January The Thirty-First

O LORD God, the Life of mortals, the Light of the faithful, the Strength of those who labor, the Repose of the dead, grant us a tranquil night, free from all disturbances; that, after an interval of quiet sleep, we may, by Thy bounty, at the return of light be endued with activity from the Holy Spirit, and enabled in security to render thanks to Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord - Amen.

- MOZARABIC, Before A.D. 700

January The Thirtieth

IT is morning, Senlin says, and in the morning
Should I not pause in the light to remember god?
Upright and firm I stand on a star unstable.
He is immense and lonely as a cloud.
I will dedicate this moment before my mirror
To him alone, for him I will comb my hair.
Accept these humble offerings, cloud of silence!
I will thik of you as I descend the stair.

Vine leaves tap my window,
The snail-track shines on the stones,
Dew drops flash from the chinaberry tree
Repeating two clear tones.

- Conrad Aiken, "Morning Song of Senlin"

January The Twenty-Ninth

TODAY, a humble request of the Universe.
A modest request for a baby.
A baby for a special couple our family holds
Always in their hearts.
A personal request that this couple,
Two people who love each other very much
And want to complete their lives,
Either be granted their own child
Or be able to adopt one
Who will flourish in their care and tender love.
Mother, we ask;
Father, we ask.
Blessed be.

- by the blog author

January The Twenty-Eighth

"WITH all my heart,
I seek guidance
for my soul,
to do the right thing,
find the right path,
in truth, love and light."

January The Twenty-Seventh

SHELTER those without a warm home tonight.
Find them a place with caring strangers
Or friends with more than enough to share.
Give us the opportunity to make our
Thoughtfulness known.
Let us be strong enough to make a difference.
Let us be brave enough to step forward.
Let us be sensible enough to know our limits.
Watch over your servants tonight,
Watch over your poor ones, your elderly, your weak, your sick.
Give us courage to face the days ahead
And make us responsible for our decisions.

By the blog author

January The Twenty-Sixth

"WE are created from and with the world
To suffer with and from it day by day:
Whether we meet in a majestic world
Of solid measurements or a dream world
Of swans and gold, we are required to love
All homeless objects that require a world.
Our claim to own our bodies and our world
Is our catastrophe. What can we know
But panic and caprice until we know
Our dreadful appetite demands a world
Whose order, origin, and purpose will
Be fluent satisfaction of our will?"

- w.h. auden

January The Twenty-Fifth

The Blessing

WE have an old family blessing: "Whomsoever is still awake at the end of a night of stories, will surely become the wisest person in the world."
So may it be for you.
So may it be for us all.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

"…One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires ... causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these — to be fierce and to show mercy toward others, both – are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do. ..."

January The Twenty-Fourth

Hindu Prayer for Peace

OH GOD,
Lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on Earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all
and may that peace come to me also.

January The Twenty-Third

O LORD, Thou Lover of souls, open our eyes to see Thy love for us. Grant that we may face all difficult and lonely places in our lives, strong in the knowledge of that love. May the divine fire of Thy understanding, inspiring, unweariable love enkindle our hearts, till every detail of our daily lives shall be so warmed and gladdened thereby that it may become the work of our lives to obey Thee, and the joy of our souls to please Thee. - Amen.

LH.M. SOULSBY

January The Twenty-Second

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, without Whose help labor is useless, without Whose light search is vain, invigorate my studies, and direct my inquiries, that I may, by due diligence and right discernment, establish myself and others in Thy holy faith. Take not, O Lord, Thy Holy Spirit from me; let not evil thoughts have dominion in my mind. Let me not linger in ignorance, but enlighten and support me, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord - Amen.

- by SAMUEL JOHNSON

January The Twenty-First

EVERYWHERE people gather, let them come together in the full spirit of brotherhood and higher purpose.
I am living the possibility of joy.
I am living the possibility of enrichment.
I am moving toward the possibility of having my soul's desire.
I am gaining enlightenment on my best life.
I am helping others see what is possible in their lives.
Joy is contagious, love is contagious, possibility is endless.
- by the blog author

