Eternal God, lead us now out of the familiar setting of our doubts and fears,
Beyond our pride and our need to be secure,
Into a strange and graceful ease with our true proportions and with Yours,
That in boundless silence
We may grow strong enough to endure
And flexible enough to share Your grace.─AMEN.
                                                    ^{(Adapted from Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace, 1981.)}

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

(Rumi, The Guest House)

Loving God, help us to approach this day with awareness, gratitude, and joy.─AMEN.

            The group Seals and Crofts has a song that begins: Darling, if you want me to be closer to you, get closer to me.  Can you imagine God singing that to you?  It echoes the Book of James where he says: Draw near to God and God will draw near to you (James 4:8).

            The Sufi poet Abu Sa’id (967-1049) tells us how:

If you wish to draw near to God,

Seek God in the hearts around you.

Speak well of all, present or absent.

If you would be a light for others,

Be like the sun: show the same face to all.

To bring joy to a single heart is better

Than building countless shrines for worship;

To capture one heart through kindness is better

Than setting a thousand free.

This is the true lover of God,

Who lives with others,

Rises and eats and sleeps like others,

Gives and takes in the bazaar,

Yet never forgets God even for a moment.

            Gracious God, fill us with Your joy as we continue to draw closer to You.─AMEN.

            The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins says that “the world is charged with the grandeur of God.”  As we forge ahead with the work of government,

            Let us keep in mind the blessings of summer recess- the places where we experienced God’s grandeur- perhaps

            In sun and surf and sandy beaches,

            In wind and rain and rainbow hues,

            In midnight skies and Perseid Showers,

            In places of worship and monuments to our past history.

            Let us remember the people we encountered- family, friends, and kindly strangers who assisted us along the way.

            God of elegance and beauty, help us to notice the grandeur of your creation in our daily lives. May we see your face in the colleagues we engage with, attending to our commitments, in the presence of your Spirit, which “broods over the bent world with bright wings.”─AMEN.

(Adapted from Gerard Manley Hopkins, Poems and Prose, God’s Grandeur, 1985)

Our prayer is taken from the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who has spoken in California many times.

We turn toward the light of loving-kindness to direct us.

We bow deeply to the Awakened One and to our spiritual ancestors.

Today we begin anew to purify and free our hearts.

With immeasurable compassion to help humankind, we resolve to live beautifully.

May our heart’s garden of awakening bloom with hundreds of flowers.

May mountains and rivers be our witness in this moment as we bow our heads and request the Lord of Compassion to embrace us all.─AMEN.

^{(From Matt Sanders, Interfaith Ministry Handbook.)}

God of mystery and wonder, the multiplicity of galaxies and stars make possible our living and dying.  We are connected to everything on this planet as we share atoms, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.

We rejoice in our human capacity to wonder, to seek meaning and purpose, to rejoice and give thanks.

We benefit from the insights and teachings of all who have walked this path of life before us.

May we grow in respect and appreciation for the diversity and beauty of all that lives this day as we seek to explore the mystery of our being in freedom and safety.─AMEN.

^{(Michael Morwood, Praying a New Story, Melbourne, 2003)}

God of all creation, at the beginning of this new day, fill us with wonder and gratitude for the abundance of Your blessings.  Teach us to delight in the anticipation of the day’s surprises.

We lift our voices to praise You for the beauty of the earth, for the harvests of field and orchard. Give us hearts that long to share our abundance with those who suffer from want and hopelessness.

Bring the healing light of Your presence into the struggles of our lives, so that by our efforts for the common good, our world will draw closer to healing, peace and justice.─AMEN.

Gracious and loving God, we pray for our California Senate.  As they deliberate today within these chamber walls, we pray that they will be able to focus upon the goals rather than the obstacles to continue to make California the great state that it is.  We pray for all Californians and that tomorrow will be a better day.  This prayer we pray.─AMEN.

O God of peace, we seek rest for our spirits and light for our thoughts.

