Barcelona, Spain
Opening Prayer
Eternal God, who are the light of the minds that know you, the joy of the hearts that love you, and the strength of the wills that serve you; grant us so to know you that we may truly love you, and so to love you that we may fully serve you, whom to serve is perfect freedom, in Jesus Christ our Lord. -Augustine of Hippo (354-430) (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is Your love toward me, and you have delivered my soul from the depths of the grave. -Psalm 86: 12-13 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin Forgive me God for forsaking You, the fountain of living waters, to dig my own cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water -Jeremiah 2: 11, 13 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. -John 8:25-27 (Think deeply on these life-giving words of Jesus) Prayers 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, look at my soul’s wounds, your living and effective eye sees everything. It pierces like a sword, even to part asunder soul and spirit. Assuredly, my Lord, you see in my soul the traces of my former sins, my present perils, and also motives and occasions for others yet to be. You see those things, Lord, and I would have you see them. You know well, O Searcher of my heart, that there is nothing in my soul that I would hide from you, even had I the power to escape your eyes. My hope, most merciful, is in your lovingkindness; for you will see me, either as a good physician sees, intent upon my healing, or else as a kind master, anxious to correct, or a forbearing father, longing to forgive. -Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167) 
Istanbul, Turkey
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