God of all seasons,
it has been a week of change and unexpected surprises.
it has been a time of sadness and sorrow,
at time of comfort knowing you are with us ...

Be with us as neighbours, friends and family
struggle with the loss of loved ones,
and the sorrow that washes over us in those moments ...

Be with us as our circle of community
seeks to make sense of happenings and events
that have touched us and left us reeling ...

Be with us as we yearn for spring
but still feel the cold bite of winter ...

Be with us as we lift our voices in song and prayer to you,
yet still wonder if you are listening and if you hear us ...

Holy One,
God of all seasons, God of all time and space,
God of all that is and that shall be ...

Be with us ...
send your spirit to move among us and within us,
bring comfort and strength to lives,
and fill us with the hope
that sent the disciples forth from the upper room
boldly out into the world
joyously proclaiming their certainty of The Resurrection.

We are your children O Holy One,
We are your Church,
Be with us as we seek to embody and proclaim,
the faith and hope you have given us.
In your blessed and holy name we pray ...

Prayer for today - April 23rd ...

"Peace is not the silence of cemeteries." - Oscar Romero

Holy One ... we tread through the hallowed halls of memory,
we walk the gravel path through aged and cracking stones,
we hear the brush of the wind through the sprouting grass,
we feel the warmth of spring sunshine as we linger ...
as we remember ...
as we say farwell ...

Holy One, this week our Easter Journey has meandered
into the peaceful silence of a cemetery filled with saints and sinners,
filled with memories and recollections,
filled with lives both celebrated and forgotten ...

Holy One, through our remembrance
we have recalled the lives of those who have gone before,
and we have celebrated where those lives have touched ours,
but more importantly, we have recalled
the gift of life everlasting ...

Be with us in our memories O Blessed and Holy One,
and be with us in our flickering moments of sorrow ...

On our Emmaus journey we pass the cold etched stones
and we remember ... but our companion bids us on ...
on to life ...
on to life everlasting ...

Holy One, be with us in our journey,
and hold us as we linger in a place of death
remembering the life that has been,
and affirming the life that continues unabated
in your Holy and Grace-filled presence ...

In the peace of our remembrance,
may we find the peace that surpasses all understanding ...

In the peace of our remembrance,
may we find the peace of your presence ...

Prayer for today - April 16th 2012 ,,, Resurrection ...

Loving God, your servant Jesus spoke the words from the cross:

Into your hands I commend my spirit ...

Today you will be with me in paradise ...

Loving God in the quiet hush we yearn to hear those words,
to believe those words,
to feel the truth and power behind those words ...

Too many whispers around us speak of loss
and mask the weeping that comes with death ...

Our circle of community struggles
losses seem to pile upon losses,
brokeness breaks in upon brokeness,
tears of sorrow and sadness
are more abundant then smiles of joy ...

And yet in that moment when all seems lost
we hear the voice of comfort from within
speaking the familiar yet ancient words ...

Into your hands I commend my spirit ...

and we know you are with us ...

We hear that promise ...

Today you will be with me in paradise ...

and we know this is not the end.

Holy One, move within and among us
touch our hearts and minds

remove the doubt and fear
and replace it with hope and certainty,

remove the sorrow and sadness
and replace it with joy and trust.

Holy One, we know the promises of resurrection,
yet some days those words seem distant and cold ...

... today move among us and through us
transform us from an uncertain and doubt filled people
into a Resurrected community proclaiming our faith
and living our lives knowing we are never alone
and we are never seperated from that love
that holds and sustains us throughout our life.

Hear our prayers O Holy One,
and in your love answer.

A Prayer for today - St Benedict Joseph Labre ...

O Holy One, today I've read the story of your servant
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre,
one who lived on the margins of the Church,
one who was shunned from to the edges,
one who lived like those he has become a patron to ...
the homeless ...
the neglected ...
the rejected ...
the mentally ill ...
the forgotten and marginalized
who linger in poverty
and who struggle along the periphery.

O Blessed One, on this day as we hear again
the story of Thomas, the one who dared to express his doubt,
remind us again
that faith is not about comfort and complacency,
faith is about taking chances,
faith is about living on the edges,
welcoming in those who lurk at the periphery
embracing those who struggle to find a place.