January The Twentieth

TODAY we feel change, we feel hope, we feel progress.
We take on big challenges. We give up old notions
Of what we were once "owed"
And how we thought the future would look.
Today Barack Obama stepped into his place in history
As the 44th president of these United States of America.
Grant him the strength, the health, the forbearance
The coming days will require.
Give him the people he needs, to surround himself
With knowledge, wisdom, courage and truthfulness.
Give all of us the strength it will take
To accept change, since it always involves work,
And growth and uncertainty.
We can and must change with our president
And become leaders again in our world
To project an image of hope
And an example of what freedom can achieve.
- by the blog author

January The Nineteenth

An Affirmation Based on the Writings of Dr. King

I refuse to believe that we are unable to influence the events which surround us.
I refuse to believe that we are so bound to racism and war, that peace, brotherhood and sisterhood are not possible.
I believe there is an urgent need for people to overcome oppression and violence, without resorting to violence and oppression.
I believe that we need to discover a way to live together in peace, a way which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of this way is love.
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. I believe that right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.
I believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.
I believe that what self-centered people have torn down, other-centered people can build up.
By the goodness of God at work within people, I believe that brokenness can be healed. "And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and everyone will sit under their own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid."

From the Web site of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
http://www.pcusa.org/peacemaking/worship/worship.htm#mlk

January The Eighteenth

O Master and holy God, who are beyond our understanding:
at your word, light came forth out of darkness.
In your mercy, you gave us rest through night-long sleep,
and raised us up to glorify your goodness and to offer our supplication to You.
Now, in your own tender love, accept us who adore You and give thanks to You with all our heart.
Grant us all our requests, if they lead to salvation; give us the grace of manifesting that we are children of light and day, and heirs to your eternal reward.
In the abundance of your mercies, O Lord, remember all your people;
all those present who pray with us; all our brethren on land, at sea, or in the air,
in every place of Your domain, who call upon your love for mankind.
Upon all, pour down your great mercy, that we, saved in body and in soul, may persevere unfailingly; and that, in our confidence, we may extol your exalted and blessed Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, always, now and forever. Amen.

January The Seventeeth

O God, Thou art Life, Wisdom, Truth, Bounty, and Blessedness, the Eternal, the only true Good! My God and my Lord, Thou art my hope and my heart's joy. I confess, with thanksgiving, that Thou hast made me in Thine image, that I may direct all my thoughts to Thee, and love Thee. Lord, make me to know Thee aright, that I may more and more love, and enjoy, and possess Thee. And since, in the life here below, I cannot fully attain this blessedness, let it at least grow in me day by day, until it all be fulfilled at last in the life to come. Here be the knowledge of Thee increased, and there let it be perfected. Here let my love to Thee grow, and there let it ripen; that my joy being here great in hope, may there in fruition be made perfect - Amen.
ST. ANSELM (1033-1109)

January The Sixteenth

Metta Karuna Prayer

Oneness of Life and Light,
Entrusting in your Great Compassion,
May you shed the foolishness in myself,
Transforming me into a conduit of Love.
May I be a medicine for the sick and weary,
Nursing their afflictions until they are cured;
May I become food and drink,
During time of famine,
May I protect the helpless and the poor,
May I be a lamp
For those who need your Light,
May I be a bed for those who need rest,
and guide all seekers to the Other Shore.
May all find happiness through my actions,
and let no one suffer because of me.
Whether they love or hate me,
Whether they hurt or wrong me,
May they all realize true entrusting,
Through Other Power,
and realize Supreme Nirvana.
Namo Amida Buddha

- A prayer adapted from Shatideva's 8th century Indian prayer.

January The Fifteenth

ADON OLAM - Master Of The World

Adon Olam (Master of the World) is a very old poem that is recited by Jews every day at the beginning of Shacharis, the morning prayers. Most authorities attribute it to Rabbi Shlomo ibn Gabirol, the great poet of 11th century Spain. The poem is recited before Shacharis to recall the memory of Avraham, who was the first to call HaShem "Adoni" - "My Master" and who instituted the Shacharis prayers.

The Poem
Master of the World who was king, before any form was created.
At the time when He made all through His will, then His name was called "King."
And after all is gone, He, the Awesome One, will reign alone.
And He was, and He is, and He will be in splendor.
And He is One, and there is no second, to compare to Him or be His equal.
Without beginning, without end, to Him is the power and rulership.
He is my G-d, my living Redeemer, and the Rock of my fate in times of distress.
He is my banner and He is a refuge for me, my portion on the day I cry out,
In His hand I entrust my spirit, when I sleep and when I wake.
And my soul shall remain with my body, HaShem is with me and I am not afraid.

