Receive this holy fire. Make your lives like this fire. A holy life that is seen. A life of God that is seen. A life that has no end. A life that darkness does not overcome. May this light of God in you grow. Light a fire that is worthy of your heads. Light a fire that is worthy of your children. Light a fire that is worthy of your fathers. Light a fire that is worthy of your mothers. Light a fire that is worthy of God. Now go in...
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Lord, I was a pile of ash, And you made me a light for the world I was a stone And you made me salt for the earth I was as lifeless as clay And you made me part of the Body of Christ I was sinful And you made me holy I was nothing And you made me part of everything Lord, in you I am transformed And transformed still again When the discouraged cry for hope, make me hope When the hungry cry for bread, make me bread When the thirsty cry...
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God of all people, We pray for our brothers and sisters who are alone, who are forgotten today. . . the homeless man begging on the corner the abused woman and child the prisoner struggling to offer forgiveness the woman trafficked across the border and now forced to sell her body the lonely one suffering from addiction the migrant longing for home and family the couple consumed by work and material wealth, having lost the love and...
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I did not know you, But I was yours. And they do not know me And I do not know them But they are mine And I am theirs. Let no chasm, no river, no drought or storm, No war, no exodus, no border, natural or constructed, No device of man nor devil Come between us Or halt the love that burns within me, The grace that flows from you. Let me think on no man lest I think joyful thoughts of brotherhood, Let me think on no woman lest I think...
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Lord Jesus, In images of farming and rural life you announced your Gospel to the poor. We pray for rural men and women, especially for those who work hard in the fields. Give us the strength of your Spirit to be witnesses and collaborators of the creative providence. May we always sow in ourselves and in our families the holiness and hope of Christian life, with the same zeal with which we cultivate our land. Bless the daily efforts...
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Lord of the 23rd Psalm, I have known death, And you have refreshed my soul. I have known fear, And you have comforted me. I have known hunger, And you have set a feast before me. In the darkest valley No calamity of humankind or nature has separated us. Teach me to walk as you walk Beside those in mourning So that they will know joy; Beside those in fear That they will know comfort; Beside those in hunger That they will feast until...
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Dear Lord, Grant us the faith to heed your call and follow in the footsteps of your first disciples. May we be your servants to your children overseas. Let us give thanks and praise for the blessings you bestow upon us in abundance. Now hear our pledge to share them with the world....
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May God bless you With discomfort with easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships. . . so that you will live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people. . . so that you will work for justice, equity, and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war. . . so that you will reach out your hand to...
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Creator God, There are so many who wander, without family, without home, without purpose or dreams or name. But you, who knit each of us together in the womb, are Father to the fatherless. In you, the orphan, the lonely child, finds comfort, peace, belonging. Father in Heaven, you draw the little children to your side. You call each one by name. You alone can give them all they need. We pray that we will not forget the forgotten. Or...
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Loving God, We thank you for the gift of education. We ask you to bless children around the world who want to go to school. Help them and their communities find opportunities to receive an education so that they have a better future. And help us be part of their journey out of poverty as members of the global community....
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O Jesus, I pray for those who wander far from their homeland and live the lives of migrants. They are our brothers and sisters, refugees who flee from violence, families on the road because of poverty. None of them know where to arrive. All of them need your help! You know them. For you yourself experienced the hard days of exile together with Mary and Joseph. Our migrant sisters and brothers need your light to uncover the empty...
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Heavenly Father, Help us deliver the daily bread to starving infants, hungry children, and poor families around the world today. Grant us the knowledge to show them how to feed themselves tomorrow. And please accept our gratitude for the bounty we enjoy on our own tables through your many blessings....
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Loving God, We pray for our brothers and sisters in East Africa who continue to suffer from drought. May they receive your life-giving gift of water. May our prayers and support provide hope and relief to those who are displaced from their homes, especially the millions of children who face hunger and illness. Give comfort to your people in East Africa, and to all who are struggling with uncertainty for the future. We ask this through...
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Loving God, Turn my eyes to the other, that I may see each as you see me— with an innate dignity that transcends appearances, circumstances, class, and all earthly status, which are temporary. Help me to see the other as Your beloved child, eternally. Turn my ears to the other, that I may hear their cries as you hear mine— with a compassion and tenderness that draws me closer in the midst of suffering. Help me to hear the other as...
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Oh God, we didn’t see them. But you did— The hundreds and thousands of human beings Trafficked each year to join the millions who are trapped in modern-day slavery. Under terrible conditions, they work in factories, plough fields, harvest crops, work quarries, fill brothels, clean homes, and haul water. Many are children with tiny fingers for weaving rugs and small shoulders for bearing rifles. Their labor is forced, their bodies...
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Heavenly Father, Help us live our faith by serving our brothers and sisters overseas who are tested and troubled by life’s cruelest circumstances. Grant us the will and means to feed, clothe, shelter, heal, and comfort those who suffer immensely. Through your many blessings may we deliver hope and love in abundance. Amen. (Edward O’Neill Hoyt, Catholic Relief...
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Lord, who came among us through a courageous woman’s Yes, give us the courage to answer Yes to our sisters’ pleas. To the unborn girl who cries for the same birthright as her brother, give us the courage to say Yes. To the school-age girl who longs for the opportunities only education can provide, give us the courage to say Yes. To the adolescent girl who asks to be released from the injustice of forced marriage, give us the...
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Heavenly Father, Thank you for teaching us the lesson of the Good Samaritan. Help us embrace our neighbor with care. Fill our hearts with compassion so we may feed, clothe, heal, and give shelter to those in need. May Christ’s parable of mercy inspire us in all our deeds for all our days....
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God of all people, We bring before you all who work for the fullness of justice, All who long for the widening of welcome To which your Gospel calls us: Open hearts, open arms, open doors in welcome! Displaced God. Born in flight to parents anxious and weary, Born anew in those who flee oppression, leaving home and loved ones behind, And staking their lives on the hope of abundant life, we pray: Open hearts, open arms, open doors in...
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God, our refuge, our ever-present help in trouble, your promises hold true. This we know. This we pray: For the widow. The refugee. The orphan. Those who are too weak, too tired, too broken to cry out to you. When mountains shake, when leaders fail, When all seems absolutely, irretrievably, impossibly lost, You enter. We thank you for your presence. We pray for your deliverance. Your eyes are on the righteous. Your ears are attentive...
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Lord Jesus Christ, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love. Where there is injury, let us offer pardon. Where there is discord, let us build peace. Oh Divine Lord, you taught us that those who work for peace are called the children of God. Help us to persist in establishing justice and truth as firm and lasting foundations of peace. Lord, you offer us peace as a gift and peace as a responsibility that...
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