Mosta, Malta
Opening Prayer
As I rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of Your presence, O God, set my heart on fire with love for You, now and forever. Amen. -The Divine Office (Silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible Lord, what kind of fast do You desire from us? To break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, and cancel debts. Lord what are You interested in seeing us do? To share our food with the hungry, invite the homeless poor into our homes, and put clothes on the shivering poorly dressed and naked, and to be available to our own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. -Isaiah 58:6-8 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin Forget not the Lord’s benefits; who forgives all your sins and heals all your infirmities; who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy -Psalm 103:3-4 (Time of silence for confession of sin) Words of Jesus “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” -Matthew 6:25-29 (Think deeply on these life-giving words of Jesus) Prayer for Ourselves and Others Here's what I'm saying: Ask and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open. Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. -Luke 11:9-10 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Lord we pray, for this day, that it may not be wasted, but that it might be used in some good positive way: to know you better; to do good unto all men; and to give witness to your saving grace to a world that is dying. And now may grace and mercy and peace from God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with us. -A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) 
Kolkata, India
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