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prayer | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 17

prayer | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 17

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Jan 01 2015
Love1

Prayer for a New Year

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Dear God,
On this day I ask You to grant this request.
May I know who I am and what I am,
Every moment of every day.
May I be a catalyst for light and love,
And bring inspiration to those whose eyes I meet.
May I have the strength to stand tall in the face of conflict,
And the courage to speak my voice, even when I’m scared.
May I have the humility to follow my heart,
And the passion to live my soul’s desires.
May I seek to know the highest truth
And dismiss the gravitational pull of my lower self.
May I embrace and love the totality of myself,
My darkness as well as my light.
May I be brave enough to hear my heart,
To let it soften so that I may gracefully
Choose faith over fear.
Today is my day to surrender anything that stands
Between the sacredness of my humanity and my divinity.
May I be drenched in my Holiness
And engulfed by Your love.
May all else melt away.
And so it is.

Composed by Debbie Ford

Dec 11 2014
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Fear Not, I Will Help You

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20130621_194225It’s been three weeks since my father passed away – and life hasn’t been the same. I’ve been riding an emotional roller coaster without a safety harness, and the journey has been very bumpy, to say the least.

Honestly, I am an emotional wreck! At one moment, I appear to be fine; but then suddenly, I am not. I cry quite frequently, and it often strikes without warning. It is very difficult to explain, and I cannot even tell you how, when, or why it happens. I can’t even define what triggers these emotional outbursts. It just happens at will.

And my mind is constantly moving in multiple directions at warp speed. I find it very difficult to sleep; and when sleep comes, it is a very light sleep at that. I worry. I’m trying to be there for my mother to help as much as I can. There are phone calls to make, financial decisions to be made, and on and on. There is just so much to do!

To be completely honest, I am filled with fear. I’m afraid of how my mother is taking all of this. I’m afraid of not being able to help her when she needs me the most. I’m afraid of letting her down in her time of sorrow and need. And, I’m afraid of living the rest of my life without my father near me. Read More

Nov 27 2014
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Thanksgiving Prayer

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Giving Thanks

thanksgiving dec

I give you thanks, Lord,
for my perfect arms
when so many have suffered mutilation.

For my perfect eyes
when so many cannot see.

For my voice that sings
when so many are reduced to silence.

For my hands that work
when so many beg.

O wondrous Lord,
to have a home, to return to it,
when there are so many brothers and sisters
who have nowhere to go.

To smile, to dream, to love,
when so many cry,
and so many hate each other.

Above all,
to have little to ask you for
and so much to thank you for.

~Catholic Relief Services (Nicaragua)

 

Photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/suckamc/4014605524/”>Martin Cathrae</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>

Nov 12 2014
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Here’s Your Sign!

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god signA few years back, I experienced one of the many “God moments” in my life as I was on my way to work. The day before, I was hearing some nasty rumors of major job layoffs coming at my office location. It sounded like it was going to be a bad one. So naturally, I began to worry. At the time, I was the “new guy” in the group, so my thinking was that I would surely be the first one to go. My sleep was restless that night, and from about 3 am on, I was wide awake thinking about this potential job loss.

The next day on my way to work, I was saying my morning prayers in the car, and I asked God to calm my mind. I prayed that I was able to trust in the Lord at all times and not to worry about things out of my control. Deep down I knew that God would take care of me and guide me – as He always does. But it sure would be nice to have a sign, just to be certain.

Due to traffic issues, I took a slightly different route than usual. There, I passed a church that had a sign out front that read, “Don’t Worry – It May Not Happen.” It was like getting hit in the head with a 2 x 4. God was giving me a sign. And I couldn’t help but to praise and thank Him for allowing me to see the light! (And no, I wasn’t let go from my job!)

Are you looking for a sign from God? Then pray that you remain open to seeing God in the every day moments of your life – and you too will see the light!

Nov 03 2014
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We Need to Go to the Outhouse!

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We took our eldest son out to dinner last night for his birthday. The restaurant that he chose had a Texas/western-style atmosphere, so you can probably imagine what the feel of the place was like. As we were being escorted to our table, I noticed a sign over the area where the restrooms were located that read “Outhouse.” I smiled to myself about this and instantly had a flashback to my mother’s side of the family who lived on a farm that had an outhouse in their yard, since they did not have indoor plumbing when I was young. And then, my mind took off in a completely different direction.

outhouseOn Sunday, we typically spend some quality time with the Lord at Mass. We gather around the Lord’s table to praise and thank God for the many blessings in our lives. We bring our sin-fullness that we accumulated during the week and ask for God’s forgiveness and ask that we are strengthened for the week to come. We sing and pray with our fellow parishioners as we gather to hear God’s word spoken to us and to move us. Basically, we are worshiping “inhouse” – or in God’s house. Then, we are sent out after Mass to go out into the world; to take what we had just heard and to spread the news to those whom we meet on a daily basis. We are to live the Gospel and to be Eucharist to others. We are to strive to imitate Jesus by loving our neighbors as ourselves, and to treat others with the respect and dignity that they deserve. We are to live “outhouse” and not keep Jesus to ourselves.

As this week begins, I challenge all of us to leave the comforts of the “inhouse” and take the good news of Jesus Christ to the “outhouse” so that all can experience the love that God has for each one of us.

Oct 09 2014
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Prayer Changes Us

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When we were much younger, our intercessory prayers were vibrant and almost imaginative. We prayed for our families, friends, pets, and for lots of presents. As we got older, we found ourselves praying for good grades, team victories, good weather, personal successes, for someone who was ill, meeting the right girl or guy, finding the right job, making the right decisions, and to be happy.

When our prayers were answered, life was good and so was God. But when our prayers were not answered, we floundered a bit. And sometimes we found ourselves doubting that the whole “prayer thing” even worked or that prayer could really change things. Read More

Oct 06 2014
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Prayer for Autumn Days

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autumnPrayer for Autumn Days

God of the seasons,
there is a time for everything;
there is a time for dying and a time for rising.
We need courage to enter into the transformation process.

God of autumn,
the trees are letting go of their green.
We too have our moments of change, insecurity and risk.
Help us to let go when we need to.

God of fallen leaves,
lying in colored patterns on the ground;
our lives have their own patterns.
May we see the patterns of our own growth and learn from them. Read More

Oct 03 2014
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Prayer for the Work of Our Hands

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Blessed are you, Lord God,
Creator of all that is good,
for in your mercy you give us work
that we may be co-creators with you.

With hands to fashion and form,
minds to imagine what has yet to be,
hearts to care for what we have made,
and a spirit to impart to our own creations,
we rejoice in the labor you give us.

By imitating you, our God and Maker,
we continue to shape the world,
to name it and claim it
and be good stewards of your good gifts
through the life-giving Spirit that renews the earth.

Keep us mindful of the power you share with us
that we may create only that which leads to peace.
May the work of our hands and our visions and dreams
collaborate with your good will,
which continues to build for us your kingdom on earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

~Diana Macalintal

Sep 18 2014
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Prayer of Spouses for Each Other

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Prayer of Spouses for Each Other

Lord Jesus, grant that my spouse and I may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony.

May we always bear with one another’s weaknesses and grow from each others strengths. Help us to forgive one another’s failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of one’s self.

May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to you through our love for each other. Let our love grown to perfection. Amen.