Daily Prayers for February 14
Valentine of Rome (d. 269)
A Christian priest in Rome, Valentine was known for assisting Christians persecuted under Claudius II. After being caught marrying Christian -couples and helping Christians escape the persecution, Valentine was arrested and imprisoned. Although Emperor Claudius originally liked Valentine, he was condemned to death when he tried to convert the emperor. Valentine was beaten with stones, clubbed, and, finally, beheaded on February 14, 269. In the year 496, February 14 was named as a day of celebration in Valentine’s honor. He has since become the patron saint of engaged -couples, beekeepers, happy marriages, lovers, travelers, young -people, and greetings.
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”
O Love that keeps the heavens turning : draw us to you in all our yearnings.
Psalm 72:16 – 19
May there be abundance of grain on the earth, growing thick even on the hilltops : may its fruit flourish like Lebanon, and its grain like grass upon the earth.
May his name remain for ever and be established as long as the sun endures : may all the nations bless themselves in him and call him blessed.
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel : who alone does wondrous deeds!
And blessed be his glorious name for ever! : And may all the earth be filled with his glory. Amen. Amen.
O Love that keeps the heavens turning : draw us to you in all our yearnings.
Genesis 31:1 – 24 John 17:20 – 26
O Love that keeps the heavens turning : draw us to you in all our yearnings.
G. K. Chesterton said, “Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, help us distinguish between the love that keeps merely human affection in the center of things and the love you bore in your sacrificial life, death, and 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 February 13
On February 13, 2008, the prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, issued a national apology to aboriginal families torn apart by Australian government agencies and church missions during the period between 1869 and 1969. Children were taken from their families and forced into institutions where they were often unable to speak their native language and were given new names and birthdates. It is estimated that between 1910 and 1971, fifty-five thousand children were taken from their families.
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”
Hide not your face from your servant : be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
Psalm 69:20 – 23
“Draw near to me and redeem me : because of my enemies deliver me.
You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor : my adversaries are all in your sight.”
Reproach has broken my heart, and it cannot be healed : I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I could find no one.
They gave me gall to eat : and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.
Hide not your face from your servant : be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
Genesis 30:1 – 24 John 17:12 – 19
Hide not your face from your servant : be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
Zitkala-Sa, an American Indian woman who spent three years in an off-reservation boarding school, wrote this account of her experience: “Judéwin knew a few words of English, and she had overheard the paleface woman talk about cutting our long, heavy hair. Our mothers had taught us that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among our -people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards! I cried aloud, shaking my head all the while until I felt the cold blades of the scissors against my neck, and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit. In my anguish I moaned for my mother, but no one came to comfort me. Not a soul reasoned quietly with me, as my own mother used to do; for now I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, forgive us for not learning the cultures of your children around the world and in our communities. You speak to us in many languages and customs. Train our ears and our hearts to hear 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 February 12
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored -People (NAACP) was established on February 12, 1909, after a race riot in Springfield, Illinois. Some of the founding members included W. E. B. DuBois, Ida Wells-Barnett, and Oswald Garrison Villiard. Over the years, it has become one of the most influential justice organizations in the United States, leading movements against lynching, segregation, discrimination, and race-based violence.
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 “When the Saints Go Marching In”
Bless our God, you -peoples : make the voice of his praise to be heard.
Psalm 66:4 – 8
Come now and see the works of God : how wonderful are his deeds toward all -people.
He turned the sea into dry land, so that they went through the water on foot : and there we rejoiced in him.
In his might he rules for ever; his eyes keep watch over the nations : let no rebel rise up against him.
Bless our God, you -peoples : make the voice of his praise to be heard;
who holds our souls in life : and will not allow our feet to slip.
Bless our God, you -peoples : make the voice of his praise to be heard.
Genesis 29:20 – 35 John 17:1 – 11
Bless our God, you -peoples : make the voice of his praise to be heard.
W. E. B. DuBois, a co-founder of the NAACP, wrote, “Only by a union of intelligence and sympathy across the color-line in this critical period of the Republic shall justice and right triumph.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, help us to see that without unity and solidarity very little can be accomplished as we strive for racial harmony and economic justice. As your children, we are in this together. 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 February 11
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 “Come, Ye Sinners”
My eyes are fixed on you, my strength : for you, O God, are my stronghold.
Psalm 59:11 – 14
My merciful God comes to meet me : God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
Slay them, O God, lest my -people forget : send them reeling by your might and put them down, O Lord our shield.
