NIGHT PRAYER: Friday -Juneteenth-

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I'll go to bed tonight, Lord, 

with not a worry or concern about my freedom:

    my freedom as a human being, a citizen,

        a person free to come and go, 

            when and where I please,
    my rights guaranteed

        by my nation and its law
    and by the common, simple wisdom 

        of human intuition...

Of all the things that might trouble my rest tonight:
    none is of a fundamental nature:
    none threatens my safety or welfare;
    none impugns my unalienable rights
        to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,

            of personal growth and development;
    none imperils my joy in knowing 

        I stand among others as equal, accepted,

            esteemed and free

        to be and become the person I am,

            the person you made me to be...

But not all yet share the freedom, 

    the liberty and rights
        that I so often take for granted;

     that freedom, Lord, that calls us all

        to sacrifice, to work, 

            to surrender and to change

    'til all life's gifts and blessings

        are guaranteed, shared, 

            defended and protected,

        enshrined in practice, as in law,

            for all and by all

                - and with no exceptions...

 

I pray for all those Lord, 

    who still wait a share

        in the freedom I presume
and I pray for us to work as one

    'til all are free to be and to become

        the people you created us to be...

       
Protect us, Lord, while we're awake
    and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

 
I Wish I Knew 

    How It Would Feel to Be Free

composed by Billy Taylor,

   sung by Leontyne Price

 

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I wish that I knew how it feels to be free
I wish I could break all the chains binding me.
I wish I could say all the things that I should say--
Say 'em loud, say 'em clear 

    for the whole world to hear.

 

I wish that I could share the love in my heart,
Remove all the bars that still keep us apart.
I wish you could know what it feels to be me.
Then you'd see and agree 

    every man should be free.

 

I wish I could give all I'm longin' to give.
I wish I could live like I'm longin' to live.
I wish I could do all the things I can do.
Though I'm way overdue 

    I'd be starting anew.

 

I wish that I knew how it feels to be free
I wish I could break all these chains binding me.
I wish I could say all the things that I should say

then I'd know, yes I'd know 

    how it feels to be free.

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In anticipation of Fathers Day

I'm posting this early for anyone who might like to share or forward this prayer...

Let us pray…

For all fathers,

   let us pray to the Lord…

For fathers 

   who had little or no opportunity 
      to know their own dad,

         let us pray to the Lord…

For our fathers who have died,

      let us pray to the Lord…

For fathers who grieve 
   the loss of their dad,

         let us pray to the Lord…

For fathers who are chronically 
   or terminally ill,

         let us pray to the Lord…

For fathers expecting 
   the birth of a child,

         let us pray to the Lord…

For fathers awaiting the arrival 
   of an adopted child,

      let us pray to the Lord…

For men who desire to be fathers,

   let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers 

   who see the sun rise and set
    in the eyes and smiles of their children,
       let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers in good relationships 

    with their children 

 and for those who aren't,

     let us pray to the Lord…

 

For fathers 

   who grew up without a dad,

      let us pray to the Lord…

For fathers 

   who have failed their children

      and who are trying to start again,

         let us pray to the Lord…

For fathers whose hearts break
   over the troubles their children face,
      let us pray to the Lord... 

For fathers of children
   who won't forgive their dad,
      let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers 
   who won't forgive their children,
      let us pray to the Lord... 

For fathers who will be forgotten
   or ignored on this Fathers Day,

      let us pray to the Lord..

For fathers who work multiple jobs 
   to provide for their families,

      let us pray to the Lord…

 

For families with one father

    or two fathers or no father,

        let us pray to the Lord...

For unemployed fathers,
   desperately looking for work,
      let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers whose sacrifices
   are unknown to their families,
      let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers unable to provide 
   what they work for and want 

      their children to have,

         let us pray to the Lord…

For every father mourning the loss 
   of a child he loved,

         let us pray to the Lord…

 

For fathers who are in prison

    and long to see their children,

        let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers who are single parents,

      let us pray to the Lord…

For divorced and separated fathers
   who miss their children,
      let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers estranged from or barred
   from seeing their children,
      let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers away in the military
   and for all those who serve

        in harm's way,
            let us pray to the Lord...

For fathers of sons and daughters 
   lost in war,

      let us pray to the Lord…

 

 For fathers who pray

    for a son or daughter in prison,
       let us pray to the Lord... 

 

For fathers of children 

    who've been abused  

       or have gone missing,

           let us pray to the Lord…

For grand- and great-grandfathers 
   who care for and tend 

      their children's children,

         let us pray to the Lord...

