Praying Each Day in May

[MajestyJo]

Let’s pray in silence for a moment
for all who are going through
great difficulties…

(pause… )

Let’s pray in silence
that we may be people
who support and encourage others…

(pause … )

Let’s think in silence for a moment
of two people
to set out to encourage today…

(pause…)

[MajestyJo]

In 1863, the “Football Association” was
founded, to set out clear rules for the
game and to distinguish it from rugby
football and other similar games. With
the foundation of the Football Association,
the game began to be called “association”
or “assoc”, giving the word “soccer”,
which at first was a slang word.

In May each year the Cup Final is held at
Wembley. After the First World War it
became a tradition for community singing
to take place at the Football Cup Final
at Wembley. King George V (the fifth)
suggested that a hymn be included, and
“Abide with me” was chosen. It is still sung
before the Cup Final every May.

The words were written by Henry Lyte
in the fishing village of Brixham in
Devon, where he had been the vicar
since the age of 30. His words are particularly
touching because he wrote them
whilst dying of T.B. - tuberculosis.

On the 4th September 1847 he said
goodbye to the congregation of his
church. He had been given early retirement
because of his chronic health. In
his last sermon he preached about the
time when two disciples were walking
along a road towards a village called
Emmaus. Jesus had been killed a few
days before, but now he joins them and
walks beside them. He is risen from the
dead. At last they recognise him and say
to him: “Stay with us. It is nearly evening.”

Henry Lyte took this theme and wrote
his hymn as he walked by the sea. He
heard the ebb and flow of the tide and,
for the last time there, he watched the
sun set. The following day he was to go
abroad on the advice of his doctor, who
had told him that in a drier climate he
might live a little longer.

And so he wrote “Abide with me” (meaning
“stay with me”), “it is fast becoming
evening.” As he wrote his words, Henry
Lyte also thought of his own life coming
to a swift end. No earthly helpers or comforts
could make much difference to him.

2 months later, on his way to sunny Italy,
he died in Nice, France. His last words
were “Peace, joy,” as he pointed his hand
towards the sky.

The words of his hymn we’ll make our
prayer today. We can use our imagination
and place ourselves on the seashore
as the sun is setting. We listen to the
words of his hymn as the prayer of this
sick man who knew he was at the
“evening” of his life, about to die from
tuberculosis - but at peace with himself:

Abide with me,
fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens,
Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail,
and comforts flee,
help of the helpless,
O abide with me.

Swift to its close
ebbs out life’s little day;
earth’s joys grow dim,
its glories pass away;
change and decay
in all around I see;
O thou who changest not,
abide with me.

I need thy presence
every passing hour;
what but thy grace
can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like thyself
my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine,
O abide with me.

I fear no foe with thee
at hand to bless;
ills have no weight
and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting?
Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still,
if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy Cross
before my closing eyes;
shine through the gloom,
and point me to the skies;
heaven’s morning breaks,
and earth’s vain shadows flee:
in life, in death,
O Lord, abide with me.

Parts of the first 2 verses are based on words
at the end of St Luke’s gospel, chapter 24. Two
disciples were disillusioned because Jesus had
been killed. As they walk along the road towards
Emmaus, just outside Jerusalem, Jesus himself
joins them and walks with them. At first they
don’t recognise him. “It is evening, and the day
is almost over,” they said to him. ”Come and
stay with us.”
✍ The words in the 4th verse - “Where is death’s
sting? Where, grave, thy victory?” - are a quote
from St Paul: 1 Cor 1555. This hymn is often
chosen to be sung at funerals.
✍ Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) also wrote the
words of the hymn, “Praise my soul, the king
of heaven”.
✍ Arthur Caiger had led community singing on
Armistice Day, 11/11/1918, and he also led the
community singing for the Cup Final, including
songs that were sung during the war.
✍ King George V was the grandfather of Queen
Elizabeth II.
✍ ‘Abide with me’ was the favourite hymn of the
Indian leader Ghandi, who was a Hindu. The
hymn is still played on India’s Republic Day,
as the sun goes down.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord, I ask for the gifts
of knowledge and wisdom
and understanding.
What I pray for
I intend to work at,
so that I may be someone
with an open mind,
a thirst for knowledge,
and a wisdom that makes good use
of my knowledge and experience.
I know that any gifts are useless
if I do not also have
love and concern for others,
and so I ask that you inspire me
to live in such a way
that I am caring and compassionate
and promote understanding
between people.
May others respect me, Lord,
as much as I respect them. Amen.