We bring our work to be sanctified, our wounds to be healed, our hopes to be renewed.

You, in whom all are one, lift us from the loneliness of self, and fill us with the fullness of Your love.

Raise us beyond the limits of our daily imperfections.

Send us visions of the love that is in You and of the good that will be accomplished in us.

You greatness is beyond our praise.─AMEN.

(From Matt Sanders, Interfaith Ministry Handbook, 2015.)

As we begin the work of the new year, I invite you to ponder the words of Howard Thurman (1899–1981):

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
Then the [real work] begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nation, [and the State],
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.

This is the work that you are about in this Senate; and for the days to come, I pray:

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May God’s face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May God look upon you kindly and give you peace.—Amen.

God of freedom, beauty and truth
we believe that Your deepest desire,
Your most powerful energy, 
is that all creation might know abundant life.

Hasten the coming of the day when all people
and our precious Earth itself
will be treated, not as a commodity,
but as radiant images of Your freedom, beauty and truth.
May it be so.─AMEN.

(Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, N.J.)

We pray today in the words of Maya Angelou:

Father, Mother, God, thank You for Your presence during the hard and mean days; for then we have You to lean upon.

Thank You for Your presence during the bright and sunny days; for then we can share that which we have with those who have less.

And thank You for Your presence during the Holy Days; for then we are able to celebrate You, and our families, and our friends.

For those who have no voice, we ask You to speak.

For those who feel unworthy, we ask You to pour out Your love in waterfalls of tenderness.

For those who live in pain, we ask You to bathe them in the river of Your healing.

For those who are lonely, we ask You to keep them company.

For those who are depressed, we ask You to shower upon them the light of hope.

Dear Creator, You, the borderless sea of substance: We ask You to give to all the world that which we need most—peace.—AMEN.

Harriet Tubman said: Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
Divine Mystery and Presence, Harriet Tubman did not hesitate to reach for the star of freedom to pass it on to others. We ask that You awaken us to the dream that You are dreaming in us this day.
Give us the strength to reach beyond the seemingly overwhelming challenges of the present.
Give us the patience to wait for that which does not yet seem possible.
And give us the passion to forge our commitment to the future through our collaboration with one another. We ask this in Your name. --AMEN.

    O God, we thank thee for this universe, our great home; for its vastness and its riches, and for the manifold life which teems upon it and of which we are a part.
    We praise thee for the arching sky and the blessed winds, for the driving clouds and the constellations on high.
    We praise thee for the salt sea and the running water, for the everlasting hills, for the trees, and for the grass under our feet.
    We thank thee for our senses by which we can see the splendor of the morning, and hear the songs of birds, and enjoy the smells on springtime.
    Grant us, we pray, a heart wide open to all this joy and beauty, and save our souls from being steeped in care or so darkened by passion that we pass heedless and unseeing when even the thorn-bush by the wayside is aflame with the glory of God. -AMEN.

(Adapted from  Walter Rauschenbusch)

            Long ago, it was written: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established, what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? (Ps 8.3-4)

            In matters great and small, we have been entrusted by the citizens of this great state to serve the public good, to care for those who have no voice, and to shape a more just and loving society:

            Let us bow our heads and pray, Almighty and eternal God, maker of all that is seen and unseen. We pray you to care gently for these public servants as they embrace the responsibility to lead our Golden State. May they be courageous in principle, judicious in action, and may they guided by the desire to labor for the greater good. Help us live and work in a manner worthy of this trust.

            Make manifest your love and care for all gathered here. Bless these public servants and all who ease the burden of their work. Bless all those whom they love and bless all who are less fortunate than we.

            Inspire all who hear this prayer, Lord God, to act in the face of injustice, to share generously when confronted by need, to be the hands of your work and witnesses of your compassion. And help us to discern the course that will bring us lasting joy in our world of constant change.

            So let this be our benediction: “May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds” (Phil 3.7), this day and always, now and forever.—AMEN.

