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2395 University Avenue, Suite 202, St. Paul, MN - 55114, 651-646-2854 |
PRAYER AND RITUAL A PROFESSION OF FAITH FOR LENT I believe in Jesus Christ who assumed our humanity, I believe in the Holy Spirit who makes us Christians, I believe in the power of the faithful FASTING AND FEASTING IN LENT God, I praise you! I thank you for all the blessings you have given to me. During this season of Lent I ask you to help me: Fast from judging others; Feast on the Christ dwelling in them. I ask you to change my heart, God, so that during this season of Lent I may be renewed by fasting on all that turns me away from you and feast on all that draws me closer to you. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. PRAYER FOR LENT Dear Lord, we are now in the holy season of Lent. We begin to realize anew that these are the days of salvation, these are the acceptable daysl Help us now, Lord, in our feeble attempts to make up for past sin. Bless our efforts with the rich blessing of Your grace. Help us to see, in our ordinary difficulties and duties, in the trials and temptations of every day, the best opportunity of making up for past infidelities. Then we shall see, in our own souls, how the desert can blossom, and the dry and wasted land can bring forth the rich, useful fruit that was expected of it from the beginning. Amen. PRAYER FOR LENT Almighty God, grant through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true Light enlightening every soul born into this world. You are the Light of the world, shining in the darkness of our times. Help us to live in that Light, to make it our own, and to kindle it in the soul of others, increasing the area of light and lessening the darkness in the world. Then we, too, working for You shall be light-bearers who will help to spread Your kingdom on earth, and increase the number of those who dwell in heaven, the city of eternal light. Amen. BEATITUDES OF THE MIGRANT Blessed are those who are on the move, Blessed are those who suffer pain, nostalgia and loneliness. Blessed are those who open borders Blessed the wayfarers of all roads Blessed are those who open doors to others, Blessed are those who foment encounters and re-encounters, sowing peace. --Jose' Goncalves (Brazil) EARTH PRAYER God Creator, as we look at your creation we feel wonder-- Help us see your hand in these joys of creation. Help us acknowledge our complicity in this destruction-- Let us seek through you God, who created this earth and called it "good," a path to greater community, justice and peace. Amen. We call upon the earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths and soaring heights, its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask that it: Teach us, and show us the way. We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams, that fall upon our gardens and fields, and we ask that they: Teach us, and show us the way. We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, the fertile fields, the abundant gardens and orchards, and we ask they they: We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with earth in their roots and the heavens in their branches, the fir and the pine and the cedar, and we ask them to: Teach us, and show us the way. Teach us, and show us the way. And lastly, we call upon all that we hold most sacred, the presence and power of the Great Spirit of love and truth which flows through all the universe . . . to be with us to: Teach us, and show us the way. --Chinook Blessing Litany MEDITATION I give thanks for the enormous contribution of those who lived before me, for thousands of years during which humans crafted their images of You in the image of the feminine and of the Earth, for loosening our tongues that we might utter words about your eternal word, for the Ice Ages that shaped the lands, mountains, and rivers, which have in turn shaped our imaginations, for all the mammals who have taught us to birth and succor our young, for the coming of the flowering plants that channel their energy into seeds by which the future is endowed, for the birds who brought song and melody to (the) Earth, for the great green plants and their interdependence with insects, for all the teeming life within the oceans which fashioned the sensing organs of Earth, for the first simple life forms that learned to take nourishment from the sun, our mother star, and laid down a pattern of giving themselves away to others, and receiving life from others, for the supernova event by which our mother star collapsed and created the stardust out of which our solar system was formed, for the stars and galaxies in which is incarnated all the dreams, visions, and energies by which you have shaped this present moment, for the first moment, your utter act of giving that brought forth this single body of the universe out of which I weave the web of my own existence, for the dark, impenetrable, pregnant, awesome mystery that You are, and out of which You called my name. PLEDGE OF COMMITMENT TO PROTECT AND HEAL GOD'S CREATION We have come to renew our covenant with God and with one another in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We have come to help protect God's creation. We have come as followers of Jesus to commit ourselves anew to one another and to heal injustice and poverty. We have come to stand together against all threats to life. We have come to discover some new beauty everyday in God's creation; the sunrise and sunset, birds, flowers and trees, rainbows in the