Prayer for International Women’s Day: March 8, 2010
Prayer for International Day of Nonviolence:October 2, 2009
Lord's Prayer
Prayer for International Women’s Day
Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation
USG/UISG Secretariat Via Aurelia 476, 00165, RomE, Italy Email: jpicusguisg@lasalle.org
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ;
March 8th, 2010 is International Women’s Day
http://jpicformation.wikispaces.com/EN_8March
March 8th is an important day of celebration for our global community. On this day each year, we celebrate the strength and potential of all women.
International Women’s Day is an occasion when communities on all continents, often divided by cultural, economic and political differences come together to celebrate the vital role and contribution of women in our world.
Today we remember all mothers, sisters and daughters. We witness the essential role of every woman across the globe. We also remember any woman who may not feel loved and nurtured, all women in danger, and all those risking their lives or suffering abuse of any kind.
As sisters and brothers in Christ, we remember that exploitation of the vulnerable in our world continues. Men and women are targeted for human trafficking in every part of the world, with suffering experienced at individual, family and community level, regardless of gender or geography. We turn our hearts to all our brothers and sisters who suffer deprivation and indignity caused by their fellow human beings through this form of exploitation.
You are invited to share the enclosed prayer for this day. It was developed by members of the Commission for Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation in Rome, who bring a focus to Human Trafficking. The intent is to celebrate this International Women’s Day, mindful of the need for continued change in this world. We encourage all consecrated religious throughout the world to join in prayer with our brothers and sisters, friends and collaborators everywhere. Adaptation and use of this prayer in any ministry setting is welcomed
We recommend that action is taken alongside prayer for International Women’s Day. This might include finding ways to celebrate women, mindful also of continued suffering and the need for change.
Please Download the prayer at: http://jpicformation.wikispaces.com/EN_8March and distribute as widely as possible. Please send us copies of additional translations to jpic.assistant@lasalle.org.
Thank you,
United in Christ,
JPIC Commission Secretariat usg/uisg
Prayer for International Women’s Day
As we come together to celebrate the International Women’s Day, we join our sisters (and brothers) throughout the world remembering that <the care we have for one another leads us to engage with the pain and suffering of all people and creation> (USG/UISG).
Song: Choose an appropriate song known to your group
Let us begin by acknowledging those around us
Adapt the following prayer to suit your situation or choose another
The Woman Next to You
Look around Sisters, look around you!
WHO IS THE WOMAN sitting next to you?
The woman next to you is an inexhaustible reservoir of possibility…
With possibilities that have never been completely realised…
Full of necessity and possibility…dread and desire…smiles and frowns…
laughter and tears…fears and hopes…
all struggling to find expression.
The woman next to you is striving to BECOME something in particular,
to arrive at some destination…to have a story… a song…
to be known and to know…
The woman next to you believes in something…
something precious…
stands for something…counts for something…
lives for something…
runs towards something.
The woman next to you…has problems and fears, wonders how she is doing…
and often doesn’t feel very good about it…
is often disorganized and sometimes close to chaos…
but endowed with great toughness in the face of adversity…
and able to survive great difficulties.
The woman next to you is a colony of persons…
persons all met during her lifetime…
father and mother, friend and enemy.
The woman next to you has something she can do well…
something she can do better than anyone else in the whole world…
there is something that she and she alone can do…but she may not dare speak of it to you.
The woman next to you can live with you, not just along side you…she can live, not just for herself, but for you, also…
she can comfort, encounter, understand you if that is what you want…and in turn she is to be understood, too.
The woman next to you…can never be fully understood…
she is more than any description or explanation…
she can never be fully controlled nor should she be.
The woman next to you is a MYSTERY…
and the WORD MADE FLESH is MYSTERY.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…
and so my Sisters (and Brothers) look around you…
for CHRIST IS HERE, HE DIED and IS RISEN, ALLELUIA!