            Today we will pray the 23rd Psalm for Busy People:

            The Lord is my pace-setter; I shall not rush,

            God helps me stop and rest for quiet intervals.

            He provides me with images of stillness,

            Which restores my serenity.

            God leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind;

            God’s guidance is peace.

            Even though I have many things to accomplish today,

            And crisis may pile upon crisis,

            I will not fall apart for God’s presence is here;

            God’s timelessness will keep me in balance.

            God prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activities.

            God anoints my mind with the oil of inspiration.

            Surely harmony and effectiveness will be the fruit of my hours,

            And I shall walk in the peace of the Lord this day.─AMEN.

            On October 19, 1796 in his farewell address, George Washington said the following: It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and… great Nation, to give to mankind the magnanimous…example of a People always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence.

            Gracious and loving God, we pray today in thanksgiving for the leadership of our first president, George Washington.  In a time of great upheaval, he laid a foundation of liberty and democracy for the benefit of future generations. 

           Today we are still leaning into the meaning of liberty and justice for all, as the legislators of our time strive to be guided by the ideal of exalted justice.

           Be with the legislators in this chamber as they pursue the dream of peace and harmony amid the details and decisions of the moment.  May their constituents also embrace the responsibilities of democracy so that together we can build a just and productive society, fulfilling the desires set forth by the founders of our country. We ask this in your name.—AMEN.

            Gracious and loving Creator, in these days when trees and flowers are blooming in profusion, give us renewed hope in our ability to mend the brokenness of our world, because in the words of  Denise Levertov’s poem, Beginners:

            … we have only begun to love the earth.

            We have only begun to imagine the fullness of life.

            How could we tire of hope?—so much is in bud.

            How can desire fail?—we have only begun to imagine justice and mercy,

            only begun to envision how it might be to live as siblings with beast and flower, not as oppressors.

            Surely our river cannot already be hastening into the sea of nonbeing?

            Surely it cannot drag, in the silt, all that is innocent?

            Not yet, not yet—there is too much broken that must be mended,

            too much hurt we have done to each other that cannot yet be forgiven.

            We have only begun to know the power that is in us

            if we would join our solitudes in the communion of struggle.

            So much is unfolding that must complete its gesture,

            so much is in bud.—AMEN.

(Adapted from Denise Levertov, “Beginners,” in Candles in Babylon.)

            Last Tuesday, Astronaut Scott Kelly came back to earth after 340 days in space.  He came back a different man. He actually grew two inches due to the lack of gravity in space.  He now stands taller.

            Being height challenged myself, I am intrigued by this endeavor.  But sometimes in our lives we are called to stand taller for great causes.

            Malala, who was shot by the Taliban, once said: “Once I had asked God for one or two more inches in height but instead he made me as tall as the sky, so high that I could not measure myself…by giving me this height to reach people, he has also given me great responsibilities.” 

            My dear senators, you have been given a great responsibility within these chambers—to reach the sky and help every Californian to stand taller.

            Gracious and loving God, we pray for our California Senators and for the deliberations that will take place today.  We pray that the conversations that will be had, the decisions that will be made, and the votes that will be cast help all of us stand taller. This prayer we pray.—AMEN.

            God of all promises and faithfulness, we ask Your blessing on us this afternoon as we gather to conduct the business of the State of California. Those raised up to public service have the opportunity to live a life of meaning, to lead in companionship, and to see Your face in those they serve.

            We ask You to bless these deliberations, and for an abundance of laughter and love, along with our disagreements. Grant all those gathered this afternoon Your stability, Your humility, and Your wisdom. We ask this in union with Your Spirit.—AMEN.

God of loving kindness and mercy, we ask You to

Quiet us, that out of still spaces we may hear Your word.

May we walk with faith all the days of our lives,

Aware of the interdependence of all living things,

And come to know You in everything and in each other.

