Here’s a pastoral prayer inspired by the
Beatitudes. It was written by Ben G.,
and posted on ExtraORDOnary.
Pastoral Prayer
(inspired by Matthew 5:3-12)
Jesus
went up the mountain, sat before the crowd,
and
began to speak.
We
are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Richness
and fullness in wealth, in knowledge, in spirit do not draw us to heaven. May
we be filled with an emptiness and poverty that draws us ever closer to you.
May we bring an end to emptiness and poverty that leaves any one isolated and
without hope. Bless all with the kingdom of heaven. We are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Clinging
to existence we forget to live. Striving for long years we forsake years that
are long. May we release those to whoms’ memories, we cling. May we
acknowledge our sadness and loss. You are with those who have died, be with all
those who mourn, make us the instruments of your comfort. We are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Longing
for power, surety, and the status quo we create systems of privilege, false
normals, and stagnation. May we cease to seek privilege and instead long for
the dignity of all. May we cease to seek surety and instead long for growth.
May we give up stagnation and embrace humility. Make us see the common humanity
of all who live on this earth. We are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Striving
for satiation we surround ourselves with false comforts; in trying to be right
we ignore the pain of others. Make us aware of the troubles and concerns around
us, take away our security so that we might share that discomfort, bring us to
hunger and thirst for righteousness so that everyone may be filled in truth. We
are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Anger
fills us with a need for vengeance and harsh justice; we seek to lessen our
pain by inflicting pain upon others. May we acknowledge our anger but not be
held by it. May we seek justice for the wrongs done against us but not be
defined by them. Give us the gift to be merciful with ourselves and merciful
with others so that all may receive mercy. We are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Refusing
to look inward we carry emotional baggage, we leave parts of ourselves in
shadow and darkness, we maintain ingrained habits and reactions. May we
acknowledge our immaturity and a need to grow to more full and complete
individuals. May we bring light into our inner darkness. Give us pure hearts oh
God, so that we might see your face. We are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Destruction,
not creation, becomes the all too easy answer for conflict. May we elect and
maintain governments that seek not a cessation of violence but the creation
that is the true opposite of war. May we recognize that creating cultures of
peace is as much the cumulative action of our day to day lives as it is the
acts of those in power. God grant that we might always strive for peace, that
we might be called the children of God. We are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Limited
as we are it is impossible to know and understand you fully. May we strive to
discern when we are being persecuted for witnessing your truth and when we are
being critiqued to know you more fully. May we never claim persecution in order
to avoid necessary change. Grant that any adversity we face may bring us only
closer to the truth of your kingdom. We are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
Christians
throughout the world seek to walk the path that Jesus set for us. May we never
walk the easy path of complacency. May we ever seek to speak your truth. May we
never stop on the account of social stigma. May we ever seek to die to the
world and live in Christ Crucified. Grant that we will continue to walk the way
of the prophets and saints of old. We are the crowd.
May we listen, learn,
and do.
~
written by Ben G., and posted on ExtraORDOnary.
http://extraordonary.blogspot.ca/2013/04/prayers-of-people-based-on-beatitudes.html
