Daily Prayers for December 1
Charles de Foucauld (1858 – 1916)
While working in the North African desert after a dishonorable discharge from military ser-vice, Charles de Foucauld was impressed by the piety of Muslims and experienced a dramatic recovery of his Christian faith. He spent a number of years in a Trappist monastery before hearing the call to a new monasticism among the working poor. “I no longer want a monastery which is too secure,” he wrote. “I want a small monastery, like the house of a poor workman who is not sure if tomorrow he will find work and bread, who with all his being shares the suffering of the world.” Though Foucauld died in solitude, the Little Brothers and Sisters of -Jesus, inspired by his life and witness, have started communities of ser-vice among the poor and outcast around the world.
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 “Servant Song”
May we cry the gospel from the rooftops : both with our words and with our lives.
Psalm 8:4 – 7
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers : the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
what is man that you should be mindful of him? : the son of man that you should seek him out?
You have made him but little lower than the angels : you adorn him with glory and honor;
you give him mastery over the works of your hands : you put all things under his feet.
May we cry the gospel from the rooftops : both with our words and with our lives.
Isaiah 1:1 – 9 Luke 20:1 – 8
May we cry the gospel from the rooftops : both with our words and with our lives.
Charles de Foucauld prayed, “Father, I abandon myself into your hands, do with me what you will. For whatever you may do, I thank you. I am ready for all, I accept all, let only your will be done in me, as in all your creatures.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Sometimes, Lord, it takes witnessing another person’s commitment for us to realize our own lack of faith. Open our eyes to learn, even from strangers who inhabit other faith traditions, what it means to be committed to 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 November 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 “We Are Marching in the Light of God”
If we are in the light as you are in the light : we can find our way together.
Psalm 147:1 – 5
Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God! : how pleasant it is to honor him with praise!
The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem : he gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted : and binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars : and calls them all by their names.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power : there is no limit to his wisdom.
If we are in the light as you are in the light : we can find our way together.
Micah 7:11 – 20 Mark 13:32 – 37
If we are in the light as you are in the light : we can find our way together.
American farmer and poet Wendell Berry has written, “Sabbath observance invites us to stop. It invites us to rest. It asks us to notice that while we rest, the world continues without our help. It invites us to delight in the world’s beauty and abundance.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, the morning sings of your beauty and lightness of heart. There is always fresh hope in the morning if we stop to receive it. The new possibilities of morning are like a glimpse of Sabbath, when we are reminded that everything happens because you permit it and that the end of history is in your hands. Thanks be to 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 November 29
Dorothy Day (1897 – 1980)
Dorothy Day was born in Brooklyn in 1897. She worked as a journalist for radical newspapers in the 1920s and found most of her friends in the bohemian crowds that gathered in Greenwich Village. While living with a man she loved in 1926, she became pregnant and experienced a mysterious conversion to -Jesus. As a Roman Catholic, she struggled to unite her personal faith with passion for social justice until she met Peter Maurin, with whom she founded the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933. Through hospitality houses in the city, agronomic universities on the land, and roundtable discussions for the clarification of thought, they aimed to “create a new society within the shell of the old,” offering American Christianity the witness of a new monasticism that combines piety and practice, charity and 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 sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Song “Come, Thou Fount”
Teach us, Lord, every day : the duty of delight.
Psalm 139:10 – 16
If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me : and the light around me turn to night,”
darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day : darkness and light to you are both alike.
For you yourself created my inmost parts : you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I will thank you because I am marvelously made : your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
My body was not hidden from you : while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book : they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them.
How deep I find your thoughts, O God! : how great is the sum of them!
Teach us, Lord, every day : the duty of delight.
Micah 7:1 – 10 Mark 13:24 – 31
Teach us, Lord, every day : the duty of delight.
Dorothy Day said, “The greatest challenge of the day is how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, you show us the same compassion and commitment that a mother has for her tiny child. Teach us to care so completely. Show us how to delight in serving with the same joy you show in nurturing your creation. 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 November 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 “Vamos Todos al Banquete”
We thank you for your goodness, Lord : we praise you for your mercy.
Psalm 136:1 – 3, 7 – 9
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good : for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods : for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords : for his mercy endures for ever.
