Gozo, Malta
Opening Prayer
Lord God, my holy lover, when You enter my heart everything rejoices within me. You are my glory and the joy of my heart; You are my hope and my refuge in the day of my distress. Thomas a’ Kempis (1380-1471) (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible Hear O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my helper. You turned my mourning into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my heart may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. -Psalm 30: 10-12 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin My God, for love of you I desire to hate and forsake all sins by which I have ever displeased you; and I resolve by the help of your grace to commit them no more; and to avoid all opportunities of sin. help me to do this, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. -Common Worship (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” Jesus said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. -John 8:21-23 (Think deeply on these life-giving words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. -Ephesians 1:15-16 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Lord Jesus, we praise You as the King of history and confess that you are King of our time and of our nations. Forgive us for following the lead of any worldly influence; bring the perfect clarity of Your truth into any confusion. Forgive us for any way we’ve been looking to the government or our civic institutions to rescue us rather than courageously following You. Cleanse our hearts of anxiety, hopelessness, and unbelief, for we do believe You are faithful. Pour out Your Spirit upon us. Unleash Your Kingdom within us and among us. Renew our minds, make our wills one with Yours, and empower us to invite others into this blessed life of transformation in You. -Ministry of Pastoral Care 
Monte Cassino, Italy
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