Daily Prayers for November 21
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 “Were You There?”
-Jesus, remember me : when you come into your kingdom.
Psalm 106:43 – 46
Many a time did he deliver them, but they rebelled through their own devices : and were brought down in their iniquity.
Nevertheless, he saw their distress : when he heard their lamentation.
He remembered his covenant with them : and relented in accordance with his great mercy.
He caused them to be pitied : by those who held them captive.
-Jesus, remember me : when you come into your kingdom.
Zechariah 14:1 – 11 Revelation 20:1 – 6
-Jesus, remember me : when you come into your kingdom.
A prayer of Catherine of Siena: “My sweet Lord, look with mercy upon your -people and especially upon the mystical body of your church. It would be no consolation for me to enjoy your life if your holy -people stood in death. For I see that sin darkens the life of your bride the church — my sin and the sins of others.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
-Jesus, please remember us, and that will strengthen us to turn again to you, to choose life, to work for justice and peace, to practice hospitality, to love our neighbors, and to trust that you will strengthen and equip us for the task. 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 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 “We Shall Not Be Moved”
Root us in a place, Lord : that we might find our home in you.
Psalm 102:17 – 22
He will look with favor on the prayer of the homeless : he will not despise their plea.
Let this be written for a future generation : so that a -people yet unborn may praise the Lord.
For the Lord looked down from his holy place on high : from the heavens he beheld the earth;
that he might hear the groan of the captive : and set free those condemned to die;
that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord : and his praise in Jerusalem;
when the -peoples are gathered together : and the kingdoms also, to serve the Lord.
Root us in a place, Lord : that we might find our home in you.
Zechariah 13:1 – 9 Revelation 19:11 – 21
Root us in a place, Lord : that we might find our home in you.
Gregory of Nyssa wrote in the fourth century, “This is the most marvelous thing of all: how the same thing is both a standing still and a moving. I mean by this that the firmer and the more immovable someone remains in the Good, the more he progresses in the course of the virtues. It is like using the standing still as if it were a wing while the heart flies upward through its stability in the Good.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, to be rooted in place takes commitment to land, to -people, to friends and family, to transients in our community, and to the plight of our neighborhoods. Being rooted is no easy task, but you demonstrated such rootedness in your incarnation. Give us courage to take up the hard task of knowing you while standing in place. 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 19
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”
God is good all the time : all the time, God is good.
Psalm 98:1 – 5
Sing to the Lord a new song : for he has done marvelous things.
With his right hand and his holy arm : has he won for himself the victory.
The Lord has made known his victory : his righteous-ness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel : and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands : lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.
God is good all the time : all the time, God is good.
Zechariah 12:1 – 10 Revelation 19:1 – 10
God is good all the time : all the time, God is good.
A reading from The Cloud of Unknowing: “For I tell you this: one loving, blind desire for God alone is more valuable in itself, more pleasing to God and to the saints, more beneficial to your own growth, and more helpful to your friends, both living and dead, than anything else you could do.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we boldly and unabashedly declare our love for you and our faith in your precepts. You are the Lord of life, the light in the darkness, the salvation for the world, the God who was and is and is to come. We pray to make this day one of celebration simply because you are 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 18
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 “Be Thou My Vision”
Give us rest, O God : that we might delight in the work you are doing.
Psalm 94:12 – 15
Happy are they whom you instruct, O Lord! : whom you teach out of your law;
to give them rest in evil days : until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not abandon his -people : nor will he forsake his own.
For judgment will again be just : and all the true of heart will follow it.
Give us rest, O God : that we might delight in the work you are doing.
Zechariah 11:4 – 17 Revelation 18:15 – 24
Give us rest, O God : that we might delight in the work you are doing.
Pope Clement said in the first century, “If we review the various ages of history, we will see that in every generation the Lord has offered the opportunity of repentance to any who were willing to turn to him. When Noah preached God’s message of repentance, all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed, but when they repented, their prayers gained God’s forgiveness for their sins, and they were saved, even though they were not of God’s -people. We should be suppliant before him and turn to his compassion, rejecting empty works and quarreling and jealousy, which only lead to death.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, you always provide a way for us to turn back to you. Remind us that there is always hope for the weary, the wounded, the lost, and the contrite of heart. Help us receive this good news and share it with 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 November 17
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”
Hide us, your anxious children : under the shadow of your wing.
Psalm 86:14 – 17
The arrogant rise up against me, O God, and a band of violent men seeks my life : they have not set you before their eyes.
But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion : slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.
Turn to me and have mercy upon me : give your strength to your servant; and save the child of your handmaid.
Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed : because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Hide us, your anxious children : under the shadow of your wing.
Zechariah 10:1 – 12 Revelation 18:1 – 14
Hide us, your anxious children : under the shadow of your wing.
A passage from Forgotten among the Lilies by Ronald Rolheiser: “If the Catholicism that I was raised in had a fault, and it did, it was precisely that it did not allow for mistakes. It demanded that you get it right the first time. There was supposed to be no need for a second chance. If you made a mistake, you lived with it and, like the rich young man, were doomed to be sad, at least for the rest of your life. A serious mistake was a permanent stigmatization, a mark that you wore like Cain. I have seen that mark on all kinds of -people: divorcees, ex-priests, ex-religious, -people who have had abortions, married -people who have had affairs, -people who have had children outside of marriage, parents who have made serious mistakes with their children, and countless others who have made serious mistakes. There is too little around to help them. We need a theology of brokenness. We need a theology which teaches us that even though we cannot unscramble an egg, God’s grace lets us live happily and with renewed innocence far beyond any egg we may have scrambled. We need a theology that teaches us that God does not just give us one chance, but that every time we close a door, he opens another one for us.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, for the many ways you watch over and protect us in the course of the day. As you shelter us, show us also how to provide physical and spiritual shelter for those we encounter 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 November 16
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 Want -Jesus to Walk with Me”
Teach us to proclaim with our lives : that we have no God but you.
