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Today’s prayer, known as the Sinner’s Prayer, is from John Chrysostom (AD 347-407), who was the archbishop of Constantinople and an early theologian of the church.

O my all-merciful God and Lord,
Jesus Christ, full of pity:
Through Your great love You came down
and became incarnate in order to save everyone.
O Savior, I ask You to save me by Your grace!
If You save anyone because of their works,
that would not be grace but only reward of duty,
but You are compassionate and full of mercy!
You said, O my Christ,
“Whoever believes in Me shall live and never die.”
If then, faith in You saves the lost, then save me,
O my God and Creator, for I believe.
Let faith and not my unworthy works be counted to me, O my God,
for You will find no works which could account me righteous.
O Lord, from now on let me love You as intensely as I have loved sin,
and work for You as hard as I once worked for the evil one.
I promise that I will work to do Your will,
my Lord and God, Jesus Christ, all the days of my life and forever more.

Today’s prayer is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), a Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident in Germany.  He was executed by the Nazi regime just prior to its collapse.

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.

Help me to pray

And to concentrate my thoughts on you;

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,

But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

But you know the way for me….

Restore me to liberty,

And enable me to live now

That I may answer before you and before men.

Lord whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.

Amen

Today’s prayer, known as the Peace Prayer, is attributed to Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), an Italian priest and preacher and one of the most venerated religious figures in history.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

Today’s prayer is from Augustine of Hippo (354-430), an early Christian theologian and philosopher. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius (modern day Annaba, Algeria) and is viewed as one of the most important church fathers in Western Christianity.

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy.
Guard me, O Holy Spirit, that I myself may always be holy.

Today’s reflection is from a sermon given by Leo the Great (AD 390 – 461), a Roman aristocrat, Christian theologian, and Pope from AD 440-461.  

Let works of mercy, therefore, be our delight, and let us be filled with those kinds of food that feed us for eternity. Let us rejoice in the replenishment of the poor, whom our bounty has satisfied. Let us delight in the clothing of those whose nakedness we have covered with needful raiment. Let our humaneness be felt by the sick in their illnesses, by the weakly in their infirmities, by the exiles in their hardships, by the orphans in their destitution, and by solitary widows in their sadness: in the helping of whom there is no one that cannot carry out some amount of benevolence. For no one’s income is small whose heart is big, and the measure of one’s mercy and goodness does not depend on the size of one’s means. Wealth of good will is never rightly lacking, even in a slender purse. Doubtless the expenditure of the rich is greater and that of the poor smaller, but there is no difference in the fruit of their works where the purpose of the workers is the same.

Today’s reflection is from the Carmina Gadelica, which is six volumes of prayers, hymns, blessings, songs, proverbs and literary folkloric poems from the Gaelic speaking regions of Scotland.  Compilation of the works began by Alexander Carmichel between 1860 and 1909.

God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking.

God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.

God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my soul,
God in my heart.

God in my sufficing,
God in my slumber,
God in mine ever-living soul,
God in mine eternity.

Today’s prayer was written by American Christian evangelist Billy Graham (born in 1918) for a meeting in New York in 1957.

Our Father and our God, we pray that … we all might be conscious that Thine eye is upon us. If God can see the sparrow fall, if He has the hairs of our head numbered, we know that He watches us, that He loves us, that He cares for us, and we’re told in Thy Word that He cares for us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to the cross to die that we might find forgiveness of our sins. We pray … that Thy Holy Spirit will draw all men unto the Savior, for we ask it in His Name. Amen.

Today’s prayer was written by Richard of Chichester (1197-1253), the Bishop of Chichester in England. The prayer was adapted for the song “Day by Day” in the musical Godspell (1971).

Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ,

for all the benefits which you have given me,

for all the pains and insults which you have borne for me.

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother,

may I know you more clearly,

love you more dearly,

and follow you more nearly,

day by day.

Today’s prayer, an excerpt from the Breastplate Prayer, was written by St. Patrick (AD 385-461), a Christian missionary and bishop who served in Ireland. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Today’s prayer was written by Erasmus (1466-1536), a Dutch Renaissance classical scholar, humanist, priest, social critic, teacher and theologian.

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have said that you are the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Do not allow us to stray from you, who are the Way,

not to distrust you, who are the Truth,

nor to rest in anything other than you, who are the Life.