“Bless those who mourn, eternal God,
with the comfort of your love
that they may face each new day with hope
and the certainty that nothing can destroy
the good that has been given.
May their memories become joyful,
their days enriched with friendship,
and their lives encircled by your love.”
Found at Jesuit Resources
“Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity,
Teach me to serve you as you deserve,
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward,
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.
Amen.”
Attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Found at Jesuit Resources
“We thank you, O God for your love for us.
Love that reaches out to accept us, wherever we are, whoever we are.
Love that demands a lot, but at the same time, somehow, amazingly, enables us to meet those demands.
Love that reassures, affirms, prompts, challenges, and overwhelms us with the completeness of its response.
Help us, your people, held within the security of your love, to risk showing that same love to others.
May our love, too, be known for its abundance, its readiness to speak out, and its healing power.”
- Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand
Found at Jesuit Resources
“May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;
May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow;
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless;
And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much aversion,
And live believing in the equality of all that lives.”
Found at Jesuit Resources
“Eternal Savior,
how can my heart show its appreciation for Thy love?
How can I serve Thee best,
who has loved me and given Thy life for me?
Thous has sealed unto me the forgiveness of all my sins
and offered me reconciliation and peace
in the blessed Sacrament
which Thou didst institute on this day.
Thou hast promised to give me with the bread and the cup
Thy body and blood for the remission of all my sins.
Oh, what Amazing Love!
What riches of divine wisdom!
In awe and wonderment I ponder this gracious gift.
May I ever appreciate this blessed Sacrament
that Thou has bidden me to use oft in remembrance of Thee.
May I come worthily each time when I approach Thine altar.
O Savior, cast me not away from Thy presence.
Let not my sins remain with me because of impenitence of heart
or because I doubt Thy Word and promises.
Let me become one with this blessed Sacrament.
Make me Thine, and give me strength to amend my sinful life
and walk closer to Thee.
Preserve in Thy Christian Church
this blessed Sacrament given on this day.
Let thousands and ten thousands find through it the
assurance of forgiveness, peace, and salvation.
And grant to me and all those that are Thine
to be faithful to Thy Word and Sacraments,
that Thy name be glorified,
Thy will be done,
and we at last live with Thee in Thine eternal kingdom, Thine forevermore.
Amen.
From the 1951 Lutheran Book of Prayer
“We thank you, creator God,
for the goodly heritage you offer us,
from green downland
to the deep salt seas,
and for the abundant world
we share with your creation.
Keep us so mindful of its needs
and those of all with whom we share,
that open to your Spirit
we may discern and practice
all that makes for its wellbeing,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
(attributed to Rev. Peter Lippiett)
Found at Jesuit Resource.org
“This food is the gift of the whole universe,
Each morsel is a sacrifice of life,
May I be worthy to receive it.
May the energy in this food,
Give me the strength,
To transform my unwholesome qualities
into wholesome ones.
I am grateful for this food,
May I realize the Path of Awakening,
For the sake of all beings.
The joys and pains of all beings
are present in the gift of this food.
Let us receive it in love
and gratitude...
And in mindfulness of our sisters and brothers
among living beings of every kind
who are hungry or homeless,
sick or injured,
or suffering in any way.”
(Author Unknown)
“If we are peaceful
If we are happy
We can smile and blossom
Like a flower
And everyone
In our family
Our entire society
Will benefit from our peace.”
(Thich Nhat Hanh)
“May I be well, happy, and peaceful.
May my teachers be well, happy, and peaceful.
May my parents be well, happy, and peaceful.
May my relatives be well, happy, and peaceful.
May my friends be well, happy, and peaceful.
May the indifferent persons be well, happy, and peaceful.
May the unfriendly persons be well, happy, and peaceful.
May all meditators be well, happy, and peaceful.
May all beings be well, happy, and peaceful.”
God be merciful to us and bless us,
And cause his face to shine upon us.
Let us worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Let us worship him in Spirit and in Truth.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Let us pray:
“Most gracious God, by whose appointment
the seasons come and go,
and who makes the fruits of the earth
to minister to the needs of men:
We offer you our thanksgivings
that you have brought us through the year,
according to your promise,
seed and harvest have not failed.
Remembering your bounty,
we offer you the sacrifices of our thanksgiving,
and pray that you will indeed
fill our souls with the Bread of Life;
through Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Let’s pray together:
O God, we praise you,
we give thanks to you
for your bountiful providence,
for all the blessings
and all the hopes of life.
Above all we praise and adore you
for your unspeakable give
in your only son,
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Let the memory of your goodness
fill our hearts with joy and thankfulness
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Taken from the 1965 Book of Worship for Church and Home, The Methodist Church
“Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks with
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
:: St. Teresa of Avila ::
“One breath to let go.
One breath to be present.
One breath to ask, “Now what?”
(Credited to Thich Nhat Hanh and found in the Interfaith Ministry Handbook)
“How wonderful!
Quite miraculous!
I am fetching water,
and carrying wood!”
(from Interfaith Ministry Handbook: This 8th Century Chinese Zen master has expressed the wonder and joy found in the here-and-now of life.)
“Breathing in, I calm body and mind.
Breathing out, I smile with joy.
Dwelling in the present, this is the only moment.”
(Credited to Thich Nhat Hanh and found in the Interfaith Ministry Handbook)
“Keep us, Oh God, from pettiness.
Let us be large in thought, in word, and in deed.
Let us be through with faultfinding and leave off self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and meet each other face-to-face,
without self-pity or without prejudice.
May we always be patient,
never hasty in our judgment,
and always tolerant.
Teach us to put into action or better impulses,
straightforward and unafraid.
Let us take time for all things;
make us calm, serene, and gentle.
Grant that we may realize
that it is the little things that make the differences,
that in the big things we are as one.
And may we strive to touch and to know
the great and common heart of us all.
And, Oh, God,
let us not forget to be kind.”
(Originally from the AA Prayer Pamphet, but taken from the Interfaith Ministry Handbook)
“May we who are merely inconvenienced
Remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors
Remember the most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home
Remember those who must choose between
preserving their health or making rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care
for our children when their school closes
Remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips
Remember those with nowhere safe to go.
May we who are losing our “margin money”
in the tumult of the economic market
Remember those with no margin to spare.
May we who settle into Quarantine in comfortable homes
Remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country,
Let us choose Love.
During this time when we cannot physically
wrap our arms around each other,
Let us find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.
(author unknown)
”Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick, and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
From the Book of Common Prayer (1979)
“Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
From the Book of Common Prayer (1979)
“Our Holy Father, we confess the weakness and sinfulness of our lives. We have often turned away from thee to seek our own desires. And often when we have done no evil, we have undertaken nothing of good, and so have been guilty of uselessness and neglect. From this sin of idleness and indifference set us free. Lead us into fruitful effort, and deliver us from profitless lives. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
Taken from a short collection in the King Papers simply called “Prayers” and available here.
“Almighty God,
who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection,
may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.”
Found in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer