Book of Daily Prayer (41-45)

 41. ACCEPTED FOR WHO WE ARE

Lord Jesus, your apostle, Peter, awed by your goodness reacted: "Master, you had better leave me behind, I am a sinful man." Yet, you wanted him with you, and you had great things ahead for him. We must realize our need of you, and trust in you when you ask us to do some work in life. You taught us that we cannot be selfish and find happiness. We realize now that the way to live is to spend ourselves for others. You expect us to offer our help, even if it costs us time and effort. May we always wear your love as our armor and may your peace reign in our hearts for all time.

42. FUTURE AND LIFE

God,   

sometimes when I think about the future of the world we live in, I feel confused maybe even a little afraid. People think kids don't understand, but we do!

Drugs and murders, nuclear bombs, starving people ...they make the world

a sad and scary place.

But Jesus, you chose to live on earth and you knew how bad it could be.

(After all, they crucified you.)

Yet you came anyway; to show us that loving and being loved make the world OK and that believing in you makes life more than worth it. Jesus, help me to make the world a bit better, to reach out to help the poor the way you did, and to keep on loving and believing in you.

43. JUST LIKE ME

Jesus! They say You were a kid just like me. Did Mary ever yell at you to clean your room? Wash the dishes? Did Joseph get angry when you forgot to put away his tools? Did your teacher complain about your handwriting? Were your school papers sometimes wrong? Did friends ever not let you play? Pick on you sometimes? Were you ever late for school because you were fooling around with your friends along the way? Did you ever forget to come home on time because you were having so much fun?

So that's why you understand what it's like to be a kid like me!

44.     TODAY

My life is a gift of God given, not years but a day at a time. Today is the day the Lord has made for me, and he planned it to be the most important day of my life. Yesterday is gone, never to return. I must not worry about it, but leave it    in the hands of God.

Tomorrow and all that it holds is God's secret and its coming is not assured.

Only today is mine. Each day, arranged by God with infinite wisdom and goodness is his gift,     his act of love for me.

In thanksgiving I will offer him every day the gift of myself my prayers, works, joys and sufferings.

Please God, receive them graciously.

45. PRAYER FOR A MATURE FAITH

Lord, I wish to believe in You.

Let my faith be full and unreserved, and let it penetrate my thought, my way of judging Divine things and human things.

Let my faith be free. Let my faith be strong; let it not fear the difficulties or the problems of which the experience of our life, eager for light, is full; let it not fear the hostility of those who question it, attack it, reject it, deny it, but let it be strengthened in the intimate proof of Your truth; let it resist the attack of criticism.

Let my faith be joyful and give peace and gladness to my spirit, and dispose it for prayer with God and conversation with all.