Prepared by Carmel Little, CSJP
Reading:
We value the ministry of presence
as an important dimension
of the gospel of peace.
In the hope of continuing our tradition
of gracious hospitality,
we welcome others to our communities
and also try to be present to people
in their own situations. (Constitutions 18)
The Benediction Anthony de Mello
Wellsprings
Today I choose to pray for others.
But how shall I impart to them
the gift of peace and love
if my own heart is still unloving
and I have no peace of mind myself?
So I start with my heart;
I hold before the Lord
each feeling of resentment, anger, bitterness
that may still be lucking there,
asking that His grace
will make it yield to love someday
if not right now.
Then I seek peace:
I list the worries that disturb my peace of mind
and imagine that I place them in God's hands
in the hope that this will bring me respite from anxiety
at least during this time of prayer.
First I pray for people whom I love.
Over each of them I say a blessing:
"May you be safe from harm and evil,"
imagining that my words create
a protective shield of grace around them.
Then I move on to people I dislike
and people who dislike me,
Over each of them I say this prayer:
"May you and I be friends someday."
imaging some future scene
where this comes to pass.
I think of anxious people whom I know,
people who are in pain, and say:
"May you find peace and joy,"
imagining that my wish for them becomes reality.
I think of people who are handicapped,
people who are in pain, and say:
"May you find strength and courage."
imagining that my words unlease resources
within each of them.
I think of lonely people:
people lacking love
or separated from their loved ones,
and to each of them I say:
"May God's abiding company be yours."
I think of older people who,
with the passing of each day,
must face the reality of aproaching death,
and to each of them I say:
"May you find the grace to joyfully let go of life."
I think of the young and recite this prayer:
"May the promise of your youth be met'
and your life be fruitful."
Finally I say to each of the people I live with:
"May my contact with you be a grace for both of us."
I come back to my own heart now to rest awhile
in the silence that I find there
and in the loving feeling
that has come alive in me
as a consequence of my prayer for others.
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