Quiet us, O Silent Speaker, that out of still spaces we may hear Your word.

From the galaxies and the furthest stars

To the smallest atom in our heart,

You are the Living Flame of Love.

May we see Your divinity in the “within” and the “without” of all things.

Quiet us, O Silent Speaker, that out of still spaces we may hear Your word.

Gather us together, O Healing Presence,

That we may live in peace with all people

And bring glory to Your name.—AMEN.

(Adapted from Nan Merrill, Psalms for Praying.)

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

("i thank You God for most this amazing" by E.E. Cummings.)               

God of all creation,

Once again it is spring,

And the land is coming up green,

Unfolding outside our well-drawn boundaries and urgent schedules.

The willows are dripping honey color into the rivers,

And the mother birds are busy in manger nests,

And we are learning again that “for everything there is a season,

And a time to every purpose under heaven.”

O Lord, you have sketched the lines of spring.                                                   

Be with us in our unfolding.

Be with us,

By a grace, a warmth, a light,

To unfold our lives to new beginnings,

A spring within us, as well as around us. 

We ask this in your name.—AMEN.

^{(Adapted from Guerrillas of Grace, by Ted Loder.)}

            The following poem by Rumi is dedicated to those who sometimes get tired of being good!

     Pay close attention to your mean thoughts.

     That sourness may be a blessing, as an overcast day brings rain on the roses,

     And relief to dry soil.

     Don’t look so sourly on your sourness.

     It may be that it’s carrying what you most deeply need and want.

     What seems to be keeping you from joy may be what leads you to joy.

     Don’t call it a dead branch; call it the live moist root.

     Don’t always be waiting to see what’s behind it; that wait-and-see poisons your spirit.

     Reach for it; hold your meanness to your chest as a healing root,

     And be through with waiting.

            Creator of All That Is, help us to know today that Your deepest desires are being accomplished in and through us.—AMEN.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God,
Wellspring of all that is.
You are the sea on which we float,
You are the wind that fills our sails,
You are the storm that buffets us,
You are the calm that brings us peace.
Open our ears to hear Your word,
Open our eyes to see Your beauty,
Open our hearts to be warmed by Your love.
Free us from our lonely prisons of fear and selfishness,
And make us over, day by day, into bearers of Your peace and lovers of our Earth.—AMEN.

(Adapted from Richard Rosenberg)

Lord, You have been
our refuge age after age.
Before the mountains were born,
before the earth or the world came to birth,
You were God from all eternity and forever.
 
To You, a thousand years are a single day,
a yesterday now over, an hour of the night.
 
Teach us to count how few days we have
and so gain wisdom of heart.
Take pity on Your servants!
 
Let us wake in the morning filled with Your love
and sing and be happy all our days;
make our future as happy as our past was sad,
those years when You seemed to be punishing us.
 
Let Your servants see what You can do for us,
let our children see Your glory.
May the sweetness of the Lord be on us!
Make all we do succeed. --AMEN.
 
(Adapted from Psalm 90. Translation by Justin Reamer.)
 
 
 

            Gracious God, You meet us in unexpected places. Traces of Your grace are strewn all over our schedule-puckered lives. We ask to be stirred and disturbed toward soul-satisfying results in our desires to serve You and neighbor and even our enemy. Ease us into being good Samaritans to each other, to the outcast and rejected ones, and to those whose fear sometimes makes them obnoxious.  Make us bold to call others to accountability—even as we model humility to the arrogant, mercy to the self-righteous, compassion to the indifferent. O God of many surprises, make us glad of heart for each day’s opportunities to bring our imagination and creativity to the disturbances that threaten to discourage us. We will continue to believe in the impossible.—AMEN.

(Adapted from Ted Loder, My Heart in My Mouth.)

