Word/Image: New Love
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
Father, our Heart of Creation, Jesus the Blood of Life, and Holy Spirit the Infinite Beat of Love coursing through our veins, come let us adore You. We stand at the threshold of a new year. Let every knee bend and every tongue confess You. Lord, we want more than anything, to make You, and our love for You at the heart of who and how we are. Please give us every opportunity to delve into the endless fathoms of Your Way, Divine Law, and Word. May our hearts, spirits, and minds encounter You speaking to us in personal and novel ways. Enliven us in Your Mystical Body. Stretch the strings of our faith, hope, and charity that we may make pleasing sounds that give glory to Your Name. Grant us an increase in faith and trust in You. Turn the moments of our lives into participatory offerings of Your grace touching every detail. May our prayers this year please you and be like the enamored blushes of a raptured bride full of anticipation. For whatever we may face this year implant tomorrow’s Alleluias in the lungs of our souls. Father Glory be to you. Jesus make Your Home in us. And Beautiful Spirit radiate Love’s Light in us. “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”* AMEN
* Psalm 63:3
Word/Image: stewards of God’s Grace
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2: 11-14
Father of Everlasting Faith and Grace, Jesus God’s Gift of Love, and Holy Spirit the Bond of Light and Love between all things, teach us to be Your stewards. Take us under the refuge of Your Wings. We want to soar with the heavenly Graces You lavish on us. Equip us with the fruits of Your Grace – a life sustained by an unshakeable faith, great humility, and an unquenchable desire to always do Your Will. As You fortify us with Your Love, show us how to be generous stewards of Your Ways with others. Make us living testimonies of Your Truth and Goodness. Show us how to live with our imperfections, and the imperfections of others, in ways that open Your Gates of Mercy. May we become agencies of Your blessings to others, especially in their failures and struggles. Unite us in Your Compassion. We are confident that You will transform our hearts and souls into temples for the fulfillment of Your Gospel and the Building of Your Kingdom. Father, put us to work in Your vineyard. Jesus, draw us into Your Sacred Heart as Your faithful and good stewards. And Beautiful Spirit, sharpen our minds with Your Wisdom, and sweeten our hearts with Your Effusions of Love. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”* AMEN
* Hebrews 4:16
Word/Image: at the Name of Jesus
God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 4: 9-11
Father of Glory, Jesus Son of Man, and Holy Spirit, Breath of the Almighty, speak the Truth of Your Ways and Love into our hearts. Thank You for laying down Your Glory to be with us. Oh Lord, You withhold none of Yourself from us. Help us to enter more deeply into the mystery of Your incarnation. Grant us a desire to be obedient. Teach us to entrust everything in our lives to Your Holy and Perfect Will. Instill in us Your Ways of self-forgetting and sacrifice. Tenderize us to the pains and needs of others. Let Your compassion and desire for our Joy to be complete in You reach others through our thoughts, words, actions, and intentions. Furnish our minds with gentleness and patience and keep us safe from judging others. May the Signature of Your Love engraved upon our hearts and spirit confess that Your are Lord and Savior. Father feed the souls of Your hungry children. Jesus show us how to imitate You. And Beautiful Spirit Brandish the hearts of every person with Your Burning Love. “I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me?”* AMEN
Psalm 101: 1-2
Word/Image: Satisfy
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish.