- Jewish prayer at beginning of morning prayers

January The Fourteenth

The Charge of the Goddess

Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess;
The dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven,
Whose body encircles the universe.

I who am the beauty of the green earth, the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters I call unto your souls;
Arise, and come unto me.
For I am the soul of Nature who gives life to the universe.

From Me all things proceed, and unto Me all things must return.
Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.
Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.

And you who seek to know Me, know that all your seeking and yearning will avail you not;
For if that which you seek you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.
For behold, I have been with you from the beginning;
and I am that which is attained at the end of all desire.

- from Doreen Valiente's "Charge of the Goddess"
A Wiccan prayer/meditation

January The Thirteenth

The Walk Home

AS one grows older and Caesar, Hitler,
Lear, and the salesman are bundled off one by one,
It is hard to sustain discomposure. The files thicken.
'Leaves,' says the poet, 'grass, and birds of the field,'
Conjuring up a glass and a good book
On some green hill
Where nobody bears or cares more than old care will.

Who's in, who's out - such words harden
In bronze or plastic; pipes and slippers
Move to their destined places, swords to theirs;
And one walking home at dusk with the evening paper
Thinks with erosive irreverence that perhaps
He should let his subscription to that sheet lapse.

What, then, would the world do? As swords clased
Under the sun, and Prince Hall and Sir Winston
Triumphed on all continents, would then the word
Sweep the ranks that one watching watched no longer?
As he closed his eyes to all but his own thin theme,
Would the world then oblige, age and dream his dream?

Dreams. Dream. And still dream. And leave not a wrack.
As one grows older
Plato's, Bottom's and all such country rouses
Thicken the files with the rest;
And walking home at dusk with the sages, age
Thinks no more than age must always think: -
The world doesn't oblige, and old pipes stink.

- REED WHITTEMORE

January the Twelfth

O GOD, I know not what a day may bring forth. In perfect confidence I would place my hand in Thine and follow Thee this day, whether Thou leadest me to joy or sorrow, pleasure or pain, success or failure. I know not what is good for me. Thou knowest.
My deepest desire is to love what Thou lovest, and will what Thou willest.
Hear my prayer for Jesus Christ my Redeemer's sake. - Amen.

- Samuel McComb, Belfast, Ireland pastor

January The Eleventh

TODAY let us endeavor to become someone others look upon with admiration -
Striving always to be kind, just, rational, generous and dependable.
Let us relax our judgments and put ourselves in another's place
To see their side of an argument or thought.
But let us stay true to our hearts,
Remembering that sometimes, what is best for the world,
Is what we've always known:
That the real god is in all of us, reflected in the people around us.
The best in them and the worst in them
Is also in us.
Let us lend a hand, to reach out and help
When we can, comfort when we must.
- by the blog author

January The Tenth

WATCH O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give Your angels and saints charge over those who sleep.

Tend Your sick ones, O Lord Christ. Rest Your weary ones. Bless Your dying ones. Soothe Your suffering ones. Shield Your joyous ones, and all for Your love's sake. Amen.

From "The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime," by Phyllis Tickle. The prayers in this book, and her other books, make primary use from The Book of Common Prayer and is a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible from which it draws scripture. The book provides fixed-hour prayers.

January The Ninth

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, in whom we live and move and have our being, to whose tender compassion we owe our safety in days past, together with all the comforts of this present life, and the hopes of that which is to come; we praise Thee, O God, our Creator; unto Thee do we give thanks, O God, our exceeding Joy, who daily pourest Thy benefits upon us. Grant, we beseech Thee, that Jesus our Lord, the Hope of glory, may be formed in us, in all humility, meekness, patience, contentedness, and absolute surrender of our souls and bodies to Thy holy will and pleasure. Leave us not, nor forsake us, O Father, but conduct us safe through all changes of our condition here, in an unchangeable love to Thee, and in holy tranquility of mind in Thy love to us, till we come to dwell with Thee, and rejoice in Thee for ever - Amen.
- by SYMON PATRICK (1626-1707)

January The Eighth

Native American Prayer

OH, Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me, I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold
the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have
made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the things
you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have
hidden in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my Spirit may come to you without shame.


(translated by Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark in 1887)
published in Native American Prayers - by the Episcopal Church.