For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, for the cursing and lies that they utter : let them be caught in their pride.
Make an end of them in your wrath : make an end of them, and they shall be no more.
My eyes are fixed on you, my strength : for you, O God, are my stronghold.
Genesis 29:1 – 20 John 16:16 – 33
My eyes are fixed on you, my strength : for you, O God, are my stronghold.
Bernard of Clairvaux, a twelfth-century Cistercian reformer, wrote, “The first step of pride is curiosity. How does it show itself? Here is an example. There stands a monk who up to this time had every appearance of being an excellent monk. Now you begin to notice that wherever he is, standing, walking or sitting, his eyes are wandering, his glance darts right and left, his ears are cocked. Some change has taken place in him; every movement shows it. These symptoms show that that monastic’s soul has caught some disease. One who used to watch over his own conduct now is all watchfulness for others.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we ask for singleness of mind to serve you and wisdom to seek unity without judging those closest to 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 February 10
On February 10, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after twenty-seven years in a South African prison. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to overthrow his government as part of the African National Congress (AFM), which stood in opposition to the ruling National Party’s apartheid policies. While imprisoned he became one of the most influential black leaders of South Africa. After the apartheid policy was defeated through nonviolent struggle, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president.
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”
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving : make good on your promises to the Most High.
Psalm 50:1 – 3, 6
The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken : he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty : God reveals himself in glory.
Our God will come and will not keep silence : before him there is a consuming flame, and round about him a raging storm.
Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause : for God himself is judge.
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving : make good on your promises to the Most High.
Genesis 27:46 – 28:4, 10 – 22 John 16:1 – 15
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving : make good on your promises to the Most High.
Nelson Mandela said, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, not many of us could sustain hope in the midst of such horrors as Apartheid South Africa. Thank you for the witness of -people like Nelson Mandela, who remind us that hope is a lifeline for those who hang by the threads of injustice. As long as there are -people held in captivity, oppressed, and denied basic human rights, help us all to consider ourselves to be hanging by the same frail threads. 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 February 9
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”
We want to find our home in you, Lord : come and make your home with us.
Psalm 49:15 – 19
But God will ransom my life : he will snatch me from the grasp of death.
Do not be envious when some become rich : or when the grandeur of their house increases;
for they will carry nothing away at their death : nor will their grandeur follow them.
Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived : and were praised for their success,
they shall join the company of their forebears : who will never see the light again.
We want to find our home in you, Lord : come and make your home with us.
Genesis 27:30 – 45 John 15:12 – 27
We want to find our home in you, Lord : come and make your home with us.
Mississippi civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer said, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, when we weary of the journey, strengthen us by your Spirit to imagine new heavens and a new earth. 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.
A Note on Lent
Lent is the forty-day season of reflection and preparation for the death and resurrection of -Jesus. (You’ll have to check for Ash Wednesday on a calendar to see when Lent starts this year.) It is a time of repentance, of considering Christ’s sufferings and rethinking how we are called to take up our own crosses. Some of us give up things like chocolate or television during this season as a sort of fasting, and others try to integrate something new into their lives, like visiting folks in prison, sewing clothes, exercising, or praying. It is a good season to rethink how we live and to let some things go, or maybe even to develop some new holy habits.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Traditionally, the palm branches from Palm Sunday of the previous year are burned and the ashes are placed on the foreheads of Christians as a sign of repentance.
Daily Prayers for February 8
On February 8, 1887, the Dawes Act was approved by the United States Congress, dividing Native American reservation lands into separate properties to be owned and maintained by individuals. Tribes were to be dissolved and Native Americans were expected to assimilate into white American culture. Most of the land granted to Native Americans was desert, unable to sustain agriculture.
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 “Poor Wayfaring Stranger”
Forgive us, Lord, for stealing the land : Have mercy and set us free.
Psalm 39:5 – 8
Lord, let me know my end and the number of my days : so that I may know how short my life is.
You have given me a mere handful of days, and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight : truly, even those who stand erect are but a puff of wind.
We walk about like a shadow, and in vain we are in turmoil : we heap up riches and cannot tell who will gather them.
And now, what is my hope? : O Lord, my hope is in you.
Forgive us, Lord, for stealing the land : Have mercy and set us free.
Genesis 27:1 – 29 John 15:1 – 11
Forgive us, Lord, for stealing the land : Have mercy and set us free.