Mark 6: 41-43
Father of Bounty, Jesus Bread from Heaven, and Holy Spirit Bringer of every Gift, feed us with Your Love. Our hunger knows no end. Tame our appetites and quench our thirst with Your Presence. Let us linger in Your Peace and be nourished by Your Wisdom. We wait for Your Teaching to grab hold of our sacred imaginations. Instill in us an ardent desire to participate in Your Living Word. Grant us a deeper connection to You through Your endless Mercy and Love. Like the loaves of bread and fishes, multiply the Graces You shower upon our hearts. May the Peace You leave with us, and in us, become a web of Hope that attracts the souls of the neediest. Turn us into agencies of Your Blessings. Oh, Lord only You can satisfy our longing for Connection. Father, help us seek and love You with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. Jesus bless us and break the chains of our slavery. Beautiful Spirit thank you for transforming our hunger for the Lord with Your Love. “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”* AMEN
Psalm 107: 8-9
Word/Image: Perfect Love
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love
1 John 4:18
Father, who arts in the Kingdom of Perfect Love, Jesus our Crown of Joy and Glory, and Holy Spirit the Perfume of Sanctifying Love imbuing all of Creation, summon Your children to Your Throne of Mercy. We are sojourners in dark valleys. To our right, and to our left there are precipices of doubt, shame, guilt, and accusations. We fear ourselves and the judgments we are deserving of. Without You we are setup for failure. Enlighten the eyes of our heart to see the difference between fear and love. Lift us from the fray of our selfish actions. Grant us a deeper faith in You. Help us to entrust our lives to Your Ways and Goodness. We are in awe of Your Perfect Love. We choose the freedom that comes from desiring Your Love and making it the center of all our thoughts, words, intentions, and actions. Father, when we are confused help us to yield to Your Word. Jesus, take possession of our Hearts and Minds that we may die, and You Live in us. And Beautiful Spirit, sweep us up into the thermals of Your Sweet Love. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”* AMEN
* Psalm 34: 4-5
Word/Image: Burdensome
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
1 John 5: 2-3
Father Enabler of All Things, Jesus Fulfiller of the Commandments, and Holy Spirit the Radiance of Love reflecting in our world, lighten our burdens. Thank you for calling us Your children. Help us to see every person as part of Your Heavenly Family. Grant us Grace, strength, and resolve to grow daily in our love for you. Show us how to seize each interaction with others as an opportunity to enact Your Love. We commit to embracing Your Commands as a natural expression of Your Love. Lord, we want to honor Your Commands. May they become magnifying glasses of Your Ways and mirrors of Your Mercy. In the Heart of Your Word: Your Truth, Your Beauty, and, Your Glory, shines through with rich examples that we can dive into and understand. Lord, there is nothing burdensome about following Your Commands and saying, “Yes” to Your Love. Father, thank You for lifting us up. Jesus, the outpouring of Your Blood redeems us. And Beautiful Spirit, our Baptism in Your Fire and Light brings us into Communion with You and with each other. “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”* AMEN
* Psalm 68:19
Word/Image: Water and Blood
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
1 John 5: 6-8
Father of the Endless Sacrifice, Jesus Son of God and Son of Man, and Holy Spirit of Testimony and Truth, wash us in the Blood of the Lamb. Lord, beckon us closer to Your Holy Cross. Help us enter more deeply into its pathos. How are you calling us to be enjoined with You in Your Passion and Death? Banish our fears and let the horror of our sins borne by Your human body convict us. Embolden our cries for Mercy. We rejoice in Your Love shown through Your human birth in water and blood. We are humbled by You transforming John’s baptism of repentance to one of forgiveness. We marry hope and joy with Your miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding feast. Sanctify our Eucharistic participation in the Mystery of Your Passover meal. We adore You for gracing us with Your Spirit. Make us one with You. Father, touched by Your Water, Blood, and Spirit let us become living testimonies of Your Goodness and Greatness. Jesus, let us die in You, and with You. And Beautiful Spirit, wrap us in Your infinite folds of Love. “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”* AMEN
* Psalm 36: 7-9
Word/Image: More Jesus
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Galatians 2: 20-21
Father of Abundance, Jesus Unconditional Love made flesh, and Holy Spirit the Fire and Breath of Life, wipe away our offenses. Lord, please help us to step away from our prideful ways. We are shackled by the weight of our desires for importance, power, and control. Grant us a complete distaste for these things. Usher us into new ways of being that will sustain life and elevate Your Love and Goodness for all to see. Help us shed our excess baggage of hurts, insecurities, and imperfect loving. Burn the putrid fat of our selfish instincts. We want to follow You and know You in the most intimate and complete way possible. Feed us on the Bread of Faith and Charity that we might become less of ourselves, and make more room for You to dwell within us. We submit to You. Impassion our hearts and spirits to entrust every facet of our life and being to Your Wisdom and Love. Father we put our lives in Your Hand. Jesus Shepherd us into the Center of Your Heart. And Beautiful Spirit cover us in prayers of ceaseless Love that lead us into a deeper devotion of the Sacred Mysteries. “He must increase; I must decrease.”* AMEN
* John 3:30
Word/Image: Bruised Reed
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
Isaiah 42: 3-4