sky, the stars, the many forms of life in the forest. We have come to listen to the "music of the universe"--water flowing over rocks, the wind, trees bending in the wind, rain drops pattering on the roof. We will remember always that God speaks to us through the beauty of his creation, and we will try our best to answer God's call to reverence in all that he has created. --A Catholic Response for Environmental Justice and Climate Change, USCCB A PRAYER FOR WORLD PEACE We pray to the Great Spiritual Power in which we live and move and have our being. We pray for the victims of violence and war, for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind. We pray for the multitudes of refugees forced from their homes to alien places through war or through the utter destruction of their environment. We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving and the strength we gain in loving, that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life. We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in the Great Spiritual Power. We pray above all, for peace throughout the world. --Jane Goodall PSALM OF CREATION AND SALVATION Loving God, all your creation calls you blessed. Loving God, as you lure the whole world into salvation, Open our hearts to understand the intimate relationship Amen. Alleluia! PRAYER FOR HEALING THE EARTH We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, Teach us and show us the way. We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, Teach us and show us the way. We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with Teach us and show us the way. We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas, Teach us and show us the way. We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, Teach us and show us the way. And lastly, we call upon all that we hold most sacred, Teach us and show us the way. --Chinook Blessing Litany A PRAYER FOR CREATION Oh Lord, how manifold are your works! But we have failed as stewards of your creation Amen. MEDITATION ON EARTH I give thanks for the enormous contribution of those who lived before me, for loosening our tongues that we might utter words about your eternal word, for all the mammals who have taught us to birth and succor our young, for the coming of the flowering plants that channel their energy into seeds by for the birds who brought song and melody to the Earth, for the great green plants and their interdependence with insects, for all the teeming life within the oceans which fashioned the sensing organs of Earth, for the first simple life forms that learned to take nourishment from the sun, for the supernova event by which our mother star collapsed and created the stardust out of which our solar system was formed, for the stars and galaxies in which is incarnated all the dreams, for the first moment, your utter act of giving that brought forth this single body of for the dark, impenetrable, pregnant, awesome mystery that You are, --Mariam Therese Mac Gillis, OP **************************************** PRAYER FOR FARM WORKERS God of All Human Beings, We pray for farm workers who toil in our fields and orchards and vineyards to harvest fruits and vegetables for our tables. We thank farm workers for their hard work, for their resilience, for their expertise, We are grateful for the food farm workers bring us to eat and the way these gifts nourish our bodies. We are grateful for the knowledge farm workers possess about land and plants and trees and flowers. We thank farm workers for the ideas to keep up the pace of harvest, We are grateful for the love farm workers have for family and the way they We pray that farm workers have decent housing and nourishing meals for We ask for freedom from harassment and sexual violence, especially for the We pray for farm workers who wish to travel to and from home countries as seasonal workers, and ask for documents that remove stigma and fear of status in the U.S. We ask for all the things that we want for ourselves as human beings, O God. And while we ask, we pray that you give us the courage and resolve to stand WITH farm workers in their quest for dignity and justice. Amen. --From National Farm Worker Ministry FROM THE BREASTPLATE OT PTRK INTERCESSIONS ATTRIBUTED TO MOTHER TERESA Reader: People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Reader: If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Reader: If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Reader: If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Reader: What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Reader: If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Reader: The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Reader: Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Reader: In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY NUN'S PRAYER Lord, you know better than I know myself that I am growing older and will some day be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all, but You know, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains. They are increasing and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of other's pains, but help me to endure them with patience. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my momory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to be a saint--some of them are so hard to live with--but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the Devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people. And, give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen. (Author Unknown) INTERCESSIONS ON CARE OF CREATION All the petitions use words or images from Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si'. 