Seattle, chief of the Suquamish, said, “We know that the White Man does not understand our ways. One portion of the land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs. The earth is not his brother, but his enemy, and when he has conquered it, he moves on.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, show us that reconciling with those we imagine are different from us is not only for peace, but also to train us more deeply in the faith that honors everything created by your hand. Help us see that reconciliation leads to deeper knowledge of 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 February 7
Dom Helder Camara of Recife (1909 – 1999)
Born February 7, 1909, in Fortazela, Brazil, Dom Helder Camara became a bishop of the Catholic Church and one of the twentieth century’s great apostles of nonviolence. After joining a conservative political movement as a young priest, Camara experienced a conversion while ministering among the poor in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. “When I fed the poor they called me a saint,” Camara said. “When I asked why they were poor, they called me a Communist.” Labeled “the red bishop,” Camara worked tirelessly for democracy and human rights in Brazil, even as he watched friends and fellow priests imprisoned, tortured, and killed. When a hired assassin knocked on the elderly Camara’s door, he was so moved by the sight of the bishop that he blurted out, “I can’t kill you. You are one of the Lord’s.”
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”
Lord, give us a good start : and the grace never to give up.
Psalm 37:5 – 9
Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him : and he will bring it to pass.
He will make your righteous-ness as clear as the light : and your just dealing as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord : and wait patiently for him.
Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers : the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
Refrain from anger, leave rage alone : do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
Lord, give us a good start : and the grace never to give up.
Genesis 26:1 – 6, 12 – 33 John 14:18 – 31
Lord, give us a good start : and the grace never to give up.
Bishop Camara wrote, “To walk alone is possible, but the good walker knows that the great trip is life and it requires companions.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, though each of us rises alone to start this new day, bind us to the faith of the saints who have gone before us, and guide us to walk with our brothers and sisters in 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.
Daily Prayers for February 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 bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “Steal Away to -Jesus”
Teach us, Lord, to twist our tanks : into tractors and tilling blades.
Psalm 33:13 – 17
The Lord looks down from heaven : and beholds all the -people in the world.
From where he sits enthroned he turns his gaze : on all who dwell on the earth.
He fashions all the hearts of them : and understands all their works.
There is no king that can be saved by a mighty army : a strong man is not delivered by his great strength.
The horse is a vain hope for deliverance : for all its strength it cannot save.
Teach us, Lord, to twist our tanks : into tractors and tilling blades.
Genesis 25:19 – 34 John 14:8 – 17
Teach us, Lord, to twist our tanks : into tractors and tilling blades.
Second-century Bible scholar Origen of Alexandria wrote, “We do not arm ourselves against any nation; we do not learn the art of war; because, through -Jesus Christ, we have become the children of peace.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, this work of peacemaking is difficult business. But we cannot expect peace by any other way than nonviolence. Keep us even from violent thoughts and from threatening your peace with impatience. 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 February 5
On February 1, 1960, four college students — Ezell A. Blair Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain — initiated the first sit-in demonstration at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. The store manager ignored the protestors, hoping they would leave. The next day, twenty-seven more students came to protest. By February 5, three hundred students had arrived, igniting a mass movement of sit-ins for desegregation throughout the South.
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 “This Little Light of Mine”
May our sitting down and our rising up : contribute, Lord, to your kingdom’s work.
Psalm 27:11 – 14
Show me your way, O Lord : lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.
Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries : for false witnesses have risen up against me, and also those who speak malice.
What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness of the Lord : in the land of the living!
O tarry and await the Lord’s pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart : wait patiently for the Lord.
May our sitting down and our rising up : contribute, Lord, to your kingdom’s work.
Genesis 24:50 – 67 John 14:1 – 7
May our sitting down and our rising up : contribute, Lord, to your kingdom’s work.
Eighteenth-century Jesuit Jean-Pierre de Caussade wrote, “The great and firm foundation of the spiritual life is the offering of ourselves to God and being subject to his will in all things. We must completely forget ourselves, so that we regard ourselves as an object which has been sold and over which we no longer have any rights. We find all our joy in fulfilling God’s pleasure — his happiness, his glory and the fact that he is our great and only delight. Once we have this foundation, all we need to do is spend our lives rejoicing that God is God and being so wholly abandoned to his will that we are quite indifferent as to what we do and equally indifferent as to what use he makes of our activities.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, remind us that it is not always agitated uprisings and nonstop activity which lead to justice, but that change often comes through the quiet commitment of a small group of -people. Help us raise our small body of -people to set about quietly becoming the change we want to see in the 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.