            Gracious and loving God, we know we may speak plainly to You because of Your intimacy with our every thought. You are completely familiar with our life: our successes, our failures, and our frailty. None of us is made of stone or steel, of alabaster or ivory. We are people of flesh and blood, flesh that carries scars, and blood that pulses with passion to bring truth, justice, and prosperity to the people we serve. You know us well—far better than we know ourselves. So in Your presence we need not be formal. Beloved Mystery, then, be near. Without our faith in Your caring, we would lack the hope that helps us continue, day in and day out, building on the successes, and failures too, of those who have preceded us. We continue to trust in You. —AMEN.

(Adapted from William Cleary, We Side with the Morning: Daily Prayers to the God of Hope.)   

Life is tough.

It takes a lot of your time, all your weekends,

And what do you get at the end of it?

Death—a great reward.

I think that the life cycle is all backwards

You should die first, get it out of the way.

Then you live twenty years in an old-age home.

You are kicked out when you are too young.

You get a gold watch; then you go to work.

You work forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement

You go to college,

And you party until you’re ready for high school.

You become a little kid, you play, you have no responsibilities.

You become little boy or girl.

You go back into the womb,

And you spend your last nine months floating.

Until you finish off as a gleam in someone’s eye.

(Adapted from a poem entitled, Reverse Living, author unknown.)

            Marion Wright Edelman, Founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, once said: “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore small daily differences we can make, which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

            Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said: “God does not ask us to do great things, only little things with great love.”

            O God who journeys with us today,

            pitch your tent with ours

            so that we may not be deterred

            by hardship, strangeness or doubt.

            Show us the movement we must make

toward a wealth not dependent on possessions,

toward a wisdom not based on books,

toward a strength not bolstered by might,

toward a god not confined to heaven.

Help us do the next thing we have to do today.

Help us do it with our whole heart.

Help us take delight in doing it.

Today, help us do some small good with great love.—AMEN.

            In the name of that great mystery that goes by many names, I give this decree for brotherhood with the intention of bringing our hearts and minds together for the blessing of the work of this governmental body on behalf of the people.

Out of the One,

Thou, God, hast spun

All of the races of men.

By thy great Law

Do thou now draw

All to their God Source again.

Take away hate;

By love abate

All mankind's vicious intent.

Show thy great pow'r

Every hour

Of love and compassion God sent.

I AM, I AM, I AM

Diving love sending forth

The wonderful feeling of true divine Healing,

Unguents of Light now sealing

All of the schisms of men.

Stop all division!

By God-precision

Love is the hallowed law-key.

Ultimate peace,

Make all war cease,

Let the children of men now go free!

Stop mankind's friction,

All their predictions

Tearing bless'd heart from heart.

By God-direction

Produce now perfection

In thy great family—one heart.

Amen, So Be It, Aum

            Let us place ourselves in the presence of Divine Mystery, as I read a poem by Sudka Kristmukti from India.  It is called “More than Enough.”

“Something is better than nothing,” I say to myself.

Still another voice persists [and questions]:

“Will my gift, which appears so meager, count amidst this sea of other offerings?”

I ache with doubt.

And yet I saw how my leaking faucet filled a bucket last night- one drop at a time.

More isn’t always the most, and less isn’t always the least.

Approachability. Availability. Dependability.

Listening ears.  Understanding heart.

Words of encouragement,

Being present when it matters most.

Selflessness and the gift of self.

If the smallest act of even one life becomes significant enough,

It might just make a world of difference.

The endless possibilities lie with the One

Who can use the whole of what we think is merely a mite, a part.

Here and now, if we simply present

Whatever we are, whatever we can, whatever we have,

Somehow it will be more than enough,

More than worthwhile.

Something is better than nothing.

And nothing is worse than nothing at all.

(Adapted from Sudha Khristmukti, Alive Now, September/October, 2009.)

            As we center ourselves in God’s presence, let us pray that we may not be overcome by our fears; rather, that we may live with confidence into our ever-evolving potential for greatness and goodness, for as Marianne Williams says:

            Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously [inspire] others to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

(Adapted from Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles.)

