Prayer of the Week

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own.

Luke 6:41

I never read this passage without feeling that it was written precisely for me. My core sins, I'm sorry to say, have changed very little throughout my life. I am arrogant.  I am critical.  I am ungrateful.  I am small.  Sure, the particulars change a little.  Those sins express themselves differently one day to the next.  Still, those are my greatest faults in a nutshell.  Sometimes they seems to sound around me like variations of a terrible theme. They are the beam in my eye that I somehow overlook to find fault with everyone around me.

Maybe someday God will relieve me of my sins.  Maybe someday humility and generosity and gratitude will pour forth from me like water.  More likely, I will labor for the rest of my life.  I suppose that is what discipleship is - not being perfect, but striving to become better than we are, today and again tomorrow and all the days after that.  Jesus Christ overcame sin for us. Maybe our job is to keep overcoming our own particular sins, as many times as it takes.

Lord God, help me overcome my sins.

Karla Manternach

Number Our Days Aright

Teach us to number our days aright
that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Psalm 90:12

We will find wisdom, the psalm says, if we count our days correctly.
I decided to follow the Psalm's advice.  This is a fitting time
to total up the days that I have been privileged to possess,
since this week I celebrate my birthday.

I did the math and discovered that, as of today, I have lived 27,277days.
Some of these are clearly etched in my memory
but most days have lost their individuality and are now remembered
only as time gone by. Counting my days has made me
much more appreciative of each new day as precious gift.
That is the wisdom, no doubt, which the psalmist promises.
I know the current number is far into the second half of life,
but I don't know the final count. However, Psalm 90 says
we are given 70 years of life and 80 if we are strong.
Wisdom advises me to fill each day with good works,
prayer and kindness and to place all the days of my life
in the hands of God who controls all time and eternity.

Thank you God, for all the days of life.

Fr. James McCarns

Prayer for Economic Security

Lord, you are the rock of our lives, the source of all true stability.
Grant that your people might find their security in you first of all.
Help them find meaningful employment during their working years
and a measure of comfort in their retirement. Help us all to learn
to live within our means so that we can help those in our neighborhood
and across the globe who have less than we do.

Replace the fear in our hearts with gratitude,
and give us confidence in your providence.
May we hope in the future and in blessings and opportunities of today.

Amen.

—Mark Neilsen