PRAYER 1

In the whole world, Christ suffers dismemberment. . .
His Mystical Body is drawn and quartered from age to age . . .
As long as we are on earth the love that unites us
will bring us suffering by our very contact with one another,
because this love is the resetting of a Body of broken bones.
								Thomas Merton

PRAYER 2

May God support us all the day long,
till the shades lengthen, and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then in eternal mercy may God give us a safe lodging,
and a holy rest, and peace at the last.

				from John Henry Cardinal Newman

PRAYER 3

We trust that beyond the absence:  there is a presence.

That beyond the pain:  there can be healing.

That beyond the brokenness:  there can be wholeness.

That beyond the anger:  there may be peace.

That beyond the hurting:  there may be forgiveness.

That beyond the silence:  there may be the word.

That through the word:  there may be understanding.

That through understanding:  there is love.

					Julia Emily Louisa Peebles

PRAYER 4
i stand alone
the immensity of vulnerability
surrounding me as fog or mist,
through which i walk in
unknowing, cautious steps.
the decisions of my life before me,
within me.

i travel to that inner well
seeking understanding of the outer water.
buckets are most helpful here
to fetch that life.
deeply i dip, wait for the filling time,
then pull.
up, up, up, careful not to spill 
too precious, too precious.
and then, before i drink, i gaze,
looking for reflection.

what does this earth stuff say to me
of waiting
of connectedness
of life.
it too is vulnerable to my hand
as through my fingers it flows.
shall it be for nurturing
or destruction?
to warm rain or flood?
to life or death?
to love or to hate?
i cannot help but wonder
how similar the life within me is
to this water.

through my hands run the memories
of pain and joy,
acceptance and isolation, fear and comfort.
there is no telling one from the other
as from my hand they pour.
i know that to know life is to know both.
to know life is to embrace
the fragility and the strength.
and i embrace.

i take the bucket
and pour water over me,
head, shoulders, body, arms, legs, feet,
echoing

let life bathe me
let life bathe me
				           let life bathe me          Annette Marie Johnson, SSND
PRAYER 5

Spirit of God,
you are the life-giving Spirit who sets us free.

You are both promise and uncertainty,
poverty and hope,
comfort and challenge.

Inspire us with tolerance,
understanding and appreciation
of our differences.

Waken in us a spirit of joy
that we may celebrate our unity
without requiring uniformity from each other.

Make us whole together,
help us to remember
that you have created each of us in your image,
and that you are our Mother and Father,
our sister and brother,
our friend.

Amen.

PRAYER 6

We praise you, O God, for your many good gifts to us:
	For life,
	For the beauty and bounty of your world,
	For the infinite variety of your human family.
	For the gift of human companionship by which our lives are 
		linked in common aspiration. 
	We celebrate your Spirit poured out on us in every endeavour of
		our lives 
							(From Women Pray)

PRAYER 7

God of peace, in this world so full of conflict, help us to learn from you how to strive for what is important without turning to violence.  Teach all nations to turn to the ways of justice and peace, that the many peoples of this world may live as one family on earth.  Amen.
							(From Touch Holiness)