Scarlet Oak
The American author, Henry David Thoreau calls the October leaf-change a ripening./ May we hope for our own personal ripening,/ the ripening of insight,/ wisdom,/ intelligence,/ the ripening by which we individually and collectively become full human persons./ We pray to the Lord.
At the start of October,/ we pray for those who celebrate birthdays,/ anniversaries and other days of remembrance,/ asking for good health,/ safety and peace in difficult times./ We pray to the Lord.
This week at Assisi,/ Pope Francis promulgated an encyclical on friendship./ Jesus calls us friends,/ not diminished servants./ The pope writes as another 200 migrants recently drowned in the Mediterranean Sea/ hoping for a place of acceptance,/ safety and friendship./ As disciples of Christ,/ may we be true learners./ We pray to the Lord.
More than a million people have died worldwide from the Coronavirus,/ while 27 states report increases in the number of cases./ We pray for the sick and their loved ones,/ for the protection and safety of those who staff hospitals./ May we be wise and generous in our taking care of the health of others./ We pray to the Lord.
California continues to burn./ Thousands of people have been evacuated./ The losses are profound as some fires are consuming an acre of forest every five seconds./ We pray for the firefighters and all who are suffering./ We pray to the Lord.
We entrust our country and its Election Day to God's care,/ asking to be protected from threats,/ violence,/ bitter contest,/ suspicion and fear./ For healing and the restoration of unity./ We pray to the Lord.
The nation is being overtaken by a dark and destructive energy./ We pray for Christ's bright dawning to come./ We pray to the Lord.