Who created great lights : for his mercy endures for ever;
the sun to rule the day : for his mercy endures for ever;
the moon and the stars to govern the night : for his mercy endures for ever.
We thank you for your goodness, Lord : we praise you for your mercy.
Isaiah 24:14 – 23 Mark 13:9 – 23
We thank you for your goodness, Lord : we praise you for your mercy.
Erasmus of Rotterdam, a sixteenth-century priest who was committed to reforming the church from within, said, “When faith came to be in writings rather than in hearts, contention grew hot and love grew cold. That which is forced cannot be sincere, and that which is not voluntary cannot please Christ.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, just as your love knows no bounds and finds endless ways to reveal itself, so help us to express a gratitude too deep for words. Help us to learn to reveal our thanksgiving in the countless ways there are to love others, to provide for those in need, to serve where ser-vice is rare. 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 November 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 sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Song “Solid Rock”
Show us your goodness, Lord : and steady our hearts in you.
Psalm 125
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion : which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.
The hills stand about Jerusalem : so does the Lord stand round about his -people, from this time forth for evermore.
The scepter of the wicked shall not hold sway over the land allotted to the just : so that the just shall not put their hands to evil.
Show your goodness, O Lord, to those who are good : and to those who are true of heart.
As for those who turn aside to crooked ways, the Lord will lead them away with the evildoers : but peace be upon Israel.
Show us your goodness, Lord : and steady our hearts in you.
Zephaniah 3:1 – 13 Mark 13:1 – 8
Show us your goodness, Lord : and steady our hearts in you.
Genesius the Actor had a conversion experience while mocking Christians before Emperor Diocletian and was martyred for his faith. He said, “There is no other Lord beside him whom I have seen. Him I worship and serve, and to him I will cling, though I should suffer a thousand deaths.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, steady our feet when the world tries to rock and shake our faith. When materialism beckons with coy hands, steady our feet. When lust sashays within us, steady our feet. When fear tugs at our knees, steady our faith. Show us your goodness, and steady our hearts in 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 November 26
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth, named Isabella by her master, escaped from slavery to freedom in 1826 and worked for several years as a domestic in New York City. But when she heard a call to travel, going “up and down the land, showing the -people their sins and being a sign unto them,” Isabella changed her name and became an itinerant evangelist for the causes of abolition and women’s rights. In 1864, she traveled to Washington, D.C., to encourage Abraham Lincoln in his struggle against the Confederacy, staying on to minister to the ex-slaves who had gathered in refugee camps. She was still there on December 12, 1865, when Congress ratified its thirteenth amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in the United States.
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 “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
Free us from the chains, Lord : that bind us as slaves and masters.
Psalm 119:169 – 74
Let my cry come before you, O Lord : give me understanding, according to your word.
Let my supplication come before you : deliver me, according to your promise.
My lips shall pour forth your praise : when you teach me your statutes.
My tongue shall sing of your promise : for all your commandments are righteous.
Let your hand be ready to help me : for I have chosen your commandments.
I long for your salvation, O Lord : and your law is my delight.
Free us from the chains, Lord : that bind us as slaves and masters.
Obadiah 15 – 21 Revelation 22:14 – 21
Free us from the chains, Lord : that bind us as slaves and masters.
Sojourner Truth said, “What we give the poor, we lend to the Lord.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, please make it so that we would rather choose death than partake in evils against humanity. Make it so that we would rather risk our reputation and security than deny your call to work for freedom for the oppressed. 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 November 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 “It Is Well with My Soul”
Wake us to your presence, Lord : that we might not waste our times of trial.
Psalm 119:65 – 68
O Lord, you have dealt graciously with your servant : according to your word.
Teach me discernment and knowledge : for I have believed in your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray : but now I keep your word.
You are good and you bring forth good : instruct me in your statutes.
Wake us to your presence, Lord : that we might not waste our times of trial.
Nahum 1:1 – 13 Revelation 22:6 – 13
Wake us to your presence, Lord : that we might not waste our times of trial.
Twentieth-century mystic Simone Weil wrote, “Affliction compels us to recognize as real what we do not think possible.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
What would you teach us today in our trials, Lord? Make us receptive! Help us see your victory and compassion rather than look for easy answers to our troubles. So make us expectant, Lord, and patient. 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 November 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 sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Song “Woke Up This Mornin’ ”
Your mercies are new each morning, Lord : your faithful love lasts forever.