Courtesy of Vidimus Dominum – The Portal for Religious Life www.vidimusdominum.org
Scripture reading: Luke 13: 10-17 ﾐ Healing of the woman
Look at and listen to Jesus in this passage:
– Who is the woman whom Jesus looks at in the synagogue, and how does He relate to her?
– In what way can we identify with this situation?
– What things today bend or hold back the life of people, particularly of women?
– Does the sight of those in need remind us of our own vulnerability?
– Which are some of my personal experiences of having been “straightened” by the Lord or having witnessed the liberation experienced by others?
– Can we see in this action of Jesus a graced opportunity to reach out with compassion?
Take time to share your reflections with the group
Prayer
May God bless you and be with you in your time of deep sorrow and pain,
Through our tears, know that He weeps with you
By our touch, know that His arms are holding you
In our endeavour to assist you, know that He is helping you to cope from day to day
Through our prayers, know that He hears your plea.
And in the desolation you suffer, know that we bring God’s love to you to filter into those empty spaces his compassion and understanding.
(Taken from: Marjorie Dobson in: A World of Blessing, Compiled by Geoffrey Duncan, Canterbury Press, 2000)
We now invite you to spend some time focusing on the exploitation of people:
<The trade in human persons constitutes a shocking offence against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights> John Paul II
Briefly share an example of human trafficking that relates to your situation
(As part of your community’s preparation for this prayer service, please research and use specific examples of suffering caused by human trafficking from your country or from around the world. Examples close to your home country and city are in many cases unfortunately easy to find. Some web resources are included at the end of this prayer).
Take a few moments to reflect on what action you might take to become more involved with the reality of human exploitation
Prayer of Blessing
ﾘ God bless the people who never had a voice, the ones in silence who endured such pain and violation.
ﾘ God bless the people who never had a chance, the ones in innocence who suffer in their vulnerability.
ﾘ God bless the people who never had a hope, the ones who died within themselves. A death before old age.
ﾘ God bless the people who caused this pain, the ones who in their selfishness, took life from someone else.
ﾘ God bless the people who are left to cope, the ones who face a lifelong toil of memories and pain.
ﾘ God bless the people who are needing love, the ones who yearn for love, yet live in disappointment.
ﾘ God bless the people who are created in your image, all your children, love them hold them and make them whole
. Having prayed together, let us now reach out
– To see The Women Next to Us who today are suffering under many types of burdens
– To join them in their hopes and actions to be free, to stand up, to walk with dignity.
– To try to network with people and organizations who share our commitment to bring fullness of life to people, particularly exploited women.
Song of hope Choose an appropriate song that your group knows
References and resources
Soul Sisters: Women in Scripture Speak to Women Today – Edwina Gately, Orbis Books, 2002.
Behold a woman ﾐ Camilla Burns, in Contact (WCC) No 184, May 2007
Poetry and prayer celebrating International Womens day: www.richmonddiocese.org
Some websites
UNANIMA:
http://www.unanima-international.org/
CATW (The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-International) http://www.catwinternational.org/
ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans) http://www.acrath.org.au
US Dept of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP),
www.state.gov/g/tip
The Polaris project
http://www.polarisproject.org/
http://actioncenter.polarisproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=6&Itemid=68)
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/c16482.htm
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=14509
Prayer Service for International Day of Nonviolence October 2, 2009
Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation USG/UISG Secretariat
Via Aurelia 476, CP 9099 Aurelio, 00165 Roma, Italy. Email: jpicusguisg@lasalle.org
September 2009
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
October 2, 2009 is an important day for all persons in our global village but especially for those of us committed to living the Good News of peace, justice and reconciliation. It is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who helped lead India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom around the world. On June 15th 2007 the International Day of Non Violence was adopted by the 192 member States of the United Nations during their General Assembly.
