“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
Blessed are you, O Christ, our God; you were before time began, and came to the world to save us. Blessed are you, Sun of righteousness; you shine with the Father’s love and illumine the whole universe. Blessed are you, Son of Mary; born a child you shared our humanity. Blessed are you, son of David; born to rule, you received gifts from the wise men. Blessed are you, Son of Man; baptised by John, you saved us from ourselves. Blessed are you, heavenly King; teaching and preaching, healing and comforting, you proclaimed the kingdom. With all the voices of heaven we celebrate the coming of our Saviour. Let heaven and earth shout their praise. With all the creatures on earth we sing and dance at your birth. Praise and glory to you, O Lord Jesus Christ.
David Beswick, 1933 – , Australian Minister and Professor
O come, faithful God, who empowers the weak, who encourages the fearful, who enlightens the blind, who intones the deaf, who energizes the lame, who emancipates the speechless, who enriches the poor, who invigorates the dead;
O come, faithful God, come and enable us, right now, to worship you and work for your Kingdom, filled with your strength, your hope, your vision, your melody, your motivation, your Word, your inheritance, your Life!
All this we pray, through him who came to be our Savior, who lives to be our Lord, who will return and fully make all things new;
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might to you, Lord Jesus.
You rule this world with love and grace.
There are days when we have a hard time seeing it but you have promised that you are moving all creation toward that time when God will get what God wants — a creation where peace and goodness and compassion shape all of life.
And you give us good work to do in the time that is ours: prayer and praise and hope and truth.
We are not always sure how what we do is serving your holy purposes but we submit our lives to you. We trust you, our crucified and risen Lord, to take what we offer and transform it so that it glorifies you. Amen
Christine Jerrett, minister in the United Church of Canada
Photo by Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
You call me back to atone, to return, when you see how I’ve drifted and gone away…
I stray from knowing your holy presence, but you never take your eyes off me; you take not even one step away: you’re beside me, behind me, above and below me, you’re with me, Lord, on all sides…
But it only takes a turn of my heart, a twist of my thoughts in the blink of an eye for me to forget (or do I fear?) how close you are in every hour of every night and day…
I stray from your love though you’re so close at hand and believe, in self-pity you no longer care…
I choose my own way as you walk by my side; you follow my steps as I turn from your path…
I want my own way and insist that I’m right; I assign you the blame as I count my troubles…
But you stay by my side and give me the freedom to take your hand or walk away in my foolishness and my fear… And still you remain, right by my side, though I close my eyes to yours seeking mine…
But you call me back, to atone, to return, and with all my heart, I know you’re right: I’ve drifted, I’ve strayed, I’ve gone away, I’m lost and need to be found…
Give the grace, Lord, to turn my heart, to turn my mind and thoughts to you; to remember and trust how close you are, how near’s the mercy you offer…
Call me back to atone and return to the outstretched arms of your love and ready my heart to be shaped again in the image of your heart for me… Amen.
Fr. Austin Fleming, Roman Catholic Priest in Massachusetts
prayer & verse 