O Risen One, be with us in the coming days
comfort us in our weakness,
grant us strength in our moments of fear,
embrace us when we find tears rising to our eyes,
and remind us again that we are never alone ...

In the coming days be our companion,
our guide,
our friend,
our companion,
and the one who challenges and comforts us ...

Be with us O Holy One as we remember
the many servants like St Benedict Joseph,
who have served and celebrated the Church
while living on the margins ...
and as we remember,
may we have the courage to include them
and welcome them ...

In your name we pray ...

Prayer for today - April 12th 2012 ... Thomas ...

Holy One, I am struck by the words:
behind locked doors ...
for fear of the Jews ...
The message of the Resurrection
loomed over them as they gathered,
the Good News hadn't sunken in,
they failed to comprehend,
the simply didn't know what to believe.

And then you were there.
Peace Be With You
My Peace I Give to You
The words echoed within them
yet I doubt they knew what to think
what to believe ... the quivered in fear.

And so your reassured them,
you spoke to their fears
you soothed their uncertainties
you sought to comfort them ...
... and they struggled to comprehend.

Holy One, as we again approach these familiar tales,
open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds
to the whisper of Peace that you still offer,
speak to our fears and uncertainties,
comfort our doubts and confusions,
show us again what it means
to fall to our knees like Thomas
and utter those profound words of belief:

My Lord and My God ...

Risen One, we yearn to know,
be with us in the moments of crisis,
comfort us in the times of darkness,
and guide us through the shadows,
that we may once again
hear your voice,
feel your presence,
and celebrate our experience
of Resurrection in our lives and in your's.

Holy One,
Risen One,
our friend
and our Hope,
hear us as we pray ...

Prayer for today ... open tombs, mysterious strangers ...

Risen One ... our day began in deep dark silence,
tear fell too easily as we considered the loss,
as we embraced the enormity of death,
as we experienced the breadth of sorrow ...

In the darkness she went first to mourn and to weep,
in the darkness she found the tomb, broken and empty,
in the darkness she cried out and fled searching ...

Together in the breaking dawn they came to see ...
Running, hearts pounding, pulses racing,
they came to see if what she said was true ...

Empty ...
Gone ...

Uncertainty broke in upon them ...
from grief they fled to fear and horror ...

Death was one thing,
but a missing body was something different ...

Standing alone she heard her voice whispered
whispered by a familiar voice
whispered by the Risen One ...

Grief and fear gave way to joy ...

The missing one had returned ...
The missing one had risen ...
The missing one had been found and shows the way ...

"Mary" he called her by name ...
bringing her from a place of darkness
to stand blinking in the fullness of God's welcoming light ...

And so the day began ...

... and it ended in a room ...
They gathered, talking, discussing, arguing ...

what did all of this mean?
how has this happened?
what is happening now?

Confused and uncertain, they gathered in a familiar place
where he had prayed
where he had washed their feet
where he had broken bread
where he had poured out the cup
where he had taken a deep breath and plunged into the night ...

They gathered, waiting, wondering, praying ...

And suddenly he was there,
the missing one had come
the missing one had risen
the missing one was found anew ...

My Peace I give you,
he whispered with a smile,
My peace I give you,
he said breathing new life through the room ...

In the darkness the light had come,
in the uncertainty came awe and wonder ...

Risen One ... you called them by name ...
you guided them through the dark and lonely places ...
you whispered to thier hearts to trust in God ...
you revealed yourself in that moment that comes
when darkness gives way to light
when life continues on in the face of death
when hope glimmers and pushes aside cynicism and disbelief ...

Guide us from the garden through the streets O Holy One,
take us by the hand and lead us from doubt to believe ...
take our hands and place them in yours ...
reveal yourself in the unexpected place ...
show yourself in the breaking of the bread ...
Transform us from fearfilled disciples cowering in the dark,
to faithful messengers proclaiming the message:

He is Risen, He is Risen INDEED !!!

Hear us as we pray O Holy and Risen One,
and be with us in our journey.


---