Father of Justice, Jesus Liberator to the prisoners of despair and sin, and Holy Spirit Bearer of every Fruit of Love, fill the Earth with Your Goodness. Lord, who can stand erect in the face of Your Righteousness and Glory? Have pity on us, and seize our broken hearts. Mend them with Your Tenderness and Healing Word. Fill our spirits with Your Wisdom that we might better see and understand the sources of our ignorance. Lord, even in our brokenness You are always eager to cover us with Your Mercy and Love. More than anything else You long for our trust. You want us to accept and celebrate the Joy You offer as the infinite answer to our deepest longings. You offer us everything while asking little of us. We submit to Your strong hand. Please give us Your Grace to change anything that keeps us from You. Help us to become evangelizers of Your Good News of eternal life as co-heirs and co-creators in Your Victorious Reign of Everlasting Love. Father we lift up Your Name. Jesus plant Your Voice of Humble Prayer deep into our spirits. And Beautiful Spirit imbue us with Radiant Love. “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”* AMEN
* Psalm 51:17
Word/Image: Time of fulfillment
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21
Father of Majesty, Jesus our Teacher and Guide, and Holy Spirit Messenger of Love and Wisdom, let thy Kingdom come and thy Will be done. Lord, when will Your time of fulfillment be here? We subsist on the Peace we find in Your Word and Precious Blood. We are thankful for Your gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love. We beg You to move us beyond our rudimentary understanding of Your Perfect Ways of Love. Please grow within our hearts the capacity for joy. Instill in us a passion for dying to ourselves and being reborn in You, that we might radiate the brilliance of Your Light. Help us to grow in our moment by moment discernment of how Your Spirit is seeking to lavish every situation with Your Love. We have seen over and over again how You can transform the darkest, most imperturbable obstacle into a blessing of healing and new possibilities. Let Your Grace of Humility flow in the veins of our hearts while quieting the clamoring’s of our minds’ constant demand for control. Father, let us become Your co-participants in the fulfillment of Your Kingdom. Jesus, draw us into sweet Communion with You forever. And Beautiful Spirit, brandish all things that keep us from living in the fullness of Love. “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.”* AMEN
* 1 Timothy 1:17
Word/Image: Authority
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
Mark 1: 23-24
Father of Power and Might, Jesus the Voice and Hand of God, and Holy Spirit the endless flow of Love’s Authority, take possession of us heart, mind, soul, and body. We hear Your Voice Lord. Break open Your Word that it becomes our living story. Still our minds, bend the ears of hearts, and infuse our spirits with an unshakeable faith in You. Lock eyes with us that we may experience the fullness of Your Authority. We are possessed with demons of fear, anger, pride, doubt, greed, envy and a host of other broken spirits that we are continually facing. You have asked us to seek You and know you. This is our fiercest and truest passion. Lord, You are our God and King, take command of everything in our lives that keeps us from answering Your summons. We praise you, and we thank you, for giving us the Joy of being called by name; with every hair on our head intimately known by You. Father we run to You. Jesus grant us a hunger for Your Mercy. And Beautiful Spirit wrap us in ceaseless Sacred Petitions of Love. “For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”* AMEN
* Isaiah 14:27
Word/Image: “I do will it.”
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
Mark 1: 40-41
Father of All Possibilities, Jesus Heart of Compassion and Hand of Healing, and Holy Spirit, Fount of Love meet us at the center of our illnesses. We are afflicted with every form of disease that alienates us from You and each other. Grant us an inner disposition of need and humility. In facing the poverty of our souls, grant us an encounter with Your Perfect Desire for us to come into Your Infinite Embrace. We bow to Your Holy Will. Let our superficial emotional garments of self-sufficiency, and self-determination fall away. We stand before You needy, and hungry for Your Love and Mercy. Receive us as beggars at the gate of Your Heavenly Kingdom. Lord, Your Will Lord is for our wholeness. Activate our soul’s recognition of Your Presence and reap the fruits of the harvest You hold in Your Heart for each one of us. Father, You are Great and Good. Jesus we want to follow You. And Beautiful Spirit, douse us with the burning Sacred Fire of Wisdom and Faith to become servants of Love. “I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.”* AMEN
* Psalm 143: 6, 8
Word/Image: “Here I am”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6: 6-8
Father of Providence, Jesus the Sanctifying Answer to every prayer, and Holy Spirit, the Sublime Cry of Joy, give us Your Charter to go forth as Your Servants of the Word. Cleanse us of our guilt and remove every stain of sin from our spirits. Renew our hearts with a vigor of gratitude and songs of wonder. Help us recognize Your voice and when You call quicken our answer. Guide our minds in discerning the paths You have chosen for us. Fill us with an eagerness to do all that You ask of us especially, when You need us to be an agency of Your Love for our brothers and sisters. May the blessings You infer on others through our words, actions, and intentions magnify the Glory of Your Spirit at work in all things at all times. Father order affairs according to the fulfillment of the Intelligence and Joy of Your Love. Jesus, grant us authority through the Power of Your Name, and Blood to minister in building Your Kingdom. And Beautiful Spirit, teach us how to co-create emerging, living testimonies of Love. “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”* AMEN
Psalm 40:8
Word/Image: “Grant their request”
We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles.”