1. That we may hear the cry of our sister Earth because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her, we pray . . . 2. That we might recognize that the climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all and make the changes of lifestyle, production and consumption in order to combat global warming, we pray . . . 3. That God may open our hearts to both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, we pray . . . 4. That we might hear the call to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet may be as God created it and may correspond to his plan for peace, beauty and fullness, we pray . . . 5. For a deep reverence toward creation, that we might experience everything, soil, water, mountains, as a caress of God, we pray . . . 6. That the spirit of God may deepen our recognition of the nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily acts, we pray . . . 7. For all followers of Jesus, that we may recognize that living our vocations to be protectors of God's handiwork is not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience, we pray . . . (These intercessions were prepared by the Office of Peace, Justice and Ecological Integrity of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, NJ) FOR OUR PLANET Let us bless the imagination of the Earth, Let us thank the Earth that offers ground for home Let us salute the silence and certainty of mountains: The wonder of a garden trusting the first warmth of spring . . . The kindness of the Earth, opening to receive Let us ask forgiveness of the Earth Let us remember within us the ancient clay, That we may awaken to live to the full the dream We join with Earth and with each other To bring new life to the land We join with Earth and each other To renew the forests To celebrate the seas We join with Earth and with each other To recreate community --John O'Donohue
GOD OF ALL CREATION We unite as your children as faithful partners We have prayed and we continue to pray for guidance. Please, God, be our parent! Amen. PRAYER SERVICE FOR AN END TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING Leader: As we gather in prayer to end human trafficking, let us take a moment of silence to remember the
estimated 21 million women, men and children who are trafficked today, and every, day.
[Moment of Silence]
Leader: Let us hold these people in our hearts as with hope we pray the words of Psalm 10:17-18
Reader 1: You listen, God, to the needs of the poor; you strengthen their hearts and incline your ear. You win justice for the orphaned and oppressed; no one on earth will cause terror again.
Leader: As we listen to the stories of survivors of human trafficking, we pray for the strength of those enslaved as we work to create a world where no one causes terror again.
Reader 2: “The long working hours made us weak and exhausted . . . I always felt very tired and much disturbed because the supervisors were scolding me for carelessness in my work. I also suffered from headache and leg pain. I didn’t like working at the mill at all.” --A 20-year-old Dalit Girl working 12-hour plus days at a textile factory in Tamil Nadu, India Reader 1: “My wife and I were forced to do agricultural and construction work to pay off our debt. Our small children were abused and forced to do household chores. We were all forced to live in the garage and were threatened with deportation. Food was locked up and we were not allowed to eat without permission.”
--A man who moved with his family from Latin America to Washington State, USA Reader 2: “We had no choice. There was nowhere to flee; we were surrounded by the sea. After we arrived back to the shore, we were locked inside the room guarded by their men. The workers had to take one trip after another. There were many workers living under the same conditions. ”
—A young man enslaved on a fishing boat in Thailand
Reader 1: “They let me know what would become of me if I told anyone. They told me they knew where I lived, they knew my teachers, they knew my school, they knew everything about me. There was nothing I could do to protect myself. At 14-years-old. I didn’t know where to begin.”
—An American girl sold by a friend’s father and trafficked for sex in Florida, USALeader: We now take a moment to reflect upon these stories.
[Moment of Silence]
Reader 2: For children and adults exploited in the commercial sex industry;
Response All: Dwell in them and give them freedom.
Reader 1: For the survivors of human trafficking, as they rebuild their lives;
Response All: Dwell in them and give them hope.
Reader 2: For the traffickers and pimps who have hardened their hearts and are exploiting others;
Response All: Dwell in them and change their hearts.
Reader 1: For consumers, that we may be aware of what we support through our daily words, actions and purchases; and that we respect the human dignity of all oursisters and brothers;
Response All: Dwell in us and help us see You in others.
Let us pray (Together): God of freedom, be with the people enslaved around the world. Help them to remember that they have dignity and worth. Guide us as we endeavor to end human trafficking and work for freedom for all people. Amen.
I ask my brothers and sisters in faith and all men and women of good will for a decisive choice to combat trafficking in persons.
—Pope Francis
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