            

For teachers and coaches and mentors
   who've been "father" 

         to many young people,
              let us pray to the Lord... 

 

For priests, men we call “Father” 
   who have no children of their own,

      let us pray to the Lord…

For all fathers 

    in need of our prayers today,
        let us pray to the Lord...

God our Father,
   in your wisdom and love you made all things.
Bless our fathers, living and deceased.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their families,
   may love and honor them always
   with a spirit of profound respect.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

God our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. Bless our father. Let the example of his faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, his family, may honor him always with a spirit of profound respect. Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen. - See more at: http://www.imagecatholicbooks.com/fathers-day-prayer-from-catholic-household-blessings-and-prayers/#sthash.7GW9evfb.dpuf

God our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. Bless our father. Let the example of his faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, his family, may honor him always with a spirit of profound respect. Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen. - See more at: http://www.imagecatholicbooks.com/fathers-day-prayer-from-catholic-household-blessings-and-prayers/#sthash.7GW9evfb.dpuf

God our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. Bless our father. Let the example of his faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, his family, may honor him always with a spirit of profound respect. Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen. - See more at: http://www.imagecatholicbooks.com/fathers-day-prayer-from-catholic-household-blessings-and-prayers/#sthash.7GW9evfb.dpuf

And a little fatherly Fathers Day advice 

from a Father who has no children of his own...

• Dads, you can't too often tell your children 

     how much you love them…

• You can't too many times hug your children tight 
      and kiss them good night…

• There's no limit on how many times

      you can take each of your children, individually,

         for a walk, a talk, a ride or an ice cream cone…

• Call your children by name

      - and have special names for each of them…

• Be a father whose thoughts, words and deeds

      set a standard for his children 

          who may one day be parents themselves...

• If you have a boy, be sure he hears you call him son 
      in a way that lets him know 

        how happy and proud you are to be his dad…

• Every son, without even knowing it, 

      longs for his father's blessing 
          on who he is and on who he will become:

      find a thousand ways to give your son your blessing…

• A daughter learns how a man loves a woman

      through how her dad loves his wife and his girls:

         be the best of loving teachers 

            for the women in your life...

• Make sure your children know 

      that you're a man of faith

   who believes in the God 

      whom Jesus calls his Father…

• Pray with your children at home: 

        at table, at night before bed,

            when times are hard and when times are great…

• Pray with your children at church every Sunday

      so they'll know the place God holds in your heart…

• A father's relationship with his children

      is a great and untapped natural and spiritual resource:

         wisely conserve and generously share 

              the precious resource you are…

• Too many dads come to the end of their lives 

      wishing they'd done "more of this and less of that"
         with and for their children:

      take stock of all this now,

         before the time's too short…

• You can be sure that your children,

        in their heart of hearts,

   want you to be the dad that you, 

        in your heart of hearts, 
             want to be for them.

   So never hesitate, even for a moment,

        to be the father of your heart's desire...

Happy Father's Day!

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Praying on Juneteenth

 

By the power of your love, Lord,
help our nation overcome 
    the bias that divides us, 

    the pain that comes of prejudice
    the bigotry that mistrust breeds...

 

Let us not pretend to you love you

while we mistreat and ignore, 

abandon and neglect

    our brothers and our sisters,

    one in Christ our brother, 

    one family of one Father,            

    blessed by our diversity,

    all yours in our humanity...

In the depths of our hearts, Lord, 

help us overcome 

    our prejudice and bias,

    our racism and bigotry,

    our narrow-minded thinking

    and the many ways we judge

    all those we're called to love...

 

Help us, Lord, to overcome 

    our pride and self-importance,

    our torturing the truth, 

    our undeserved privilege

    and our careless disregard 

        for the plight of those who suffer...

 

And deliver us from thinking

    that no such faults are ours

and from foolishly believing

    that all now live as equals...

 

Help us move beyond the status quo

   that keeps us from real change;

and free us from inertia's grip

   on what must move ahead...

 

Help us overcome what separates, 

    divides and keeps apart,

what keeps us all from being 

    one nation indivisible   

    with liberty and justice

    for each, Lord, as for all...

 

Grant us holy freedom, Lord:

    to love our neighbors, one and all;

    to tear down walls of hatred;

    to welcome in the stranger;

    to let go of our fear;

    to discern and speak the truth...

 

Help us work 'til we accomplish

    what we've not yet done ourselves,

    what we can't do on our own,

    what we'll never do without your help,

        your blessing, strength and grace...

 

Amen. 

 

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Lift Every Voice and Sing  

    by James Weldon Johnson  

 

 

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