Today I sing the song of Mary

The Virgin in Prayer, Albrecht Dürer, 1518, via Wikimedia Commons
 
Today I look into my own heart
and all around me, and I sing the song of Mary.

My life praises the Lord my God,
  who is setting me free.
He has remembered me, in my humiliation and distress!
From now on, those who rejected and ignored me
  will see me and call me happy,
  because of the great things he is doing
  in my humble life.
His name is completely different from the other names in this world;
  from one generation to another
  he was on the side of the oppressed.
As on the day of the Exodus, he is stretching out
  his mighty arm to scatter the oppressors
  with all their evil plans.
He has brought down mighty kings
  from their thrones
  and he has lifted up the despised;
  and so he will do today.
He has filled the exploited with good things,
And sent the exploiters away with empty hands;
  and so he will do today.
His promise to our mothers and fathers remains new and fresh to this day.
Therefore the hope for liberation
  which is burning in me
  will not be extinguished.
He will remember me, here now and beyond the grave.

Zephania Kameeta, 1945- , Namibian Lutheran minister and political leader
Bread of Tomorrow: Praying with the World’s Poor

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Luke 1:46-49

 And Mary said:
“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.”
 
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How can you pray for God’s righteousness to reshape your neighborhood?

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expel the devil from this man

image by Lawrence OP via Flickr
 
O Lord, holy Father,
almighty and eternal God,
expel the devil
and the paganism from this man,
    from his head, from his hair,
    from his brain, from his back,
    from his front, from his eyes,
    from his ears, from his nostrils,
    from his lips, from his mouth,
    from his tongue, from under his tongue,
    from his jaws, from his throat,
    from his neck, from his heart,
    from his whole body, from all of his members,
    from inside and the outside of him,
    from his bones, from his veins,
    from his nerves, from his blood,
    from his senses, from his thoughts,
    from his words, from all his works,
    from his strength,
    from all manner of conversation,
    for this, and in the life to come,.
But may the power of Christ, our mediator,
work in you, that we may attain life eternal,
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, Amen.
 
Antiphonary of Bangor, Prayer over a Person who has a Devil, #96
 
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And he called to him his twelve disciples 
    and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, 
    and to heal every disease and every affliction.

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let me practice pure religion

Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash
 
Father, I have seen the commands of Scripture
    to care deeply about the plight of the oppressed.
I am often moved emotionally 
    when oppression is before me.
I am often filled with good intentions about what I could do
    to help those who are oppressed.
Yet I seldom act.
I seldom visit the orphans and the widows.
I seldom speak against the systematic oppression in our world.
Sometimes I don’t act because I’m too consumed 
    with the details of my life.
Sometimes I don’t act because I don’t want to complicate my life.
But today please strip away all my excuses,
    and let me practice pure religion:
    by visiting the afflicted and comforting them,
    by working to stop injustice,
    and by keeping myself from loving this world too much to act or pray.
 
Kurt Bjorklund, 1968- , American Minister and author of
Prayers for Today A Yearlong Journey of Devotional Prayer
 
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Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: 
    to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, 
    and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
 
 

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