Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 3/7

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Today's Pause for Prayer requires two simple props: your own hands, open before you...  Your open hands provide an image for the three ancient exercises of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving...

Are your hands open? empty? palms up?  

Then let's pray...

 

My open, empty hands, Lord,

   gesture my surrender,
   my desire to receive

   what you offer me in prayer

   in your word and sacrament

and in all the grace and blessings

   of your Spirit and your presence:
my open praying hands 

      always open to your love...

 

My empty, open hands, Lord,

   remind me of my fasting,
   my giving something up for Lent,

   my counting as disposable

   what once I deemed required:

this all in hope of finding, 

   of feeding and fulfilling

   my deepest heart's desires...  

My open, empty hands, Lord,

   reaching out to help my neighbor
   and to serve the needs of others, 

   especially the poor,

   the homeless and the hungry,

my empty, ready, reaching hands,

   now emptied, finally free

to share from all I have, Lord,

    with those want is great...

 

Lent is a season, Lord, 

   for my hands to be:
      open in prayer,
      emptied by self-giving
      reaching out to offer help... 

Amen. 

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