Prayer, day 2155

O God, make my heart your dwelling-place,
for You are my companion
and my guide along the way.
We rise with your praise upon our lips,
for the Lord has been good to us indeed.

Your Spirit has called to us
in trouble and in plenty;
let us always sing out your untold blessings.
You are our All-in-All,
O Merciful One,
and we give You thanks
for all YOU have given us.
God hovers over us
and covers us with the hand of favor:
all that I am I offer to God.
God's comfort rests like a cooling breeze
upon those who call upon their Redeemer,
and we offer hymns
of praise and thanksgiving.

Watch over those for whom we pray,
Lord Christ,
and grant them rest.

Amen.

Prayer 1911: A Prayer of Peace, Yielding, and Union in God

In peace, we bend the knee of our hearts to You,
O Merciful One,
O Dancing Trinity,
tuning our hearts to sing your praise,
that we may come to abide and rest
in your holy truth, O God.

Yield:
May we joyously yield
to your will in our lives, Lord Jesus,
and delight in our common life together as your children,
in trust and assurance of your tender love for us.
May we pause in all our striving
to turn our hearts to your light and wisdom,
O Spirit of the Living God.
May we give up our self-absorption,
our drive to exploit the wounds or needs of others,
and renounce the destructive obsession
of our power against each other.
May we produce abundantly
from the seeds of charity and compassion
You have planted within us,
that we may rejoice and be at peace,
at play in fields of mercy, justice, and hope.

Union:
May we nurture the common bonds
of kinship and affection,
and recognize the holy light of God in each face we see.
Let us seek deeper union within your grace, O God:
for You are our home and our rest,
the very source of our breath:
let our breath return to You as praise and devotion.
All our loves,
all our cares,
all our needs,
all our aspirations:
You number and know them, O Creator,
and encompass all within your peace.

Amen.

Photos: Stairwell and interior wall in La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona.