked : for they do not study your statutes.
Great is your compassion, O Lord : preserve my life, according to your judgments.
Go down, Moses, way down to Egypt land : and tell old Pharaoh, “Let my -people go!”
Exodus 12:14 – 27 Mark 9:30 – 41
Go down, Moses, way down to Egypt land : and tell old Pharaoh, “Let my -people go!”
In a letter to Harriet Tubman, fellow abolitionist Frederick Douglass wrote, “Most that I have done and suffered in the ser-vice of our cause has been in public, and I have received much encouragement at every step of the way. You, on the other hand, have labored in a private way . . . most that you have done has been witnessed by a few trembling, scared, and foot-sore bondsmen and women, whom you have led out of the house of bondage, and whose heartfelt ‘God Bless You’ has been your only reward.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, that throughout history there have been women whose steadfast faith and hope in you have brought about justice, freedom, and security for those who most needed it. We pray we can learn from women like Rahab and Esther and Harriet Tubman what it means to commit our lives to your ser-vice. 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 25
The Annunciation
On March 25 we remember the special role that Mary plays in the redemption of the world and celebrate the example she is to each of us as disciples of -Jesus. When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, she was a teenager in occupied Palestine, as anonymous and apparently insignificant as the billions of -people who live and die today in the slums of megacities. But the angel of the Lord called Mary by name and proclaimed that she would carry inside her womb God in flesh. It is a miracle we remember even as we put it into practice: however humble our circumstances, God proposes to live in and through our bodies. As a sign to remind us that anything is possible with our God, we remember that Mary conceived -Jesus without the help of any man.
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”
Here am I, the servant of the Lord : let it be to me according to your will.
Psalm 119:141 – 44
I am small and of little account : yet I do not forget your commandments.
Your justice is an everlasting justice : and your law is the truth.
Trouble and distress have come upon me : yet your commandments are my delight.
The righteous-ness of your decrees is everlasting : grant me understanding, that I may live.
Here am I, the servant of the Lord : let it be to me according to your will.
Isaiah 7:10 – 14 Luke 1:26 – 38
Here am I, the servant of the Lord : let it be to me according to your will.
Twentieth-century Trappist and spiritual writer Thomas Merton said, “The Christian life — and especially the contemplative life — is a continual discovery of Christ in new and unexpected places.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, for Mary’s witness to joyful obedience, courageous faith, and the merciful truth that you dwell among those the world would forget. 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 24
Oscar Romero (1917 – 1980)
Although he began as a conservative archbishop, opposed to the progressive liberation theology that was popular among those seeking to help poor farmers in El Salvador, Oscar Romero was deeply impacted when his friend, a priest, was assassinated as a result of commitment to social justice. Through weekly homilies on national radio, Romero advocated an end to the repression of the -people in El Salvador, thus making himself an enemy of the government and the military. He was not successful in ending the violence: more than seventy-five thousand Salvadorans would eventually be killed, one million would leave the country, and another million would be left homeless. Because of his prophetic witness, Romero became a target of assassination. As he was saying Mass on March 24, 1980, he was shot and killed. “A bishop will die,” Romero had said, foreseeing his own fate, “but the church of God — the -people — will not perish.”
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 “Servant Song”
Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies : it cannot bear fruit or bless others’ lives.
Psalm 119:34 – 37
Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law : I shall keep it with all my heart.
Make me go in the path of your commandments : for that is my desire.
Incline my heart to your decrees : and not to unjust gain.
Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless : give me life in your ways.
Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies : it cannot bear fruit or bless others’ lives.
Exodus 12:1 – 14 Mark 9:14 – 29
Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies : it cannot bear fruit or bless others’ lives.
Oscar Romero wrote, “It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view. The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts: it is beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No sermon says all that should be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. That is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that affects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very, very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the Master Builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future that is not our own.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we know the world will kill your prophets. Nevertheless, give us words to convict, to heal, to raise up others for justice, and to offer forgiveness for those who harm 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 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 “Vamos Todos al Banquete”
Come now and join the feast : right here in the belly of the beast!
