Prayers for Earth Week - Celebrating God's Grace in Creation

Father, you have given us life on this earth and have met us with the race of redemption.  Bestow your greatest blessing on us, the fullness of eternal life. Amen. 

Almighty God, we give you thanks for bringing us safely to this evening hour.  May this lifting up of our hands in prayer be a sacrifice pleasing in your sight.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Lord, you are the source of unfailing light.  Give us true knowledge of your mercy so that we may renounce our pride and be filled with the riches of your house. Amen

You, O God, Majestic Creator, are the origin of all life.  Nothing can exclude itself from your creative influence.  You are wonderful in your words and in your sovereignty.  O Lord and King, Majestic Creator, you have made your mystery transparent in the world you have created.  May we worship you in your creation and in your providence. Amen.

God, King of all peoples and all ages, it is your victory we celebrate as we sing with all the skill at our command.  Help us always to overcome evil by good, that we may rejoice in your triumph forever.

God our Saviour, hear our morning prayer: help us to follow the light and live the truth.  In you we have been born again as sons and daughters of light: may we be your witnesses before all the world.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Father, you protect and strengthen those who hope in you; you heard the cry of your Son and kept him safe in your tent in the day of evil.  Grant that your servants who seek your face in times of trouble may see your goodness in the land of the living. Amen

Let us together praise the Lord, from whom we have rain from the heavens and abundance from the earth. Let us bless God, whose might has created the earth and whose providence has enriched it. God has given us the earth to cultivate, so that we may gather its fruits to sustain life. O God, from the very beginning of time you commanded the earth to bring forth vegetation and every fruit of every kind. You provide the sower with seed and give bread to eat. Grant, we pray, that this land, enriched by your bounty and cultivated by human hands, may be fertile with abundant crops. Then your people, enriched by the gifts of your goodness, will praise you unceasingly now and for all ages unending. Amen

Lord, watch over us by day and by night.  In the midst of life’s countless changes strengthen us with your never-changing love.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Lord, send your mercy and your truth to rescue us from our selfishness, and we will praise you among the peoples and proclaim you to the nations, happy to be known as companions of your Son. Amen

Father, the body of your risen Son is the temple not made by human hands and the defending wall of the new Jerusalem.  May this holy city, built of living stones, shine with spiritual radiance and witness to your greatness in the sight of all nations. Amen

We thank you, creator God, for the fruits of your creation. Keep us so mindful of its needs and those of all with whom we share, that open to your Spirit we may discern and practice all that makes for its wellbeing, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

All-powerful and ever-living God, at morning, noon, and evening we pray: cast our from our hearts the darkness of sin and bring us to the light of your truth, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

God our father, glorious in giving life, and even more glorious in restoring it, when his last night on earth came, your Son shed tears of blood, but dawn brought incomparable gladness.  Do not turn away from us, or we shall fall back into dust, but rather turn our mourning into joy by raising us up with Christ. Amen

Father, you illumine the night and bring the dawn to scatter darkness.  Let us pass this night in safety, free from Satan’s power, and rise when morning comes to give you thanks and praise.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Blessed are You, Lord God, Creator of all that lives! On the fifth and sixth days of creation you called forth every kind of fish in the sea and bird in the air, and all animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all creatures his brothers and sisters, for he saw in them a sign of Your fatherly care for us. Give us the grace to always do Your will and praise You for all of Your beauty in creation. Praised be You, Lord of all! Amen.

Father, he who knew no sin was made sin for us, to save us and restore us to your friendship.  Look upon our contrite heart and afflicted spirit and heal our troubled conscience, so that in the joy and strength of the holy Spirit we may proclaim your praise and glory before all the nations. Amen

With joy and gladness we cry out to you, Lord, and ask you: open our hearts to sing your praises and announce your goodness and truth. Amen

God our Father, you conquer the darkness of ignorance by the light of your Word.  Strengthen within our hearts the faith you have given us; let not temptation ever quench the fire that your love has kindled within us.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

We praise and thank You, Lord, for the gift of living water. Guide us to use it wisely, learn from its humility, consume it sparingly, and protect its purity, so that with St. Francis, we may truly enjoy water. Amen.

Prayers by Mother Teresa

Deliver me, O Jesus: From the desire of being esteemed From the desire of being loved From the desire of being honoured From the desire of being praised From the desire of being preferred to others From the desire of being consulted From the desire of being approved From the desire of being popular. Deliver me, O Jesus: From the fear of being humiliated From the fear of being despised From the fear of being rebuked From the fear of being slandered From the fear of being forgotten From the fear of being wronged From the fear of being treated unfairly From the fear of being suspected And, Jesus, grant me the grace To desire that others might be more loved than I That others might be more esteemed than I That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I decrease That others may be chosen and I set aside That others may be preferred to me in everything That others may become holier than I, provided that I, too, become as holy as I can. Amen. 

