Some of the prayers have Scripture Readings, which are there for further reflection or to allow prayer groups to discuss the themes in relation to both the scriptures and the contemporary world.
There are some prayer activities, too. These are designed to stimulate your many senses in a prayerful way. They are perhaps best used when you are alone, when you have some time away from the routine of daily life. It may be useful to create a ‘prayer corner’: some personal place where you can have as much peace and quiet for reflection as you possibly can. The prayer activities hope to prompt a personal response; but prayer groups also may find that they are appropriate. You are, of course, encouraged to be creative with them, to adapt them to your own circumstances. The point is to engage with prayer, not to let it be a dull ritual.
As the prayers in this book concentrate on contemporary life, we hope you will return to them again and again and find new resonance within.
My Lifestyle
I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.
~ John 10:10 ~
Prayer for Ourselves
I enjoy a full and active life, Lord.
Those with whom I work
seem satisfied with my efforts,
and have even been heard to say ‘Well done’.
My friends have laughed in my company,
and been there for me when I have needed them.
My family are always at the end of the phone
and we have shared life’s celebrations,
as well as life’s endings, over the years.
My health, all in all,
has enabled me to run and play,
and provided the stamina to endure.
My pocket has always contained enough spare change
to help another in a crisis.
I have experienced
the passion and excitement of love,
– as well as love’s struggle.
Both in giving and receiving
life has engaged me in its mystery,
and I am grateful, Lord.
Prayer for Others
Fill with your love, O God,
the hearts of those whose lives seem empty
of relationships that matter and jobs which satisfy.
Fill with your compassion, O God,
those who keep their fingers gripped so tightly on their money and belongings,
that they have forgotten how to share.
Fill with your humility, O God, those too proud to recognise
how their standard of living is obtained at the cost of another’s freedom.
Fill us all with such gratitude, O God, that all may witness to the gift of life
with a life of thanksgiving and hope.
Lifestyle
Grant this to me, your servant: Let me live so that I may keep your word.
~ Psalm 119:17 ~
Prayer for Reflection
God of all life,
in you is novelty and everlastingness, lavishness and simplicity.
In me, aware of the needs of humanity
and of the limitations of the earth,
there is confusion over what to buy,
what to preserve,
what to destroy,
and how to be a good steward
of your resources.
Because good works alone do not lead to salvation,
make me open to the prompting of your Holy Spirit.
Then may I live wisely and well.
Prayer on Today’s Theme
Save us, Lord,
from the temptation to buy what we do not need;
from confusing what we need with what we want;
from wasting what we do not own,
from owning what we will never use;
from idealising the past as a golden age;
from bequeathing our children a sorry inheritance.
Strengthen the arm and the will
of all who, for the good of the world you made and love,
challenge our greed
and inform us about appropriate living.
May their words gain a good hearing
so that the world may have a good future.
‘I am the Bread of Life’
~ John 6:48 ~
Prayer for Reflection
It takes me so long, Lord,
to plan the meals and balance the diet;
and buy the groceries and cook the food.
And mealtimes are not always a joy,
especially if I feel the need of company,
or cannot enjoy the food for keeping the peace at the dinner table.
I need more to sustain me
than what my money buys and human hands prepare.
I need to identify a deeper hunger,
and to give you time to nourish my soul.
Prayer on Today’s Theme
Help us, eternal God,
provider of all nourishment,
not to be greedy.
Prevent us from craving tomorrow’s bread before today’s is eaten;
and keep us from demanding more faith before we savour and cherish
what you have already given us.
Be gentle
when you touch bread.
Let it not lie
uncared for, unwanted.
So often
bread is taken for granted.
There is such beauty in bread:
beauty of sun and soil,
beauty of patient toil.
Wind and sun have caressed it;
Christ often blessed it.
Be