When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say,
he repeated it to the LORD, who then said to him,
“Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.”
1 Samuel 8: 19-22
Father Sovereign King and Lord of All, Jesus the Perfection of the Law made flesh, and Holy Spirit, Advocate and Counselor of Wisdom, govern our affairs. Lord, we praise You for the gift of free will. Is it an inseparable function of Your Perfect Love? Why do You let us stray so far from what You know is best for us? And What Lord is the nature of Your Righteous and Providence at the center of our lives? Help us develop the habit of taking our choices and decisions to You. Left to our own devices we are quick to make short sighted and shallow hearted decisions that may have devastating impacts upon our spirits, and the well-being of our brothers and sisters. Strengthen our devotion to Your Will. Teach us how to ask questions born of love. Please guide us in weighing our wants and desires against Your emerging patterns of Goodness unfolding before us. Father, increase our faith in You. Jesus, take possession of us hearts, minds, souls, and bodies. And Beautiful Spirit, anoint us with Heavenly Love. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” AMEN
*Proverbs 3: 5-6
Word/Image: Follow me
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
Father, calling us from the humble depths of Your Goodness, Greatness and everlasting Love, Jesus Prince of Peace and King of our hearts and souls, and Holy Spirit, the genesis of all things created from Perfect Love, strike an irresistible chord of longing in our souls. Crack open the doors of our circumstances and flaws to shine Your Light of Hope into our hearts. Brighten our doubts and hesitations with a greater awareness of Your Love and Will at work in our lives. Grant us large swaths of space and prayer to hear You calling us in the deepest and quietest parts of ourselves. Help us to suspend our notions of what seems attractive and right. Let us encourage each other to watch the day break of Your Light of Wisdom and Love illuminating our world with endless possibilities full of Your Blessings. Father, we want to run into Your open arms. Jesus, You are the fulfillment of our needs and desires. And Beautiful Spirit, we adore You for allowing us to be co-creators in a Kingdom of Love. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”* AMEN
*Psalm 63:1
Word/Image: My Delight
For the LORD delights in you
and makes your land his spouse.
As a young man marries a virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in you.
