Liturgy

Lord Jesus Christ,
pierce our souls with your love that we may always long for you.
You, the bread of angels and the fulfillment of the soul’s deepest desires.

May our hearts always hunger and feed on what you provide,
so that our souls may be filled with sweetness in your presence.

May our souls thirst for you, the source of life, wisdom,
knowledge, light, and all the riches of God our Father.

May we always seek and find you, think about you, speak to you,
find rest in you and do everything for the honor and glory of your name.

Be always our hope, our peace, our refuge and help
in whom our hearts are rooted, now and forever.

In the name of the Father,
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

— St. Bonaventure, 13th century

Congregational Prayer

In prayer, let us confess to God as a community.

Father, we see the good things in the world and in your law,
and we hear your invitation to live life as it is meant to be lived.

Yet, we often ignore you and ignore the good things you would have us do.
Instead, we chase our own desires and satisfy our selfish appetites.
Father, we have sinned. In your mercy, forgive us.

We see Jesus in his life, tirelessly loving others,
pouring out himself for them, and ultimately giving up his life.

Yet, we are selfish with our time and energy,
failing to love our friends and family because we are too tired, too stressed, too preoccupied.
Jesus, we have sinned. In your mercy, forgive us.

You have given us your Spirit to comfort and guide us.
He speaks to our hearts and leads us to truth.

But we look for guidance everywhere else – turning to other people and to human
intellect instead of seeking your counsel, and ultimately we just do what we selfishly wish for ourselves.

Spirit of God, we have sinned. In your mercy, forgive us.

Help us, Father, to hear your voice.
May we be a people strengthened by your life and your teachings,
that all may see your grace reflected in our lives abundantly.

We pray to our God in community, holy in One. Amen.

Reflection

How can you engage the Spirit in living your daily routine?
What might be some unexpected things God is calling us to do?

Benediction

May the God of creation breathe on you,
May the God of all life sustain you and give you rest,
May the God of all gods grant you forgiveness.

Go into this season, knowing your life is being transformed by the triune God.

You are cleansed by the mercy of the Father.
You are surrounded by the love of Christ.
You are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.

[Photo by filippo minelli @ Flickr]