Mahatma Gandhi’s ﾔnovel mode of mass mobilization and non-violent action’ brought an end to colonialism in India while strengthening the roots of popular sovereignty, of civil, political and economic rights. He has become an icon for people all over the world who believe in nonviolence as a way of life and as the best way to overcome oppression. For many Christians nonviolence is a gospel way of bring about peace and reconciliation. Its focus is not only on freeing the oppressed but also working to free their oppressors. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, <Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit.>
You are invited and asked to share the enclosed prayer with the members of your institute. We also encourage the extended use of this prayer in the parishes, schools, colleges, universities and other ministerial realities of your congregation. We invite you to send this prayer to your members or co-workers in these ministries.
The prayer was prepared by Rev. John Dear S.J. [www.johndear.org] for the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the leadership of religious institutes (USG/UISG) in Rome. It is the third in a series of prayers to celebrate specific UN International Days.
At least two other prayer services are being prepared for International Days in 2010: March 8, International Women’s Day and United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace; and October 17, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
You are welcome to adapt the prayer to your particular circumstances. You could alternatively consider using it for the International Day of Peace on September 21st.
These as well as previous prayers for World Day of Social Justice (20 February) and World Environment Day (5 June) can be found at jpicformation.wikispaces.com.
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Prayer Service for
International Day of Nonviolence
October 2, 2009
Opening Song of peace
Welcome/Introduction
(Leader) In the name of the God of peace, the nonviolent Jesus, and the Holy Spirit of love.
Welcome dear friends to this prayer service for International Nonviolence Day.
Let us begin by taking a moment and turning to those around us and introducing ourselves.
Let us take a deep breath and relax, to notice how you are feeling today, and to enter into the presence of the God of peace who loves you infinitely, unconditionally. Let us welcome the risen, nonviolent Jesus into our community of peace and into our hearts, to breathe in his Holy Spirit of peace and nonviolence.
Let us take a minute in silence to give thanks for all the blessings of love and peace that we have received throughout our lives from the God of love and peace. Let us ask God to forgive us for all the ways we have rejected those blessings of love and peace, all the ways we have chosen violence instead of nonviolence, all the ways we have hurt others and supported the culture of violence and war. Let us repent of our violence and ask for the grace to become people of Gospel nonviolence.
(Silence)
Please respond, <God of Peace, have mercy on us.>
Jesus, you renounced violence, loved everyone, practiced nonviolence, embodied peace, resisted injustice, and gave your life in perfect nonviolent love for humanity. God of peace, have mercy on us.
<God of Peace, have mercy on us.>
Jesus, you call us to renounce violence, love everyone, practice nonviolence, oppose war, dismantle nuclear weapons, resist injustice, embody peace and love our enemies. God of peace, have mercy on us.
<God of Peace, have mercy on us.>
Jesus, you are our Lord and Savior, our Brother and Friend, our life, our hope, our peace. God of Peace, have mercy on us.
<God of Peace, have mercy on us.>
Opening Prayer (All Recite)
God of Peace, be with us now as we repent of our violence and hear your word of peace. Help us to become your holy people of Gospel nonviolence, that we might follow the nonviolent Jesus, love one another, love our enemies, reconcile with everyone, resist injustice and pursue a new world without war, poverty, nuclear weapons, global warming or violence. We ask this in the name of the nonviolent Jesus, our brother and our peace.
First Reading
A reading from chapter two of the book of Isaiah [2:2-5]
In days to come, the mountain of God’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say: <Come, let us climb the mountain of the God of peace, to the house of the God of Jacob, that God may instruct us in God’s ways, and we may walk in God’s paths.> For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of God from Jerusalem. The God of peace shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the God of peace!
Psalm Response
(Leader) Our Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 46. Please respond: <God puts an end to wars.>
<God puts an end to wars.>
God is our refuge and our strength,
An ever present help when we are in trouble;
So we shall not be afraid though the earth be in turmoil,
Though mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
and its waters roar and seethe, and the mountains quake.
The God of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
<God puts an end to wars.>
There is a river whose streams bring joy to God’s city.
It sanctifies the dwelling of the Most High.
God is in the city, it cannot fall.
At break of day, God comes to the rescue.
Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms are tumbling,
And when God raises God’s voice, the earth crumbles.