Isaiah 62:5
Father, Convener of the Wedding Feast of all Feasts, Jesus our Bridegroom, and Holy Spirit the sweetness of Love’s Ecstasy of Perfect Communion, awaken our desire to surrender ourselves to You. We praise you because we have been fearfully and wonderfully made.* You will never cast us aside. You have made each us in Your Image. In our lowliness, You have made us Precious in Your Sight. We marvel in how the tiniest yet absolutely important bit of Your Glory is to be achieved by our eternal existence. Let not one of Your brides be lost. We beg that every heart and soul might come to know how You look upon us with Perfect, Fierce, and Passionate Love. Is it not enough to behold us and grant us life? No Lord, that is not enough for Your Boundless Love. You desire to marry each one of us. Allow us to come into Communion with You through Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord and King. Father, thank you for rejoicing is us. Jesus, thank you for knowing us, and inviting us into the Mysteries of Your Sacred Heart. And Beautiful Spirit, thank you for lavishing us in boundless Love and Wisdom. “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”** AMEN
* Psalm 139:14
** Isaiah 61:10
Word/Image: Thoughts of the heart
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Matthew 5:8
Father Jeweler of our Hearts, Jesus Shepherd of our Hearts, and Holy Spirit, the Radiance of Love and Wisdom enlightening the eyes of our hearts, engrave Your Name on our spirits. Guide us in taking inventory of our thoughts. Help us cast aside thoughts that cause us to stray from you. Teach us how to bring Your Word and Sublime Divine Law of Love to how we approach every moment in our lives. Let us turn to You Your Love to bring healing, mercy, compassion, and possibilities to every situation we encounter. May Your Tenderness flow through our thoughts, saturate the words we speak, and animate all of our actions. We invite You to sit on the throne of our hearts. Embolden the sacred intelligence of our hearts, to co-create blessings, that are filled with Your Joy and Peace. Father, may our thoughts always rest in You. Jesus, we will run to You for wisdom and strength. And Beautiful Spirit, brush chambers of our hearts with the infinite Delights of Love. “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”* AMEN
* Psalm 13: 5-6
Word/Image: Stretch out your hand
“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
Mark 3: 4-5
Father of the Sabbath, Jesus the Heart of our inheritance, and Holy Spirit the power of Healing, Light, and Mercy contained in the bond of Love, restore us and make us whole. Grant us Your blessings of renewal. Keep us free from a faith built only with rules and laws that can hinder us from encountering You. Remove any hardness in our hearts. Grant us the fullness of spirit that comes from a stillness in You. Help us heed Your instructions to bring everything to You. We will stretch out our hands full of maladies of doubts, fears, and failures to become better agencies of Your Love. With our hand in the grip of Your Goodness, we will find strength and hope. Let us trust Your Creative Wisdom and Love to bring Peace and Harmony. Lord, allow us to become co-participants in sanctifying the gift of life. Father we will worship You with grateful hearts and spirts full of song. Jesus teach us how to be obedient and to give Glory to Your Father. And Beautiful Spirit, make Your Love the center of how we relate to all things. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”* AMEN
* Psalm 73: 26
Word/Image: Persevere in temptation
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
James 1: 13-15
Father our Stronghold of Fortitude and Goodness, Jesus our Guide through desolate deserts of perplexing temptations, and Holy Spirit, Perpetuator of Love’s surprising graces in the face of dangers, keep us from sinning against You. Lord, it’s easy for us to become distracted. We are inundated with selfish thoughts, careless words, and insensitive actions. A flicker of a doubt, or a perceived wrong, can send our hearts into dangerous tailspins of coldness. We are also besieged by a multitude of ways that our creativity warps our imaginings around self-centered wants and desires. Help us to discern these micro movements that can go from percolating possibilities to abject sins. Thank you for our guardian angels. May we listen intently to their guidance so that we may stay in the protective rays of Your Wisdom. Temptations are a part of our broken life but we are confident that You are always there to help us. Father for when we succumb to temptations, grant us Your Mercy. Jesus help us to persevere in the face of temptations. And Beautiful Spirit, infuse our hearts with a fierce and passionate Love that wants to honor God in all we think, say, intend, and do. “But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death. Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me.”* AMEN
* Psalm 141: 8-9
Word/Image: Feed my lambs
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
John 21: 15
Father Curator of unseen Wonders, Jesus Shepherd of our Hearts, and Holy Spirit Treasure of Love entwined with infinite Joys, put us in the service of Your Glory. We are sorry for all the ways we deny You. Please do not let our fears betray our soul’s longing to bring our life into alignment with Your Word. Help us to grow from every betrayal. Lord, it is hard to always understand Your Ways. Why are we quick to forget all the times You have lavished us with an abundance of Your Love? We praise and thank you for the miracles of blessings moving in our lives. Make us instruments of Your Will. Show us how to pick up our brothers and sisters through acts of mercy and compassion. Be always on the lips of our mouths, in the intentions of our hearts, the swift movements of our actions, and in our prayers for the needs of others. Father, equip with every grace to serve You with bolder hearts and courageous spirits. Jesus, we love You and we promise to do our best to feed Your sheep. And Beautiful Spirit, feed us with the sweetness of Your Love and place in our hands the sword of Your Wisdom. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”* AMEN
* Psalm 95: 6-7
Word/Image: Remain in my love
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15: 4
Father whose “coming Home” embrace sparks the hopes of our hearts, Jesus the Soul of Life that subsumes us, and Holy Spirit of Love that quenches our thirst, allow us to draw closer to You today. Lord, we know You are near. You promised to be with us always. Grant us the grace of compunction to reject anything that disrupts our relationship with You. We are Your branches. Let us bear every fruit You Will to bring forth. What do You want to accomplish with us and through us? Our actions are empty, even if they are good, if they are not, fruits of Your Sacred Heart and Imagination. Your fruits are lovely and delicious. With the Grace of Faith we know that if we remain in Your Love our lives will be ordered by Your Awesome Love. Thank you for making each day like a brand new symphony full of wondrous music. Father please water, fertilize, and prune the vines of our souls. Jesus magnify the radiance of Your Resurrection Light. And Beautiful Spirit transform the fruits of our lives into acts of Mercy in accordance with God’s Will that give Glory to Him. “Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself.”* AMEN
* Psalm 80: 14-15
Word/Image: Rouse your power
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”
Job 26: 7-14
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
Psalm 147: 4-5
The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.