January The Seventh

WE beseech Thee, Lord, to behold us with favor, folk of many families and nations gathered together in the peace of this roof, weak men and women subsisting under the covers of Thy patience. Be patient still; suffer us yet a while longer - with our broken purposes of good, with our idle endeavors against evil, suffer us a while longer to endure and (if it may be) help us to do better. Bless to us our extraordinary mercies; if the day come when these must be taken, brace us to play the man under affliction. Be with our friends, be with ourselves. Go with each of us to rest; if any awake, temper to them the dark hours of watching; and when the day returns, return to us, our sun and comforter, and call us up with morning faces and with morning hearts - eager to labor - eager to be happy, if happiness shall be our portion - and, if the day be marked for sorrow, strong to endure it - Amen.
Robert Louis Stevenson

January The Sixth

A Pastoral Prayer - Martin Luther King Jr. (1956)

O God, our Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this golden privilege to worship thee, the only true God of the universe.

We come to thee today, grateful that thou has kept us through the long night of the past and ushered us into the challenge of the present and the bright hope of the future. We are mindful, O God, that man cannot save himself, for man is not the measure of things and humanity is not God. Bound by our chains of sins and finiteness, we know we need a Savior.

We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man. We are in nature, but we live above nature. Help us never to let anybody or any condition pull us so slow as to cause us to hate. Give us strength to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us. We thank thee for thy Church, founded upon thy Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, but to go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon thee.

Then finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity. Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace, help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, Yellow will rejoice in one common band of humanity in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God. We pray. Amen.

January The Fifth

MUSLIM PRAYER
for Peace

IN the name of Allah,
the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the
Universe who has created us and
made us into tribes and nations,
That we may know each other, not that
we may despise each other.
If the enemy inches towards peace, do
thou also incline towards peace, and
trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God.
Most Gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say "PEACE."

The single most important belief in Islam, and arguably the central theme of Islam, is that there is only one God. The name of God is Allah, which is simply Arabic for "the (al) God (Ilah)." The term is related to Elohim, the Hebrew word for God.

January The Fourth

Jewish Prayer for Peace

Come let us go up the mountain of
the Lord, that we may walk the
paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,
and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation -
Neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the
Lord of Hosts has spoken. - the Torah

There are very few core Jewish beliefs. In essence, the Jewish people believe in one God who created the world and gave them a Torah. Torah means "instructions" and is often referred to as Toras Chaim, which means "instructions for living."

January The Third

LET the goal of peace and unity bring us together as people of wisdom who strive to make the best world possible for everyone.
Let the goal of happiness allow us to put what is best for everyone ahead of what is best for ourselves.
Let the goal of kindness allow us to ensure our neighbors have enough to eat and a warm place to sleep.
May our goal of success be measured in many years of a peaceful world filled with those who have benefited from our work, kindness, self-sacrifice and happiness. - by the blog author

The meditative mind, when focused on what we want to believe and want to happen, is believed by many religions and individuals to be capable of changing our world and the greater world.

January The Second

Prayer for Peace
Adorable Presence!
Thou who art within and without, above and below and all around;
Thou who art interpenetrating the very cells of our being -
Thou who art the Eye of our eyes, the Ear of our ears,
the Heart of our hearts, the Mind of our minds,
the Breath of our breaths, the Life of our lives,
and the Soul of our souls.

Bless us Dear God, to be aware of Thy Presence
Now and Here.
This is all that we ask of Thee:
May all be aware of Thy Presence in the East and the West,
and the North and the South.
May Peace and Goodwill abide among
individuals as well as among
communities and nations.

This is our Earnest Prayer.
May Peace be Unto All
Om Shanti! Peace! Shalom! - Swami Omkar.
Special peace prayer offered for the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions (India)

January the First

ETERNAL God, who makest all things new, and abidest for ever the same, grant us to commence this year in Thy faith, and to continue it in Thy favor, that, being guided in all our doings, and guarded all our days, we may spend our lives in Thy service, and finally, by Thy grace, attain the glory of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Amen.
DIVINE SERVICE

The term "Divine Service" is somewhat unique to Lutheranism, and it reflects the theology of justification held by Lutherans. The term comes from the German word Gottesdiest (God service), and is significant because it reflects the Lutheran belief that the main actor in the Divine Service is God himself and not man. The connotation of the term is that the Word and Sacrament (the two parts of the Divine Service) are gifts that God gives to his people, and therefore Lutherans emphasize God's work rather than that of man. - Wikipedia