3.2.21 - Universal Prayer For Self Reflection

St. Joseph Health, Home Care Services

Good morning, fellow caregivers this is Liz Wessel and it is my honor to share in this time of reflective prayer with you in our little community of mutual support and caring. We all come with a wealth of experience and wisdom and diverse backgrounds. It is our diversity that adds to the richness and beauty of our lives. Being together in community and sharing in a few minutes of intentional prayer strengthens us. Our heartfelt intentions multiply and carry far and wide, rippling out in boundless ways, beyond our ever knowing to bless others in unforeseen ways. So, thank you for bringing your healing energies to this moment to heal others and to be healed in the process. Healing is what we do, each and every day, especially when we bring our wholeheartedness into whatever we are doing, in our family life and work life, regardless of the task at hand, when we approach our work in a conscious and intentional manner it opens us to the scaredness that exists in all things. So, let us settle in to a comfortable position and begin with a few with deep centering breaths. As you breathe in repeat to yourself, I am at peace, and with each out breath allow tension to release from your body, Breathing in…. Peace I receive, and on your next in breath, repeat, peace I offer. Ring the bell In the spirit of prayer offer your own prayer intentions in the silence of your hearts, for loved ones, for co-workers, for patients and families, for our wounded world and all of God’s creation. Pause… 5 seconds Our Value of Integrity: We pursue authenticity with humility and simplicity. Fr. Richard Rohr offers these thoughts on Lent, which is the religious observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that began on Feb 17th Ash Wednesday and ends the night before Easter. There are two moments that matter. One is when you know that your one and only life is valuable and alive. The other is when you know your life, as presently lived, is entirely pointless and empty. You need both of them to keep you going in the right direction. Lent is both. The first such moment gives you energy and joy by connecting you with your ultimate Source and Ground. The second gives you limits and boundaries, and a proper humility, so you keep seeking the Source and Ground and not just your small self. (Richard Rohr) And I’d like to share the wisdom is offered by Chief Yellow Lark of the Lakota Sioux Oh, Great Spirit, Whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to all the world. Hear me! I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever hold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Help me remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me. Help me find compassion without being overwhelmed. I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother or my sister, but to fight my greatest enemy: myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame. (Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark Richard Rohr invites us to spend some time this week contemplating the rhythm of your own life. Without judgment, reflect on how you spend your time, what you pay attention to, and where your energy goes. Does the rhythm of your life honor the relationships and values that are most important to you? Is there some degree of balance between work and rest, solitude and community? Be open to the movement of the Spirit. How might God be inviting you into greater freedom, integrity, and love through the rhythm of your daily life? This concludes our prayer for today. Be well and be blessed. Shared by Liz Wessel