Monte Cassino, Italy
Opening Prayer
O Gracious and holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive You, intelligence to understand You, diligence to seek You, patience to wait for You, eyes to see You, a heart to meditate upon You, and a life to proclaim You; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. -Saint Benedict (480-547) (Silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer, it does not rise from deceitful lips. May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. -Psalms 17:1-8 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen! -Book of Common Prayer (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Example of Jesus After Jesus had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. -Matthew 14:23 (Think deeply on this life giving example of Jesus) Prayer for Ourselves and Others Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. -Luke 18:1 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Oh Lord Jesus, we see from you how you delighted to be alone with your Father. May we also discover the joy of being with our Father. As we are healed and restored in His presence may we always follow your example Jesus, who strengthened by time with the Father went down where the needy people suffer, bent low by oppression and the burden of sin and lifted them to new life. -A2J Community 
Kolkata, India
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