The God of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
<God puts an end to wars.>
Come, consider the wonders of the God of peace,
The astounding deeds God has done on the earth.
God puts an end to wars over the whole wide world.
God breaks the bow, God snaps the spear,
God burns the shields in the fire.
<God puts an end to wars.>
<Be still and know that I am God, supreme over the nations,
Supreme over the world.>
The God of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
<God puts an end to wars.>
Second Reading
A selection from the words of Mahatma Gandhi.
<Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of humanity. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of humanity. Nonviolence is not passivity in any shape or form. It is the most active force in the world. Nonviolence is the supreme law. Just as one must learn the art of killing in the training for violence, so one must learn the art of dying in the training for nonviolence. One person who can express nonviolence in life exercises a force superior to all the forces of brutality. We are constantly being astonished these days at the amazing discoveries in the field of violence, but I maintain that far more undreamt of and seemingly impossible discoveries will be made in the field of nonviolence. My optimism rests on my belief in the infinite possibilities of the individual to develop nonviolence. The more you develop it in your own being, the more infectious it becomes till it overwhelms your surroundings and by and by might oversweep the world. We have to make truth and nonviolence not matters for mere individual practice, but for practice by groups and communities and nations. That, at any rate, is my dream. When the practice of nonviolence becomes universal, God will reign on earth as God reigns in heaven.> [From: <Mohandas Gandhi: Essential Writings,> Edited by John Dear, Orbis Books, New York, 2002.]
Third Reading:
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke [6:27-36]
<To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great and you will be sons and daughters of the Most High, for God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful just as your heavenly God is merciful.>
Silent Reflection After the Readings
Intercessory Prayers for Nonviolence
(Leader) Please respond, <God of Peace, hear our prayer.>
* That we might become people of Gospel nonviolence, who allow God to disarm our hearts of the violence within us, that we might be nonviolent to ourselves and to every person we meet for the rest of our lives, we pray: <God of Peace, hear our prayer.>
* That we might practice nonviolence as Jesus did, come to understand his creative nonviolence, and obey his commandments of nonviolence: <put down your sword,> <be as compassionate as God,> and <love your enemies,> we pray: <God of Peace, hear our prayer.>
* That we might come to know and worship God as a God of peace and nonviolence, who <makes the sun rise on the good and the bad, and causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust,> that we might become peacemakers who help end war and create a culture of nonviolence, and so, fulfill our vocations to be the beloved sons and daughters of the God of peace, we pray: <God of Peace, hear our prayer.>
* For the church, that it might be a global community of Gospel nonviolence, that it might never bless violence or justify war again, that it might support and bless nonviolent campaigns for justice and peace, and that it might always teach, practice and model the nonviolence of Jesus, we pray: <God of Peace, hear our prayer.>
* For an end to war, poverty, starvation, racism, sexism, executions, torture, abortion, nuclear weapons, global warming and violence of every kind, we pray: <God of Peace, hear our prayer.>
* For the coming of a new generation of peacemakers, for new teachers, prophets, apostles, champions and saints of Gospel nonviolence, who will help the world turn from violence to nonviolence, who will lead us to reject war and nuclear weapons, reconcile with one another and create a new culture of peace and nonviolence, we pray: <God of Peace, hear our prayer.>
* Please add your own petitions [either in silence, or out loud, depending on the group].
(Leader) God of peace, thank you for hearing our prayers, all the prayers in our hearts and all the prayers of the whole human race, and we offer them in the name of the nonviolent Jesus. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
(Leader) Before we recite the Lord’s Prayer together, and ask for the coming of God’s reign of nonviolence on earth and for God’s forgiveness, let’s take a moment of silence to recall everyone who has ever hurt us, and let us forgive them all, so that we will be ready to ask God to forgive us <as we forgive those who trespass against us.>
(Silence)
All recite the Lord’s prayer together out loud.