Heavenly Father, you have given us a model of life in the Holy Family of Nazareth. Help us, O loving Father to make our family another Nazareth where love, peace and joy reign. May it be deeply contemplative, intensely Eucharistic and vibrant with joy. Help us to stay together in joy and sorrow through family prayer. Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our family especially in their distressing disguise. May the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus make our hearts meek and humble like His and help us to carry out our family duties in a holy way. May we love one another as God loves each one of us more and more each day, and forgive each other's faults as You forgive our sins. Help us, O loving Father to take whatever You give and to give whatever You take with a big smile. Amen.

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and Joy. Amen

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole Return to being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. Amen.

Prayers for the Grace to Serve - Love one another as I have loved you

Loving God, help us become attentive to one another and to your Spirit present in each of us.  May we listen to one another with the same respect that the people of Israel gave to your messenger.   Amen.

Gracious God, we can hear the voice of God in the wisdom of one another, but we must listen.  May we listen and speak as God wills for us. This is the way of true wisdom.  Amen.

God of our light, You are the source of all truth.  Help us to speak the truth, remembering that we are part of the Body of Christ. Help us to forgive instead of turning to sarcasm, sniping, hateful words, or worse.  May 

we always keep before us as a prayer, “We are members of one another.”  Amen.

Loving God, you urge us to speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of the destitute.  Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.  May your words be a challenge to us as we come together.  Let us recall the rights of those who are not with us, especially people who are poor or powerless.  May our concern always be for the good of all your people.  Amen

God of Hope, help us learn to listen attentively.  Help us to remember these words from the Scriptures so that when we listen we will learn, and when we pay attention we will be planting the seeds of wisdom. Amen.

God of light, help us to choose words that we can all understand. May we communicate clearly so that we will all be wiser and better.  Strengthen us to share our stories and our experiences.   Amen.

Loving God, may we listen to your words, not only to those spoken in Scriptures but also to the words of truth and charity spoken by our sisters and brothers.  Give us ears to hear the prophet in one another. Amen.

God of our Journey, grant that our words may nourish the soul of one another.  May we all grow in wisdom and understanding.  All of us are of infinite value; may our words honour you, God, by their kindness, honesty and care. Bless us on our journey home. Amen. 

Loving God, help us to listen carefully.  Help us to have the humility to hold our tongue when we have nothing to contribute.  Aid us with the gifts of listening and speaking.  Amen.

Loving God, cleanse our heart of all that might make us cold, withdrawn, bitter, snide, sarcastic, or crude.  Instead, guide our words so that they provide encouragement and hope for one another. Amen.

God of all creation, You hear every desire of our heart. We ask you to give us the grace to keep in mind the words found in the Scriptures.  Help us be nourished by the words we share with one another.  Amen.

Loving God, create clean hearts and generous minds in us so that whatever comes from our mouth may be considerate, just and honest.  May we do our inner work so that our words will be filled with the Spirit of wisdom.  Give us the grace to love one another. Amen.

Healing God, open our ears.  Grant that we may hear your invitations to grace when they come through the Scriptures, nature, friendships, and every gathering of faith, such as this one.  Amen.

Faithful God, help us to use our voice for blessing, encouraging, reasoning, praising, and thanking.  May we always lift up your voice in joyful song to thank you for all your abundant gifts to us.  Amen.

Loving God, help us demonstrate your love every day.  Keep us strong and motivated to do good for everyone.  Help us love and serve one another, as Jesus showed us.  Amen.

Loving God, each of us is created in your image yet we are all unique.  May we learn to accept one another and give each other a chance to show who we are and what we are all about.   Amen.

Loving God, we thank you for all the gifts you have given to us.  May we always know that you are there and that we will not be given more than we can handle.  Amen.

Loving God, you have chosen us to help build your kingdom here on earth.  May we accept this call and respond by exercising prudence, understanding, and love.  Amen.

Loving God, may our words and actions reflect the gospel message.  May we always remain open to serving you through acts of love and compassion. Amen.

Loving God, life is often busy; filled with expectations and commitments.  May we always be willing to answer Jesus’ call to perform the spiritual works of mercy.  It is in taking time for others, that your love and your presence are made known to the world.  May your love inspire us to do this in your name.  Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis: Make me a channel of your peace

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

By: St. Francis of Assisi

Prayer for Justice: Show us what we have to do to make sure everyone has enough food

Lord Jesus, you showed concern for a large crowd of people when they followed you into a remote place and were hungry. You fed all the people with two fish and five loaves of bread. In our world, in our country, in our own community, many people live with hunger every day. Yet there is more than enough in out world to feed everyone. Help the nations of the earth learn to share, so that no one has to go hungry. Bless those who do not have enough to eat today. Show us what we have to do to make sure everyone has enough food. We pray through the intercession of the Holy Spirit and in your holy name. Amen