Psalm 115:14 – 18
May the Lord increase you more and more : you and your children after you.
May you be blessed by the Lord : the maker of heaven and earth.
The heaven of heavens is the Lord’s : but he entrusted the earth to its -peoples.
The dead do not praise the Lord : nor all those who go down into silence;
but we will bless the Lord : from this time forth for evermore. Hallelujah!
Come now and join the feast : right here in the belly of the beast!
Exodus 10:21 – 11:8 Mark 9:2 – 13
Come now and join the feast : right here in the belly of the beast!
John Chrysostom, a great fourth-century preacher in Constantinople, said, “When we suffer anything for Christ’s sake, we should do so not only with courage, but even with joy. If we have to go hungry, let us be glad as if we were at a banquet. If we are insulted, let us be elated as though we had been showered with praises. If we lose all we possess, let us consider ourselves the gainers. If we provide for the poor, let us regard ourselves as the recipients. Do not think of the painful effort involved, but of the sweetness of the reward; and above all, remember that your struggles are for the sake of our Lord -Jesus.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Transform our memory, Lord, so that whenever we encounter suffering for your sake, we will recall all the saints who have gone before us whose courage and faith brought us this far. 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 22
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”
Hold not your tongue, O God of our praise : for the air is full of empty words.
Psalm 109:29 – 30
I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth : in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;
because he stands at the right hand of the needy : to save his life from those who would condemn him.
Hold not your tongue, O God of our praise : for the air is full of empty words.
Exodus 9:13 – 35 Mark 8:27 – 9:1
Hold not your tongue, O God of our praise : for the air is full of empty words.
Benedict of Nursia, sixth-century father of communal monasticism, wrote, “How much more important it is to refrain from evil speech, remembering what such sins bring down on us in punishment. In fact so important is it to cultivate silence. After all, it is written in scripture that one who never stops talking cannot avoid falling into sin. Another text in the same book reminds us that the tongue holds the key to death and life.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, may our prayers be found in our actions today as much as they are found in these words. 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 21
Under apartheid law, black South African men over the age of sixteen were required to carry a pass card. Anyone found without a card by the police could be arrested. On March 21, 1960, black South African men had planned to leave their pass cards at home, go to the police station, and ask to be arrested in an act of civil disobedience. When the men began their walk to the police station, officers opened fire, killing sixty-nine and injuring hundreds in what has been remembered as the Sharpeville Massacre.
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 “We Shall Overcome”
Lord, help us to resist : the madness of our age.
Psalm 106:47 – 48
Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations : that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting : and let all the -people say, “Amen!” Hallelujah!
Lord, help us to resist : the madness of our age.
Exodus 7:25 – 8:19 Mark 8:11 – 26
Lord, help us to resist : the madness of our age.
Desert father Abba Anthony said, “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, ‘You are mad, you are not like us.’ ”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we remember those who have given their lives for the sake of justice and freedom. Help us not to take our own freedom lightly, but to use it to advocate relentlessly for the freedom 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 March 20
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 “Fairest Lord -Jesus”
Set our hearts to sing your praise : and our bodies to do your will.
Psalm 104:1, 13 – 16
Bless the Lord, O my soul : O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness! you are clothed with majesty and splendor.
You water the mountains from your dwelling on high : the earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works.
You make grass grow for flocks and herds : and plants to serve mankind;
that they may bring forth food from the earth : and wine to gladden our hearts,
oil to make a cheerful countenance : and bread to strengthen the heart.
Set our hearts to sing your praise : and our bodies to do your will.
Exodus 7:8 – 24 Mark 8:1 – 10
Set our hearts to sing your praise : and our bodies to do your will.
