Prayer For School Board Meeting
Lord, we are meeting today to conduct matters
of business. Guide our hearts and our minds in the
spirit of fairness, right thought and speech. Impart your
supreme wisdom upon our activities so that our affairs
may reach a successful conclusion. Thank you for being
our source of guidance today. Amen!
Holy God,
We gather here as members of this Board
and we thank you for calling us together.
It is our privilege and our responsibility
to support, foster, and advance
the mission of Xavier University.
We accept this task in total dependence upon you,
for it is you who began this work
you who guide it and will bring it to fulfillment.
Send your creative spirit upon us:
open our hearts to recognize Your presence among us;
open our minds to respond to Your calling.
Enable us to draw upon the wisdom and experience of yesterday
as we respond to the questions and concerns of tomorrow.
Give us freedom to speak the truth boldly and with kindness;
Give us patience to listen openly, without prejudice;
Give us confidence to discover and explore new possibilities;
Give us wisdom to discern what is right and good and just;
Give us courage to participate in your ongoing work of creation.
We call upon the intercession of St. Ignatius to confirm our prayer
and to support our endeavors.
All glory, honor, and praise are yours, Holy God, for all ages.
Lord,
At this festive holiday time, we pray that You would be with us in all that we do and all that we plan.
And today, we particularly want to ask You to bless the holiday celebrations that we will be participating in.
We pray that Your love shines during this time and that we reflect You in our actions, attitudes and behaviors at the event. Prevent any discord we pray and may we be united together in love and fellowship to Your praise and glory.
Father,
Thank you for every seat that has been filled here, today. For each mind and heart that fills the presence of this room, we thank You. Only You truly know what we are setting out to accomplish today. We have an idea, a vision, hints, and daily instructions. We have talents, abilities, and time to work. However, only You can see in perfect detail the end of every beginning. Every project, every season, every life. Nothing is ever in vain, for even mistakes and missteps are used for good.
Your righteousness transcends all our efforts and understanding. Forgive us for our pride. The pride that puffs us up and the pride that threatens to unqualify us. Strengthen our confidence in who You have made us to be. Set us free from comparison in order to work together efficiently.
Bless this meeting today, all those present, as well as the lives of those we will encounter afterward. Ready us to make every moment count.
In Jesus' Name,
Morning reflection: One of the habits of Jesuit grads that came up yesterday was gratitude so as we quiet ourselves I would like to prayerfully move us into the fourth week of the Exercises. I invite us to close our eyes and put ourselves in God's presence. ...
In a spirit of gratitude we call to mind something from our time yesterday or this morning that we are grateful for ... a new insight, someone's reflection, a person who inspires up ... take a few seconds to pray for that moment, person, thing ....what happened to our hearts in this moment of gratitude ... did we give thanks to God for this moment, person, event .. And for those who are able we pray together the Ignatian suscipe prayer ... Take Lord, Receive all of our liberty, our memory, our understanding, our entire will ... Give us only your love, and your grace, that's enough for us, Dispose of all of our gifts and talents according to your will ... in gratitude, Amen.
Good and Gracious God,
We thank you for this time and for this beautiful day in Cincinnati,
We ask you to bless us with your spirit of wisdom as we discuss our strengths and our weaknesses here at Xavier,
Help us as Trustees to always keep in mind our Jesuit and Catholic mission,
and illuminate us with the spirit of Ignatius,
Help us as we truly find God in all things,
celebrate our diversity despite our differences,
and boldly steward Xavier toward a bright and healthy future.
We pray all of this in the name of the God who created us, who redeems us, and who sanctifies us, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Dear God - What I have experienced over the last year has challenged my strength - physically, emotionally and spiritually - it had my questioning why me?, it had me asking what the hell? - am I allowed to use hell in a prayer - oh well... I guess I just did - but what I've learned from it is amazing.
Most importantly what I've learned is that people - many, many, many, many people - are really, really, good. My family was there for me in ways I never thought I'd need. My love for them has grown deeper than I ever thought was possible. I learned I married the right guy and that he really meant in sickness and in health. I learned there is nothing better in life than having 4 sisters to surround you with love when you need it.
And then there were the many friends and colleagues including many in this room - friends I hadn't talked to in 30 years and friends that I talk to every week - they found ways through their notes, their texts, their phone calls, their visits to make me laugh, cry, make fun of myself, and realize how truly blessed I am - and most importantly to remind me that people are good - really .. really good ...they care, they love, they support, they help.
I'm not usually one who has asked for a lot of help in my life - I thought I had it mostly figured out. I was tough, I was strong. So, my second big learning has been learning how to let go and ask for help - especially from you God it is profound. It's changed my life and the way I think about things, the way I think about life. We are meant to ask for help. We are meant to give help. It's not a weakness, it's a strength.
I also learned that prayers work. I'm so thankful for all the people who have said prayers for me ... many that I don't even know! It's amazing how many people are willing to put you on their prayer list. Even now that I'm better people still say... well I'm still saying prayers for you. And I'm sooooo appreciative. There is something really cool about prayer power
I'm not going to lie - the last year has been scary - it's still scary - and if you believe the internet - which no one sick should ever rely on - the odds aren't great. I'm a very objective, data based practical person. You can't deny the facts.......the odds aren't great. But God...I believe more than I've ever believed before... that you have a plan. And so I surrender myself to you. I will follow your will. I will put all my energy into how to make this a great thing - for me, for my family, for my friends, for my colleagues - and frankly ... to anyone that will listen. I promise to love every dayevery minute. I promise to be grateful for the people I've met, the experiences I've had, the beautiful places I've gotten to witness. Every day is a day to be lived to the fullest! To love, to laugh, to care, to give, to be thankful and to praise you God!
And so, while it's very easy from afar to think that's what happened to me is a bad thing - I like to think of it as the best thing, the very best thing ...that has ever happened to me. What I've learned about myself, about others and mostly about you, God - is simply ...the very best.
So during this advent season let us all remember that people are good, really, really good. Let us remember that the love and caring we give others matters so much more than we realize so give more. Let us remember that prayers work. Say more. Let us show gratitude. Gratitude is a gift. Let us realize that we all have things in our lives that are scary look to God for strength and comfort. And let us thank God for every minute of every day that we get to live life! AMEN!
Loving and Gracious God,
You are indeed the Giver of all good gifts
and we thank You today for all Your blessings,
for the successful outcomes of our school events
and for all our staff members,
both the teaching and support members.
We ask that You bless them abundantly
and we continue to seek your wisdom,
guidance, courage and strength.
Be with us in our deliberations
and help us to be wise in the decisions we make
for the good of all those who
have placed their trust and confidence in our leadership.
Give us insight to lead with integrity
that our decisions may reflect what is right and good.
Keep us from short-sightedness and pettiness.
Help us to make decisions that are for the good of all
and guard us from blind self interest.
Dear Lord, grant us the humility to always seek Your Will
in all that we do and say.
All Glory be to You, loving God,
now and always through Christ
and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.
Amen.