A Pledge of nonviolence
(Leader) I invite all those who are ready to recite together this pledge of nonviolence; we will try to practice and live the nonviolence of Jesus for the rest of our lives:
In the name of the God of peace and the nonviolent Jesus,
I pledge today to live, practice and teach the nonviolence of Jesus,
–to renounce violence and not to cooperate with the world’s violence;
–to love every one as my sister and brother;
–to respond with love and not to retaliate with violence;
–to forgive those who have hurt me and to reconcile with everyone;
–to accept suffering as I work for justice, rather than inflict further suffering;
–to live more simply, at one with all creation;
–to work with others for the abolition of war, poverty, nuclear weapons, global warming and all violence;
–to follow the nonviolent Jesus on the way of the cross into the new life of resurrection, knowing that my life is in God’s hands, that life, love and peace are stronger than death, hatred and war;
–to seek God’s reign of nonviolence for the rest of my life;
–and to promote and teach the Gospel message of nonviolence.
May the God of peace give me the grace and strength to fulfill this pledge and make me an instrument of God’s peace.
Closing prayer
(Leader) Let us pray. (Moment of silence)
God of peace, thank you for calling us to follow the nonviolent Jesus on the road to peace. Help us to become your holy people of Gospel nonviolence. Disarm our hearts that we might be instruments of your disarming love. Make our church a community of Gospel nonviolence, that rejects war and radiates your love and peace. Bless us to love one another and our enemies, to reconcile with everyone, to resist injustice and spread the practice of nonviolence. Give us a new world without war, poverty, nuclear weapons, global warming or violence. Give us your reign of nonviolence, here and now. We ask this in the name of the nonviolent Jesus, our brother and our peace.
Closing blessing
(Leader) May the God of peace who loves you infinitely bless you abundantly, the Creator of peace, the Christ of peace, and the Holy Spirit of peace. Amen.
After we sing a closing song, we will end by offering each other a sign of peace.
Closing song of peace
Exchange of peace
Leader: <May the Peace of Christ be with you!>
ALL: <And also with you!>
Leader: As we end our prayer service for nonviolence and peace, I invite you to greet one another with the sign of peace, and to go forth in the peace of the nonviolent Jesus.
(People turn and offer each other a sign of peace.)
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY Prayer June 5, 2009
This prayer unfolds in three movements: celebration, lamentation, response. Adapt. Be creative in your use of music, drama and space. Choose from among the scripture offerings. Or you might choose to pray one movement each day.
Setting: might you choose a location for this prayer where our hearts and minds, sight, touch and hearing will be moved to conversion? Where in your local place is the environment suffering?
Opening Song
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, we gather today with people everywhere to observe World Environment Day.
You call us to be in solidarity ﾐ through our prayer and actions ﾐ with people adversely affected by climate change.
We recognize that Earth will only be our home as long as we learn to respect and care for the whole community of life and learn humility about our place in it, that we take action to protect and restore the integrity of life systems, and that we work for sustainable development for all people.
Change our hearts. Fill our hearts with a burning desire for your ﾔkingdom’ where you live and reign for ever and ever, Amen.
Movement I: Celebration
Earth ( plant and animal life )
Gen.1:9-12, 24-25; Job 12:7-10; Num 35:33-34
R. God saw that it was good. ( could be sung )
Fire (sun and moon and light)
Gen.1:3,14-19; Acts 2:1-4; Heb. 12:29; Ex. 3:1-6; 13:18,21-22
R. God saw that it was good
Wind ( life and spirit and breath )
Ezek. 37:5; Ps. 104:3-4; Acts 2:1-4
R. God saw that it was good
Water ( seas and rivers and oceans and all water creatures )
Gen. 1:9, 20-23; Isa. 44:3a; 55:1; 2Kg. 5:14; Rev. 22:1-3
R. God saw that it was good
Human Life ( woman and man )
Gen. 1:27; 2:7, 18, 21-22;
R. God saw that it was good
PAUSE for silence / sharing / response ﾐ perhaps Pss. 19:1-7 or 104 or 148
Movement II: Lamentation
Scripture: Num. 35:33-34; Isa. 24:4-6; Ezek. 34:1-22 (or 17-18); Rom. 8:22
Sung response after each: Lord have mercy
– We have increased our dependence on and use of non-renewable energy. Many of us prefer cars to public transportation. We increase rather than decrease our carbon footprint.
