If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:17-19)
Join us each week as we share new prayers for the vulnerable among us facing challenges, fears, and threats. We will name many of the harms unfolding and acknowledge what is being erased, lost, and threatened.
These prayers are not a replacement for action; they are meant to offer space for grounding and discernment as we seek to bear one another’s burdens in the love and way of Christ.
Join by Zoom each Monday at 11:45 a.m. ET to hear the prayers aloud, in the context of a simple liturgy, prayed by members of the Community of Francis and Clare.
Gratitude for Local Ministry
O God, the ruler of our hearts, who on Pentecost poured out your Holy Spirit to strengthen and enliven your church, we give thanks for all the grassroots, community-centered, parish, and diocesan work done over the past year. You sustain your people and build up the body of Christ through relationships. Local activists and advocates, parish ministries, and neighborhood initiatives have strengthened our calling, inspired us, and protected the most vulnerable across this country and throughout the world. Give us the strength to continue to act locally in the year ahead, all for the sake of your glory. Amen.
Gratitude for National, Global, Ecumenical, and Interreligious Partners
God of the cosmos, who sustains and blesses all creation, we give thanks for our partners on the national, global, ecumenical, and interreligious stages. Our advocacy, our labor for justice, and our commitment to unity have been strengthened by siblings around the world who join with us in common purpose. You do not call us to work alone, and you often accomplish your purposes through the companionship and witness of others. Thank you, O God, for granting us faithful co-laborers as we seek to do your will, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Gratitude for the Source of Our Call
Everlasting God, who pours out your sustaining love on us, we give you thanks for being the source of our call to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before you. The ministries of this church are upheld by your steadfast love made known to us in Jesus Christ. Keep us always grateful, trusting that gratitude forms us for faithful service. Remind us continually that our strength comes from your gracious love, and hold in your everlasting care all who need it most, this day and forever more, through your Son, love incarnate. Amen.