Hebrews 1:13
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20
Word/Image: Love one another
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.
John 15: 16-17
Father of Beauty and Majesty, Jesus the Living Sanctuary of our hearts, and Holy Spirit, Orchestrator of Love on Earth as it is in Heaven, sanctify us with Your Law. Thank you for creating us, giving us souls that reflect Your Glory, branding our hearts with Your Name, and lavishing us with Your Love. Nothing can exist apart from Your Perfect Love. We beseech You to draw us deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Your Sublime architecture of Life. Your Limitless Love begets fruitful expressions through our imperfect will and limited imagination. Lord, please teach us how to pray with every fiber and faculty of our being. Stretch the strings of our hearts. Transform them into heaven bound harps that when plucked by the Hand of Jesus and His Spirit of Wisdom, Mercy, and Compassion resound with melodious praise. Show us how to be blessings to our brothers and sisters. Father, strengthen us through Your Graces to be instruments of Your Love. Jesus increase our Trust in Your Ways. And Beautiful Spirit fill us with the Joys, Happiness, and Peace of Love ordering every moment of our lives. “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”* AMEN
* Psalm 143: 8
Word/Image: drink of one Spirit
Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12: 12-13
Father of All Differentiation and Unity, Jesus our Great Integrator, and Holy Spirit who binds all things together in Love, regale us with the Joys of heavenly purpose. Help us recognize the unique charisms and experiences You have given us. Grant us an eager, earnest heart that puts our gifts back into Your Hands. Weave us into Your tapestry of possibilities fueled by our precious differences. Let us do Your Will. Soften and dampen any of our selfish reactions of jealousy or insecurity that can prevent us from seeing the talents of others. We want to celebrate the contributions of our brothers and sisters as reflections of Your endless Glory. May we work together to actualize the Desires of Your Adorable Heart for the fruition of the greatest Good. Bless us with an ever growing capacity for discerning the right moment to come forward with our gifts as agencies of Your Living Grace. Father harvest the fruits of our Baptism. Jesus gather us together to drink from Your cup of salvation. And Beautiful Spirit fill us with the tender sweetness and sublime bliss of never ending Love. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”* AMEN
* Colossians 3: 15
Word/Image: sincere faith
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3: 16-19
Father lavishing us with Your Wonders, “Jesus the Pioneer and Perfecter of Faith,”* and Holy Spirit the Fire of Love turning our faith into actions, fill us with praise and gratitude for all the riches you bestow on us. We beg you to increase our faith. Grant us hearts full of a sincere desire to grow in faith, hope, charity and love. Help us to see how “faith expressing itself through love”** brings us into Communion with You even while we are still here on earth. Please make Christ the Sovereign Lord of our souls. Let the radiance of Your Light shine through the temples of our hearts. Grant us the authority, through Your Great Name, to spread the blessings of Your Love. Tickle our sacred imaginations with the Glory and Majesty of Your Love that knows no end or bounds. Father, embrace us with Your Tenderness and Mystery. Jesus show us how to live with greater faith in Your perfect, obedient, selfless, sacrifice of Love. And Beautiful Spirit complete us with the Joy of living in Endless Love. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”*** AMEN
* Hebrews 12: 2
** Galatians 5: 6
*** Romans 15: 13