A prayer that keeps on giving. This Angel picture will change daily!

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
Lord, most of us
will not become well-known
or be written about
because of great achievements,
but we will be known and loved
for our attitude
and the smaller ordinary things
that we do
that make our part of the world
a better place.
Inspire us, Lord, each day,
to find joy in giving
as well as in receiving,
and lead us to act justly,
love tenderly,
and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

My True Father,
I set my hopes upon You alone,
And I only ask You, God,
For my Soul salvation.

Let Your Holy Will
Be my strengthening on this way,
For my life without You is a mere empty moment,
And only serving You leads to Eternal life.

Amen!

prayer for the soul - st. agapit of pechersk - 11th century

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord God,
I can think of some of the chemicals
my body is made of
and the way
the different cells of my body interact,
but I know how much more
a human being really is.
I pray that I may always appreciate
the wonder
of the human body, mind and spirit.
I pray for good health,
an enquiring mind,
and a spirit that seeks all that is good,
knowing that I will only
be fully at rest and in peace
as I live in your presence. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

‘Les Misérables’ is one of the world’s most
popular musicals. The Finale includes
these words:
“To love another person
is to touch the face of God.”

The first part of our prayer is based on a
prayer written by Victor Hugo, the author
of ‘Les Misérables’:

Let us pray:
We who weep come to you, Lord,
because you always
share our sorrow.
We who suffer come to you,
knowing that you cure.
We who are afraid come to you,
because you smile on us.
We share in your life
because you share ours
and so we know, God of love,
that “to love another person
is, indeed, to touch your face”.
May we live in your love forever.
Amen.



An alternative prayer:

Lord, may people be as ready
to give me a break, a chance,
and let me make a new start,
as I am ready
to be generous to others.
Forgive me my faults
in the same way
as I forgive and accept other people.
Amen.

Similar to the words quoted from the Finale
are these by the Roman philosopher, Seneca,
who wrote shortly before his death in 65 AD:
“No-one is so near God as the person who
shows kindness.” He was not a Christian.

✍ Victor Hugo (26/2/1802-22/5/1885) wrote to his
publisher in 1862. As the author of ‘Les
Misérables’, he wanted to know if the book was
successful and selling. He simply wrote “ ? “,
to which his publisher replied: “ ! “ He wrote
the book during his 15-year exile from France
on the Channel Island of Guernsey. Hugo also
wrote “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.

& Father, I place into your hands; If I am
lacking love; In you, my God; Oh the
love of my Lord.

[MajestyJo]

We bring before the Lord
those who have recently
been baptised or confirmed
- or who are about to be -
that they may be true to themselves
and may live their faith
in a genuine and credible way.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for our families and friends
that the power of the Holy Spirit
may be in our lives,
so that we may live fully with his gifts
of wisdom and understanding,
of knowledge and right judgement,
of courage and reverence,
and of wonder and awe
in God’s presence.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Let’s pray for those about to sit exams,
that nothing may prevent them
from doing as well as they deserve.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer

We pray for all in the mass media
- in TV, radio, films,
newspapers, advertising
and the Internet,
that they may be guided
by good principles
and the best motives.
We pray for wisdom ourselves
that, amidst the influences
and pressures around us,
we may make good decisions
and grow in wisdom and character
each day.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

This is an excerpt from the page of this date in
‘Praying Each Day of the Year’,
a 3-volume book
by Nicholas Hutchinson, FSC.



May all I say and all I think
be in harmony with Thee,
God within me, God beyond me,
Maker of the Trees.

north american indian - chinook

[MajestyJo]

One of life’s
great lessons is this: we’re never sure just
how things are going to turn out. We’ll
live a good life if our attitude is always
positive - determined to make the best
of all situations that come our way.


Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, you promised
to be with your people always,
and so we know that you are with us
in good times and bad.
Nothing that ever happens to us
can separate us from your love.
Help us always to be positive
in our attitude
that we may seek and find
the best in people and in situations,
and so draw good
out of all that happens to us.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray for God’s protection, using a
prayer of St Columba, written 1400 years
ago:

Be a bright flame before me, Lord.
Be a guiding star above me.
Be a smooth path below me.
Be a kindly shepherd behind me
- today, tonight, and forever. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

We’re going to listen to three one-sentence
quotes:

The American poet, Walt Whitman,
who died on this day in 1892, said:
“In the faces of men and women
I see God.”

