Having completed the liturgical cycle of Christ's Birth,/ we return to Ordinary Time for a few weeks before Lent./ May we green and grow in the love of God which Christmas celebrates./ May we be strengthened in the any new awareness or life direction Christmas inspirited in us./ We pray to the Lord.
During the recent riot upon the nation's capitol,/ someone carried a large sign reading,/ "Jesus Saves."/ May we be forgiven for all misuse of religion,/ especially religion that accompanies violence./ May any sense of religion that is naive or exploitive,/ evolve into a life of mutual love/ lived with others./ We pray to the Lord.
Recently,/ the nation came to the grim milestone of 4000 coronavirus deaths in one day./ We pray for those who have died,/ for those who mourn them,/ for hospital staff who work to exhaustion,/ for those who refuse to help in anyway — who are even indignant at being asked to protect the wellbeing of others./ We pray to the Lord.
There are some who resent Monday's observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day./ White supremacy movements have found a new voice in our nation,/ where hatred can run deep./ We pray to find our way to one another by Christ's light./ We pray to the Lord.
Wednesday is Inauguration Day./ May it be a peaceful day,/ signaling a time of healing / and growth in all that is deeply human,/ following the pattern Christ has shown us./ We pray to the Lord.
During the Life-Month of January,/ we pray for the life of every child to be accepted and loved,/ for the life and conversion of the prisoner who has erred grievously,/ for those who decline and die slowly, to be protected,/ for the new mind which resolves problems without making more war./ We pray to the Lord.