Maria Skobtsova, a twentieth-century nun remembered in Russia as Mother Maria, said, “The meaning of the liturgy must be translated into life.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we begin this day praising you. May your liturgy set our souls to dancing, and may your Spirit guide our feet today. 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 19
On March 19, 2003, US and British troops began a “shock and awe” campaign to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein, which US intelligence officials accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Though no WMDs were found in Iraq, a US-sponsored occupation continued, costing thousands of soldiers’ lives, tens of thousands of civilians’ lives, and billions of US dollars.
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”
We pledge allegiance to the Lamb : and to the kingdom for which he stands.
Psalm 99:1 – 5
The Lord is King; let the -people tremble : he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake.
The Lord is great in Zion : he is high above all -peoples.
Let them confess his name, which is great and awesome : he is the Holy One.
“O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity : you have executed justice and righteous-ness in Jacob.”
Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and fall down before his footstool : he is the Holy One.
We pledge allegiance to the Lamb : and to the kingdom for which he stands.
Exodus 5:1 – 6:1 Mark 7:24 – 37
We pledge allegiance to the Lamb : and to the kingdom for which he stands.
Second-century martyr Ignatius of Antioch said, “Better to die for the sake of -Jesus Christ than to be king over the utmost ends of the earth.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, keep us from making excuses for the sake of disobedience and spiritual death. Help us remember that all of humanity is invited to feast at your table, especially those we would name as enemies. 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 18
Cyril of Jerusalem (315 – 386)
Cyril lived in the fourth century. His gift to the church was his refusal to separate good doctrine from good living, insisting that orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxis (right living) must be married. He was accused of selling some gifts from the emperor and giving the money to the poor. Cyril was condemned and forced into exile. He died in 386 at the age of seventy. Of his thirty-five years as a bishop, nearly sixteen were spent in exile.
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”
In the roar of a hard rain, Lord : we hear justice rolling down.
Psalm 93:4 – 6
The waters have lifted up, O Lord, the waters have lifted up their voice : the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea : mightier is the Lord who dwells on high.
Your testimonies are very sure : and holiness adorns your house, O Lord, for ever and for evermore.
In the roar of a hard rain, Lord : we hear justice rolling down.
Exodus 4:10 – 31 Mark 7:1 – 23
In the roar of a hard rain, Lord : we hear justice rolling down.
Cyril of Jerusalem said, “The way of godliness consists of these two parts, pious doctrines and good works. Neither are the doctrines acceptable to God without good works, nor does God accept works accomplished otherwise than as linked with pious doctrines.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, not only in the roar of a hard rain, but in the dousing, dipping, drenching of our baptism, call us to live into that new life that is your resurrection. 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 17
Patrick of Ireland (389 – 461)
At the age of sixteen, Patrick was kidnapped from his home by Irish marauders and taken to Ireland, where he was sold as a slave to a chieftain and forced to herd livestock. After six years of slavery, Patrick escaped to his native Britain. Because he believed that his captivity and deliverance were ordained by God, Patrick devoted his life to ministry. While studying for the priesthood, he experienced recurring dreams in which he heard voices say, “O holy youth, come back to Erin and walk once more amongst us.” He convinced his superiors to let him return to Ireland in 432, not to seek revenge for injustice but to seek reconciliation and to spread his faith. Over the next thirty years, Patrick established churches and monastic communities across Ireland. When he was not engaged in the work of spreading the Christian faith, Patrick spent his time praying in his favorite places of solitude and retreat.
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”
I arise, I arise today : in the Spirit of the Trinity.
Psalm 89:34 – 37
I will not break my covenant : nor change what has gone out of my lips.
Once for all I have sworn by my holiness : “I will not lie to David.
His line shall endure for ever : and his throne as the sun before me;
it shall stand fast for evermore like the moon : the abiding witness in the sky.”
I arise, I arise today : in the Spirit of the Trinity.
Exodus 3:16 – 4:12 Mark 6:47 – 56
I arise, I arise today : in the Spirit of the Trinity.
This prayer is attributed to Patrick:
Christ be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, if only we made ourselves as open and available as your saints of old, who knows what you might do through us! Speak to us in visions and dreams, make your will known to us, and be patient with 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.