Psalm 81:8 – 12
Hear, O my -people, and I will admonish you : O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
There shall be no strange god among you : you shall not worship a foreign god.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and said : “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
And yet my -people did not hear my voice : and Israel would not obey me.
So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts : to follow their own devices.
Teach us to proclaim with our lives : that we have no God but you.
Zechariah 9:9 – 16 Revelation 17:1 – 18
Teach us to proclaim with our lives : that we have no God but you.
Athenagoras said of the early church, “They charge us on two points: that we do not sacrifice and that we do not believe in the same gods as the State.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, keep us from following the gods of pride, stubbornness, vanity, sloth, greed, and comfort that beckon for our allegiance every day. You brought us through the night watches, you who neither slumber nor sleep. We pray to follow you along the path of generosity, humility, and love throughout this day. 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 15
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 “I Will Trust in the Lord”
Risen Lord, teach us to trust : the power of your cross.
Psalm 78:18 – 22
They tested God in their hearts : demanding food for their craving.
They railed against God and said : “Can God set a table in the wilderness?
True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the gullies overflowed : but is he able to give bread or to provide meat for his -people?”
When the Lord heard this, he was full of wrath : a fire was kindled against Jacob, and his anger mounted against Israel;
for they had no faith in God : nor did they put their trust in his saving power.
Risen Lord, teach us to trust : the power of your cross.
Malachi 3:13 – 4:6 Revelation 16:12 – 21
Risen Lord, teach us to trust : the power of your cross.
Death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal has asked, “Isn’t it odd that Christendom — that huge body of humankind that claims spiritual descent from the Jewish carpenter of Nazareth — claims to pray to and adore a being who was a prisoner of Roman power, an inmate of the empire’s death row? That the one it considers the personification of the Creator of the Universe was tortured, humiliated, beaten, and crucified on a barren scrap of land on the imperial periphery, at Golgotha, the place of the skull? That the majority of its adherents strenuously support the state’s execution of thousands of imprisoned citizens? That the overwhelming majority of its judges, prosecutors, and lawyers — those who condemn, prosecute, and sell out the condemned — claim to be followers of the fettered, spat-upon, naked God?”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, to know you, we must dwell on the reality of your life, not just your death and resurrection. Remind us of our roots in Nazareth, in Galilee, in Capernaum, in Judea, and on Golgotha. Remind us that a servant is no greater than their Master. 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 14
O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you
as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Come, let us bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “Guide My Feet”
Dispel our illusions, -Jesus : that we might see the wisdom of your way.
Psalm 73:12 – 18
So then, these are the wicked : always at ease, they increase their wealth.
In vain have I kept my heart clean : and washed my hands in innocence.
I have been afflicted all day long : and punished every morning.
Had I gone on speaking this way : I should have betrayed the generation of your children.
When I tried to understand these things : it was too hard for me;
until I entered the sanctuary of God : and discerned the end of the wicked.
Surely, you set them in slippery places : you cast them down in ruin.
Dispel our illusions, -Jesus : that we might see the wisdom of your way.
Malachi 3:1 – 12 Revelation 16:1 – 11
Dispel our illusions, -Jesus : that we might see the wisdom of your way.
Fifth-century monk Nilus of Ancyra wrote, “We should remain within the limits imposed by our basic needs and strive with all our power not to exceed them. For once we are carried a little beyond these limits in our desire for the pleasures of life, there is then no criterion by which to check our onward movement, since no bounds can be set to that which exceeds the necessary.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, your refiner’s fire peels away the dross of our self-making. Grant us the discipline and desire to be purified by 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 13
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, O Sky (Gaao Re)”
Your majesty is over Israel, Lord : your strength is in the sky.
Psalm 68:28 – 34
Send forth your strength, O God : establish, O God, what you have wrought for us.
Kings shall bring gifts to you : for your temple’s sake at Jerusalem.
Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds : and the -peoples, a herd of wild bulls with its calves.
Trample down those who lust after silver : scatter the -peoples that delight in war.
Let tribute be brought out of Egypt : let Ethiopia stretch out her hands to God.
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth : sing praises to the Lord.
He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens : he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.
Your majesty is over Israel, Lord : your strength is in the sky.
Malachi 2:1 – 16 Revelation 14:14 – 15:8
Your majesty is over Israel, Lord : your strength is in the sky.
John Scotus Eriugena, a ninth-century Irish monk, wrote, “Christ wears ‘two shoes’ in the world: Scripture and nature. Both are necessary to understand the Lord, and at no stage can creation be seen as a separation of things from God.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, Lord, for the endless ways you reveal yourself to us. We are so quick to separate heaven from earth, but you shine forth in all things created by your hand. Teach us that to delight in the beauty of the earth is another way of praising 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 12
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 “Oh the Deep, Deep Love of -Jesus”
-Jesus, you’ve been better to me : than I have been to myself.
Psalm 66:14 – 18
Come and listen, all you who fear God : and I will tell you what he has done for me.
I called out to him with my mouth : and his praise was on my tongue.
If I had found evil in my heart : the Lord would not have heard me;
but in truth God has heard me : he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer : nor withheld his love from me.
-Jesus, you’ve been better to me : than I have been to myself.
Malachi 1:1, 6 – 14 Revelation 14:1 – 13
-Jesus, you’ve been better to me : than I have been to myself.
Hymn writer Thomas Chisholm wrote these words:
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord God our Father.
There is no shadow of turning with thee.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Thank you, God, that each morning you provide a new opportunity for us to follow you. We offer you the best of what we have, what already belongs to you. Let your tender mercies come to us that we might live. 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.