– We continue to use water as a commodity while 2/3 of the world population lives with water scarcity or stress.
– We destroy many of our forests and mismanage others.
– Our tropical forests and coral reefs are under threat from human activity, and yet both could be sources for life, food and health care.
– We contribute to global warming such that our glaciers retreat and shrink, putting all life forms at risk. Flooding and droughts put the food security of hundreds of millions at risk.
– We contribute to global warming such that increased sea and air temperatures result in rising sea levels, putting whole islands and their inhabitants at risk.
– We do not alter our ways and sufficiently care for or welcome those migrants and refugees displaced by drought, flood, or lack of food.
– add your own ﾉ
PAUSE for silence and prayer:
Enduring God, hear our prayers
as we bring these our hurts and hopes, our fears and our faults before you.
Bind our hurts, encourage our hopes, comfort our fears, forgive us our faults.
Through the presence of your Holy Spirit dwelling in us,
empower us to remain steadfast in the hope and light and promise of the gospel
revealed to us in your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.
Movement III: Response
Earth Charter
I / We, [Name], stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history,
a time when humanity must choose its future.
As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile,
the future at once holds great peril and great promise.
To move forward we must recognize that
in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.
We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society
founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.
Toward this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.
We invite you to pray this in a variety of ways, pausing between each reading.
– in the first person singular: I, ____, stand at a critical moment ﾉ
– in the second person plural: We, (Christians / the name of your congregation / name of school or parish or other group), stand at a critical time ﾉ
Silent prayer /Sharing of Reflections
Scripture (to help reflect on themes in the Earth Charter preamble above):
about wonder & awe, reverencing life in all its forms:
about choosing: Dt. 30:19; Rev. 3:14-15; Jn. 10:10b
about interconnectedness: 1 Cor. 12
about vision, promise: Rev. 21:1a, 5a; Isa. 65:17a
about responsibility and action for the common good: Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
MDG 7 Ensure environmental sustainability.
MDG 8 Develop a global partnership for development.
UNEP’s Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign:
http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/
– Closing Prayer: <To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our local communities. We are at once citizens of different nations and of one world in which the local and global are linked. Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well-being of the human family and the larger living world. The spirit of human solidarity and kinship with all life is strengthened when we live with reverence for the mystery of being, gratitude for the gift of life, and humility regarding the human place in nature> (from Earth Charter). All praise to you God for your goodness to us. Give us hearts of flesh to rejoice in your gifts, to beg pardon when we err, and to live justly. We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus, who lives and breathes among us. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
I cannot say Our if I live in a watertight spiritual compartment.
I cannot say Father if I do not demonstrate the relationship in daily living.
I cannot say which art in heaven if I am so occupied with the earth that I am laying up no treasures there.
I cannot say hallowed be Thy name if I, who am called by His name, am not holy.
I cannot say Thy kingdom come if I am not doing all in my power to hasten its coming.
I cannot say Thy will be done if I am questioning, resentful of, or disobedient to His will for me.
I cannot say on earth, as it is in heaven if I am not prepared to devote my life here to His service.
I cannot say give us this day our daily bread if I am living on past experience or if I am an under-the-counter shopper.
I cannot say forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us if I harbor a grudge against anyone.
I cannot say lead us not into temptation if I deliberately place myself in a position to be tempted.
I cannot say deliver us from evil if I am not prepared to fight it in the spiritual realm with the weapon of prayer.
I cannot say Thine is the kingdom if I do not accord the King the disciplined obedience of a loyal subject.
I cannot say Thine is the power if I fear what men may do or what my neighbors may think.
I cannot say Thine is the glory if I am seeking glory for myself.
I cannot say forever and ever if my horizon is bounded by the things of time.