Prayer for a Board Meeting

PRAYER TO BEGIN A BOARD MEETING

Leader: As we gather, let us pause to be mindful of God’s presence among and within us. God’s presence is quiet and strong. It brings mysterious wisdom and courageous strength to those who believe. May the Spirit of God be with you.

All: And also with you.

Leader: Look upon us, Creating God, and form us into community: a circle of friendship speaking truth to one another.

All: Blessed be God forever.

Leader: A passage from a letter to a friend written by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are, quite naturally, impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We would like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new, and yet it is the law of all progress that progress is made by passing through some stages of uncertainty, and that may take a very long time. And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow; let them shape themselves. Do not try to force them on, as though you could be today what time and grace will make you tomorrow. Only God can say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Give God the benefit of your believing that the Spirit is leading you. Accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

Pause for a few moments of reflection.

PETITIONS: Leader: Jesus, Giver of all good things, we stand in confidence, holding your promise in our lives.

Reader: For the Gift of Vision, to see things that we sometimes miss… All: Give us the Gift of Vision.

Reader: For the Gift of Conviction, to live radically the Gospel you have preached to us…. All: Give us the Gift of Conviction.

Reader: For the Gift of Service, to lead, to enable, to witness, to be willing to involve others, to encourage their creativity… All: Give us the Gift of Service.

Reader: For the Gift of Stability, for the perseverance we need to stay committed to what we believe in while it is unfolding… All: Give us the Gift of Stability.

Reader: For the Gift of Hope, to wait for rebirth, for growth, for completion… All: Give us the Gift of Hope.

Reader: For the Gift of Reverence, to be gentle with the mystery of each other and to acknowledge the value of all creation… All: Give us the Gift of Reverence.

Leader: Good and gracious God, we acknowledge with gratitude all the good gifts you generously bestow on us. Accept our humble petitions, that we may be strengthened in our ministry as board members. We offer these prayers in the name of our great teacher, Jesus Christ.

Now, let us pray together:

All: St. Julie and Sr. Maria Aloysia, apostles for our time, obtain for us the creative energy that impelled you to look beyond the limitations of age, gender, custom, law and race in order to fulfill your dreams. We commit ourselves to your spirit of prayer and service, that we too may walk in God’s truth. May all who follow in your footsteps continue to proclaim the Goodness of God and his Provident Care. May our lives of genuine faith, total love and vibrant hope witness to God’s presence in the world. We offer this prayer in your name to God, the source of our being. May you intercede for us forever and ever. AMEN.

Adapted, NABCCC Newsletter, June 2005