The musical of ‘Les Misérables’ has these
words in its Finale:
“To love another person
is to touch the face of God.”

A Church document says that
“The human person
is the clearest reflection
of God among us.”

Let us pray:

Father, God of love,
as I come to recognise you
in the faces of those people
you have placed into my life,
I ask that I may grow
as the loving person
you call me to be. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

God our Father,
when times are difficult,
I ask for courage and determination.
When there is hostility between people,
lead me to see the best
in people and in situations,
and give me the gift of making peace.
Remove from me
whatever contradicts your love
that I may share more fully
the Good News of your love. Amen.

Come, come, follow me; Follow me;
God’s Spirit is in my heart; He who
would valiant be.

[MajestyJo]

On this day in 1982 Pope John Paul II
started his Visit to Great Britain. Later in
the day he met many sick and disabled
people and gave them the Sacrament of
the Sick. Only a year after being shot and
seriously wounded, he spoke to those
who were ill or disabled:

“I myself have had a share in suffering,
and I have known the physical weakness
that comes with injury and sickness. It is
precisely because I have experienced suffering
that I am able to affirm with evergreater
conviction that nothing at all can
ever separate us from the love of God.

“Dear friends, there is no force or power that
can block God’s love for you. Sickness and
suffering seem to contradict all that is worthy,
all that is desired. And yet no disease,
no injury, no infirmity can ever deprive you
of your dignity as children of God.

“We often find in the Gospels the loving
bond of affection between Jesus and the
sick or disabled. We believe in Christ’s healing
love, and we reaffirm that nothing will
separate us from that love. Surely Jesus
wishes to say: ‘Be clean; be healed; be
strong; be saved.’ “


Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, we read in the gospel
that you spoke individually
to many people and said:
“Be cured”; Lk 513
“Get up and walk”; Lk 524
“What do you want me to do for you?”
Mt 2032
“Of course I want to cure you: be healed”;
Mt 83
“Let what you want be done for you”;
Mt 929
“Receive your sight”; Lk 1842
“Receive back your hearing”; Mk 734
“Young man, arise”; Lk 715
“Go, your son will live”; Jn 450
“Go, your faith has saved you.” Mk 1052
Knowing that you are present
in our midst,
we ask you today
to touch each one of us individually
and bring us your healing
of body, mind and spirit. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

What really counts is the effort we put into
something to make it our own best. My
“success” and “achievement” can only be
measured against my own potential.

Let us pray:

Lord, I ask that you inspire me
always to do my best
- not comparing myself with others,
but only with myself.
Lead me, Lord,
to discover and use
my own talents to the full.
May I live in such a way
that I help others
to experience success.
Inspire me to be generous
in praising others
for the good use of their abilities
- looking not so much
at the degree of achievement
but at the effort put in. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

On his Visit to Britain in 1982, Pope John
Paul II spoke in Glasgow. The Pope said
that Jesus offers a new way of living:

“to be gentle, generous, simple,
and above all, sincere;
to avoid being arrogant,
fault-finding, or self-seeking.
The disciples of the new Kingdom
must seek happiness
even amidst poverty, deprivation,
tears and oppression.
To aim for the Kingdom
requires a radical change
in outlook, in mentality, in behaviour,
in relationships with others.

Jesus offers a new way of life…
He has a specific task in life
for each and every one of us.
Each of us is hand-picked,
called by name by Jesus.”

This is an excerpt from the page of this date in
‘Praying Each Day of the Year’,
a 3-volume book
by Nicholas Hutchinson, FSC.

Let us pray:
Lord Jesus,
you call us friends
and you call each one of us
by name.
May your Holy Spirit
be fully alive in us
that we may truly
appreciate and love ourselves,
and so more readily
value and serve others.
When we experience sorrow
or the loss of someone,
give us courage and support
that we may better encourage others
who share
the same kind of experience.
Lead us to act justly and fairly,
helping people
to see the best in one another,
so that those who have fallen out
may be reconciled and live in peace.
May we learn always
to be genuine and sincere,
avoiding arrogance
and doing others down,
treating other people
as the equals that they are.
Bless us when times are hard,
and walk with us
as the Good Shepherd
who leads and protects. Amen.