St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“Lord God, our light and our salvation, we praise You for Your gifts of life and faith...Help us to meet You in prayer, to walk in Your ways...We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen. (Extract from the introductory prayer to “Walk with Me. A Journey of Lenten prayer for 2021” Alive publishing)

I am truly sorry Lord, when I fail You,

When I disappoint, dismay or displease You.

I want to do better than this.

Please grant me the humility required.

To pray reflectively, introspectively,

Looking at things about me

Which I would much rather not see.

Thank You for the prayer we share.

“Prayer is the blessing of learning to be loved in a whole new way.” (From “Walk with Me”)

Please send Your Spirit to help me.

I have got to be completely honest,

And not sugar coat the failings,

Nor ponder what excuses I can offer.

I am troubled by entrenched patterns of failing,

I am asking for mercy.

I am sorry for looking after myself

When this has caused neglect of another.

“Charitable action is the blessing of solidarity with our poor brothers and sisters.” (From “Walk with Me”)

Where have I failed charitably?

Have I simply been too busy?

Am I pre-occupied with my ideas,

My aims, my goals, my way of doing things?

Have I failed to bring You my failures daily?

Is this because I do not look too closely?

Do I even now pick and mix my Lenten observance?

I am still failing, show me where Lord, please.

“Fasting requires the blessing of putting God and His people at the centre of our lives.” (From “Walk with Me”)

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2 v 10 NLT)

Please pray to use the season of Lent now in seeking to find where we spoil our righteousness.

Please pray in gratitude for the gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to pray in this way.

Please pray to lift up your soul to the Lord God and you will not be disappointed.

Please pray gratefully, knowing “Jesus and the ones He makes holy have the same Father.” (Hebrews 2 v 11 NLT) and we rejoice therefore.

Please pray to live out our commitment to Christ Jesus, particularly when forgiving love is called for.

Please pray that we all know, love and serve our Father better through the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit’s efforts meeting with success.

Please pray to be led by the Holy Spirit’s counsel, that our happiness is to be near God and reach heaven as our blessed destination, the outcome of salvation.

Please pray to never pay evil with evil, but to be aiming at the highest ideal of loving forgiveness.

Please pray to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

Please pray for all those with whom we do not live in peace.

Please pray for the light of Christ’s holiness to shine through the darkness of our sinfulness to extinguish this blight.

Please pray to venerate the † more fully.

Please pray for those who cannot forgive themselves.

Please pray for those who do not accept the forgiveness Christ Jesus won for us at the †.

Please pray for the grace to love as we have been loved.

Please pray for the loving patience to bear with the inconveniences and worse that evil causes now, so as to lay up the treasures of our eternal good in heaven. Amen.