Week 3 | Prayers, Practices, and Meditations for LGBTQ+ Christians and Allies
Week 3, Day 1
It is not unusual to feel angry in times of great turmoil. Perhaps you feel angry at politicians and politics or angry at the pervasive sickness and suffering in the world. Maybe you’re angry at God.
Read the following prayer and examine your emotions. Where is there discord in you? Give yourself permission to be angry. If you are able to extend forgiveness to those with whom you are angry, do so. Give yourself grace if, for today, you cannot.
A Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Week 3, Day 2
Crisis upends our lives in grievous ways. It is likely you have experienced great disappointment in the past weeks; A postponed wedding, a cancelled trip or maybe a job loss. You might have even experienced the tragedy of a funeral.
Read the following text from The Book of Common Prayer. Give yourself permission today to grieve what has been lost during this time. Step outside and take a walk. Walk slowly and meditate on any feelings of grief that come to the surface. Be gentle with yourself today.
Adapted from The Book of Common Prayer
Do not hurry as you walk with grief
It does not help the journey
Walk slowly, pausing often
Do not hurry as you walk with grief
Be not disturbed by memories that come unbidden.
Swiftly forgive, and let God speak for you unspoken words
Unfinished conversations will be resolved in Them.
Be not disturbed.
Be gentle with the one who walks with grief.
If it is you, be gentle with yourself.
Swiftly forgive; walk slowly, pausing often.
Take time; be gentle as you walk with grief.
Week 3, Day 3
It is easy to feel untethered when so much is uncertain. We may feel like we are floating, looking down and watching ourselves operate in the world on auto-pilot. This season may feel like an out of body experience.
To ground ourselves today, read the following prayer by Laura Beth Buchlieter. If you have prayer beads, use them as you pray. If not, hold something in your hands like a book or an item that is meaningful to you. Notice the weight and texture of the item in your palms as you pray. Acknowledge your presence in the room, slowly moving your attention to your presence in your own body. Rest here as long as you need.
A Prayer with Prayer Beads by Laura Beth Buchleiter
In the name of God, the Creator, Jesus, the Christ, and Great Spirit, guide and comforter…
From the world above and around me,
From the eye that sees within me,
From the voice I hear and with which I speak,
From the heart that beats life through me,
From the floor that holds my breath,
From the core where love of self and pleasure in life reside
To the Glory of God, in the Peace of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May the concern of my faith be pure, may hope set my thoughts right, and may love reflect all around me.
To the Glory of God, in the Peace of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit
May my body love my soul, may my soul love my spirit, may my spirit love my body
To the Glory of God, in the Peace of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit
Lord grant me the strength to do justice where there is none, the love to show mercy when I would rather not, and the peace to walk in true humility.
To the Glory of God, in the Peace of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit
Let the light within me see and honor the light in others and may the love within me overflow to the world around me.
To the Glory of God, in the Peace of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit
To the core where love of self and pleasure in life reside
To the floor that holds my breath,
To the heart that beats life through me,
To the voice I hear and with which I speak,
To the eye that sees within me,
To the world above and around me.
In the name of God, the creator, Jesus, the Christ, and Great Spirit, guide and comforter.
Week 3, Day 4
For those with mental health struggles, this may be an exceptionally difficult time. Those traditionally without mental health struggles may also find themselves facing heightened levels of anxiety and depression.
Read the following prayer by Kenji Kuramitsu. Notice how this prayer resonates with you today. Do you need extra support from friends, family or a mental health professional? Speak with someone you trust or connect with a therapist for an appointment. There is no shame in caring for the body and mind that God gave you. Be kind to yourself today and remember that you are loved.
A Prayer for Mental Health and Emotional Wellness by Kenji Kuramitsu
God rupture in us the fake bravery that teaches that we alone are enough,
that without you and your gifts we can survive.
Give us the assurance to seek the help we need and deserve–
therapy, medication, treatment, accountability, and community.
Destroy the powers of shame and isolation that enslave us to false truths,
and weed out the American individualism that prayerful words alone, God,
are enough to heal injured bodies and minds.
Amen.
Week 3, Day 5
There will come a time when this season will pass. Read the following prayer written by Kaitlin Curtice. When you are finished, reflect on what comes after the crisis. How will we live our lives when we leave our homes? What systems of oppression must be dismantled to ensure that the crisis does not come again?
Make a list of ways in which you will operate differently in the world when life resumes.
A Prayer by Kaitlin Curtice
Oh Mother Mystery,
Comfort those who cannot be comforted
By a government that continually fails them
Comfort those whose leaders
blame them for their oppression
Comfort the children,
The elderly, the sick
The immuno-compromised
Comfort those who no one listened to
Turn us back again to the goodness of this Earth
That we may remember what it means to be in awe,
Even when it is hard
Give us the urgency
to practice our communal calling as people,
to decolonize our ways of individualistic selfishness
Draw us together,
to you, to a vision of a better way
We rest in your holy goodness.
We rest in knowing that Spring is coming
Onward and Amen.
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