Thursday, January 1, 2009 (No. 41)
Share the Flame
Ah! One more trip around the sun…
We often pray from a sense of need. In the Gospels, Jesus always prayed from a sense of abundance. And so let us too pray in God’s abundance.
Father, please bless all of the children born this year, their parents and siblings, and their future friends. May they all be drawn into a deeper relationship with You as they grow in Your light and love.
Father, for all those You call home this year, please grant them Your grace of a good death, to have one last opportunity to choose You, to choose Life. May we meet them again with You in heaven. Have mercy on their souls, Father.
And Father, for all of us in between, grant us Your grace to choose You today, and each day of this year, to be drawn into an ever deepening relationship with You, with others, and with ourselves. Send your grace into every doubt, fear, and temptation, to transform us, to heal us, to draw us nearer to You. Help us drink every drop from the cup of life You offer us, both the drops of joy and the drops of sorrow, for all is gift. Help us be beacons of Your light and love in the world.
We pray with, through, and in Your Son’s name. Amen, amen.
The flame of love
Grows as it is divided
It increases by being shared
From one, then two, then three
And darkness is transformed into glory
And the walls reflect its light
Share your flame!
Share the flame!
(St. John of the Cross)
Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us…