O God who weeps at fractured lives,

Inspire us to heal the hurting.

Help us to seal the cracks

Created by our complicity in failing to love.

May our words and actions speak love and not complacency.

May we choose love when faced with mindless hate,

Love- when faced with retaliation,

Love- when tempted by deception,

Love- when addressing poverty and other issues of our time,

Love- when speaking to our neighbors,

Love- when lured by bad choices,

Love- when electing leaders,

May we choose love- when facing racism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia.

In all the things we do, in all the words we say, and in all the places we go,

May we always choose love.—AMEN.

Let us recall the words of GK Chesterton: “We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”

Our prayer was written by Denise Johnston in memory of the Orlando tragedy:

In the troubled times we experience in our lives,

Both as individuals and as a collective society,

May we feel Your presence, Lord;

May we know You are there,

Walking with us, step by step, along our difficult way.

May we draw strength and courage from You and from each other;

May we be Your hands, Your feet, Your heart,

To lift each other up

and to carry each other

with caring love.

In the troubled times of our lives,

May we come together, being there for each other,

Being community,

Being human,

Being love.—AMEN.

I’ve been asked to come here this morning, God, to offer something of an Invocation—to invoke Your Great Spirit in this room, in this time, in this place. But Holy One, we know in our heart of hearts that You are already here.

So instead of a time of invocation, let us use this moment as a time of awareness—true awareness and humble recognition of Your Presence already here—within us, amongst us, and beyond us, in every moment. Just like my Sunday school teacher taught me, You are as close to us as breathing, and as distant as the farthest star. 

So I ask You now, God, just to remind these good people that You are here. Remind them of Your Presence, and of Your call upon their lives. Remind them of all the good people of California who depend on them each and every day, who pray for them and bless them, and who rely on their good work.

And please remind this gathered body, God, in all they do, to do what is required of them. In the words of Your mighty prophet Micah: “To seek justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with You.”—AMEN.

By way of an invocation, let me share a poem by Thomas P. Ryan, CSP, entitled “Morning Magic.” So settle back now, picturing yourself at Donner Lake, in the silence that prevails, just before the sun rises, and awakens all creation.

I woke this morning

To the summoning sound

Of an immense stillness

Which held all creation bound.

I quietly left my bed

Stepping softly to the shore,

Afraid to wake the universe.

Asleep before me laid the lake,

Held in the mountain’s firm embrace;

The breeze, too, lay quietly in the wings.

Not daring to mar lady water’s face.

And, while all looked away, awaiting another,

—tell no one of this! —

I woke the world myself,

Diving into the lake, full of bliss

Senators, staff, and guests, may you each “dive” into this new day with bliss and thanksgiving for a Divine Creation, so present around us at this flourishing time of year. May we take the time to honor the beauty and harmony of the Divine Handiwork of Summer, and draw fresh, new energy from it, taking us mindfully through this day.—AMEN.

Today I will read a poem called “Be a Living Psalm.” As you know, the Book of Psalms is full of prayers of praise and complaint. Let us recognize our ability to do both.

Be a Living Psalm

It matters not. The dialogue, the arguments are not worth the air we expend.

Rather, pick up the empty beer bottle and rumpled week-old newspaper from the sidewalk….

Look into the watery eyes of the homeless person; they may or may not be vacant.

Hold the hand of your partner of [so many years], smile at the faint whistle of air through their nostrils.

Be patient with your impatience with your aged Parents; know that they, too, hate you at times….

Slice the radish paper-thin; spread it fan-like around the white plate. Bless the bread before you eat it.

Know that life shakes herself awake each day- that random pieces will fall into our lap.

Our job is to hold praise and lament with equal regard.

Our job is to be a living psalm.

(Adapted from Jennifer Hoffmann, Spiritual Directors International.)

Gracious and loving God, teach us to hold praise and blame with equal regard. Teach us to be a living psalm.—AMEN.