Psalm 118:1 – 5
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good : his mercy endures for ever.
Let Israel now proclaim : “His mercy endures for ever.”
Let the house of Aaron now proclaim : “His mercy endures for ever.”
Let those who fear the Lord now proclaim : “His mercy endures for ever.”
I called to the Lord in my distress : the Lord answered by setting me free.
Your mercies are new each morning, Lord : your faithful love lasts forever.
Isaiah 19:19 – 25 Revelation 21:22 – 22:5
Your mercies are new each morning, Lord : your faithful love lasts forever.
A prayer of Irish monk Columbanus: “Loving Savior, be pleased to show yourself to us who knock, so that in knowing you, we may love only you, love you alone, desire you alone, contemplate only you day and night, and always think of you. Inspire in us the depth of love that is fitting for you to receive as God. May our love be so great that the many waters of sky, land and sea cannot extinguish it in us.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, you’ve brought us safely to this new day. Help us to live it with joy, and in simple acts of kindness. 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 November 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 “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah”
Glory to your name, O Lord : you are our help and our shield.
Psalm 115:1 – 3, 9 – 11
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory : because of your love and because of your faithfulness.
Why should the heathen say : “Where then is their God?”
Our God is in heaven : whatever he wills to do he does.
O Israel, trust in the Lord : he is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord : he is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord : he is their help and their shield.
Glory to your name, O Lord : you are our help and our shield.
Isaiah 65:17 – 25 Revelation 21:1 – 8
Glory to your name, O Lord : you are our help and our shield.
Ignatius of Antioch said in the first century, “Our Lord was nailed on the cross so that through his resurrection he might set up a banner of victory throughout all ages.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, help us remember that no matter what things look like today, there is always a new dawn, a new morning, a new creation on the horizon. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, 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 November 22
Eberhard and Emmy Arnold (1883 – 1935; 1884 – 1980)
During the Reformation, there were those who believed that Luther and Calvin did not go far enough in recovering the radical spirit of Christianity, namely in regard to the Christian attitude toward violence and personal property. These Radical Reformers stressed community, simplicity, and an uncompromising commitment to gospel nonviolence. They suffered persecution from Protestants and Catholics alike, and their spirit took root in such communities as the Hutterites and Mennonites, which continue to this day. Eberhard and Emmy Arnold drew on this tradition centuries later in the midst of Nazi Germany. They started a community called the Bruderhof (“house of brothers”), whose ethic was the Sermon on the Mount. Their presence was a prophetic critique of the nationalism and militarism of Nazi Germany and of the Christianity that was silent amid such evil. In November 1933, their community was taken over by the Gestapo and they fled. Eberhard died in 1935 and Emmy lived on for forty-five more years, helping to start many other communities. Their lives and writings have inspired many communities, and their witness has touched -people around the world.
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 “Freedom Train”
Just when I thought I was lost : my dungeon shook and the chains fell off.
Psalm 107:10 – 16
Some sat in darkness and deep gloom : bound fast in misery and iron;
because they rebelled against the words of God : and despised the counsel of the Most High.
So he humbled their spirits with hard labor : they stumbled, and there was none to help.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble : and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them out of darkness and deep gloom : and broke their bonds asunder.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy : and the wonders he does for his children.
For he shatters the doors of bronze : and breaks in two the iron bars.
Just when I thought I was lost : my dungeon shook and the chains fell off.
Zechariah 14:12 – 21 Revelation 20:7 – 15
Just when I thought I was lost : my dungeon shook and the chains fell off.
Eberhard Arnold said, “Life in community is no less than a necessity for us — it is an inescapable ‘must’ that determines everything we do and think. Yet it is not our good intentions or efforts that have been decisive in our choosing this way of life. Rather, we have been overwhelmed by a certainty — a certainty that has its origin and power in the Source of everything that exists. We acknowledge God as this Source. We must live in community because all life created by God exists in a communal order and works toward community.”
Albert Luthuli, who struggled nonviolently against apartheid in South Africa, said, “It is inevitable that in working for freedom some individuals and some families must take the lead and suffer: the road to freedom is via the cross.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our journey with you shapes our journey with one another. Let your tender mercies come to us that we may live again. 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.
