Pope Francis’ intention for October
We pray for the church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a lifestyle at every level, and allow herself to be guided by the holy spirit towards the peripheries of the world.
Thanksgiving Prayer for Canadian Gifts
In this golden autumn air
we turn our hearts in thanksgiving to the many gifts
you have given us.
Beauty of cedar, hemlock and fir rising above the inland sea that
points up to the coastal range.
Beauty of prairie skies over yellow canola fields.
Beauty of stark jack pine on a Lake Superior headland.
Beauty of London's red maple avenues.
Beauty of snow geese flying south over La Pocatiere.
Beauty of lobster pots on a Maritime harbour.
Beauty of the deep fjord at Gros Morne.
We also confess our shortcomings as stewards of the gift:
When profit precedes respect for creation,
When greed strangles compassion,
When impatience outpaces grace,
When ambition overruns wisdom.
Let our thanks be infused with a deeper gratitude:
A deeper longing to draw closer to you,
A deeper trust in your ways,
A deeper commitment to justice,
A deeper courage to bring healing to this fractured time.
We pray to you, Lord of the harvest, that our hearts will be ever
more grateful for Your gifts.
Les Miller, Northern Light: A Canadian Prayer Book
(Toronto: Novalis, 2O2O), P. 33
Prayer for Life
The first and most important part of life’s prayer is thanksgiving, looking back in particular at the events of the past that have given you comfort.
What in the past period has given you joy, space, strength, courage, rest …?
Take a moment to let that look, that word, that image, that music, that gesture, that idea … return to your eyes or ears, to taste it in your heart…
This consolation, however small and insignificant it may seem, says something about how and where you experienced God.
These small details are more important than spectacular events. After all, the latter occur rarely, or never. On the other hand, our lives are full of ‘banal’ occurrences. If you learn to distinguish God’s presence in these events, then you are on a golden path that offers itself daily and continuously.
Excerpted from Living with Ignatius: On the Compass of Joy by Nikolaas Sintobin SJ (p.49)