Soren Kierkegaard once said: “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”

So gracious God, today we pray:

That new hope may rise from our human discouragement;

That new faith may rise from our human doubt;

That new love may rise from our human indifference;

That new courage may rise from our human timidity;

And that new joy may rise from our human sorrow.

Generous God, as we engage in this day’s tasks, let us carry Your light within us, as we bring new hope to the people we serve.—AMEN.

     Gracious and ever loving God, You called the prophet Jeremiah to speak Your words without fear (Jeremiah 1: 1–10).

     Teach us to speak prophetic words when our world is out of balance, when the cares of the voiceless go unheard.

     Teach us to speak prophetic words when hope is in short supply; when our best efforts still fail; when events occur that seem senseless and without meaning.

     Teach us to speak prophetic words when co-workers lean on us for advice and guidance; when difficult decisions need to be made; when the way is unclear.

     Teach us to speak prophetic words when the old ways will not work anymore; when new visions are needed; when new dreams must be dreamt.

     Teach us to speak prophetic words when we resist being molded in Your potter’s hands.

     Teach us to speak prophetic words without fear, for we know You are with us.—AMEN.

^{(Adapted from Catholic Health Association, 2006)}

     Gracious and loving God, as morning progresses, we give thanks for the gift of this day and we pray:

     You touch creation with the gentle light of dawn: Bring the healing light of insight into the wastelands of our lives.

     You offer the prospect of a fresh start each day: help us to see the possibilities for renewing our world today.

     You fill the air with mystery and expectation: Teach us to delight in the anticipation of today's surprises.

     God of all creation, at the beginning of this new day, we lift our hearts and voices to praise You for the beauty of our earth, for the harvest of field and orchard. Give us hearts that long to share our abundance with those who suffer from want and hopelessness. We ask this in Your name.—AMEN.

     I invite us to take a moment to become quiet, to still the mind and the heart. We take a deep breath and connect with the energy of our hearts. I invite you to remember a time in your life when you felt most loved. Let that memory and that love fill your heart and mind now.

     And in the stillness of our hearts I invite us to pray the following prayer to the God of our own understanding:

     The light of God surrounds us.

     We are the light of God in human form.

     The love of God enfolds us.

     We are the love of God.

     The power of God protects us.

     We are the power of God.

     The presence of God watches over us.

     We are the presence of God watching out for the world.

     Wherever we go, God is, because we are the image of the Divine itself.

     May all people be blessed with caring and wise government leaders.—AMEN.

Gracious and loving God, St. Augustine once said:  “Our hearts were made for You, Oh God, and shall not rest until they rest in You.”

We ask You to:

Open our hearts to receive Your abundant gifts.

Open our hearts to welcome as our beloved friends all our brothers and sisters.

Open our hearts to feel the pain of Your suffering people.

Open our hearts that we may speak for those who have no voice.

Open our hearts to forgive those who have caused us injury.

And open our hearts that we may experience Your embrace, and be witnesses of Your plan for a world of love and compassion.—AMEN.

^{(Adapted from Morning and Evening Prayer of the Sisters of Mercy.)}

     As we pray this prayer of Joyce Rupp, let us be consoled that God knows our desires even when they may not always materialize.

     Gracious God, Gift of Mercy and Understanding,

     Sometimes all my good intentions go sliding down the gutter of responsibilities.

     My hopes of deepening prayer get splintered and broken in the chaos of busyness.

     My desires to have a quiet haven are swallowed by the jaws of my calendar.

     My resolutions to rise earlier, to pray longer, are lost in the blankets of an extra hour of sleep.

     And all the while I fuss and fume about this, you look at me and smile.

     Are you sending the message that spiritual growth can happen among the very things

     That seem to keep me from you?

     Are you assuring me that my desire to grow is not lost to you?—AMEN.

^{(Adapted from Joyce Rupp, "Desire for Spiritual Growth," in Prayers to Sophia.)}