Image: George Mendoza
Good morning, good God!
I’m fresh from Epiphany
with its star and magi and gifts...
You ‘ve revealed so much, to so many,
to all peoples everywhere!
You showed yourself as a child:
intimate and innocent,
vulnerably human, lovingly divine,
imminent and inviting…
Help me see in the child, Lord,
Christ who is my brother,
my savior, my redeemer,
my prince of peace, my merciful judge,
my healing and my hope…
I pray that in the year ahead
you’ll continue to reveal, to show,
to disclose, to unwrap
your presence in my life…
So, this morning I offer you my vision, Lord,
that I may indeed see what you reveal…
Help me see you
when you show yourself
in the people I don’t like,
in the people who aren’t like me,
and in the people who don’t like me…
Help me find you, Lord,
in the times when I can’t see you…
Show me where you are
when I think you’ve forgotten me,
when I fear you can’t find me,
when I wonder if you’ve abandoned me...
Help me see your compassion, Lord,
when you pour out your healing
on my sorrow, on my pain…
Reveal yourself as the source of my joy
and show me the depths of all you’ve given me:
may I always give you the glory and the praise…
Help me see you
in the moment at hand
and in my past:
show me where you are
and remind me of where you’ve been…
Show up in my life every day, Lord,
and show yourself
at every twist and turn
along the path I walk…
At least now and then, Lord,
dazzle me with your brightness and beauty –
I need the showstoppers
to carry me through my cloudy days…
Reveal yourself in my prayer, Lord:
bathe me in the light of your face
and let your radiance shine on mine…
Reveal yourself in the Church’s prayer, Lord,
and in the bread and cup of the Eucharist
feed me with the life of your presence…
Unfold your plan for me, Lord:
let me see where you lead me,
where you call me,
where you want me to be,
what you ask me to do…
Reveal yourself in your simplicity
as the child of Bethlehem
and in depths of your love
as the One who bore the Cross for me…
This morning I offer you my vision, Lord:
all that I see and all that I hope to see
with my eyes, my heart, my mind…
Show me who you are, Lord,
show me your face
and keep me as the apple of your eye…
Amen.
(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)
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thank you.
ReplyDeletethere are SO MANY things here that speak to me-
to my life-
and SO MANY opportunities for prayer-
in this one prayer-
there are MANY prayers, in one-
so yes, this offering may be a little too much for me for one time-
for one day-
I think I need to take it a little at a time-
but there is a lot here that I need-
a lot that I want-
but one thing I want to share right now...
you wrote:
"At least now and then, Lord, dazzle me with your brightness and beauty-
I need the showstoppers to carry me through my cloudy days... "
yes, I need this.
the other day I experienced this.
a little boy in my classroom (almost 10 months old) greeted me in the morning by putting his hand to his mouth to "blow me a kiss"-
then he very gently put his hand on my cheek-
he looked at me and smiled and I hugged him and held him-
this very small child made me feel loved-
and safe-
it was the most beautiful thing.
Wow! Good theology and good words. I'll use this in starting my meditation after I take my cats for a walk.
ReplyDelete