PRAYER BEFORE STARTING WORK

Our loving God, as we begin our work,
We bring Your presence with us.
We speak Your compassion, Your grace, Your mercy,
and we ask you to share Your gift of peace.
We acknowledge Your power over all that will be spoken,
thought, decided, and done throughout this day.
Anoint our projects, ideas, and struggles,
so that even our smallest accomplishment may bring You glory.

Lord, when we are confused, guide us.
When we are discouraged and losing hope, energize us.
When we are burned out, infuse us with the light of the Holy Spirit.

May the work that we do and the way we do it bring faith, joy,
and a smile to all that we come in contact with today.
Bless our family, our home, our nation.
May truly care for the earth and the community of life
as we try to promote your dream for justice and liberation.

In the Name of Jesus we pray,
with much love and Thanksgiving.....
Amen.

TIPS ON TRULY LOVING

SENSIBLE AND PRACTICAL TIPS
FOR PEOPLE WANTING TO REMAIN IN LOVE!

(Excerpts from Loving Each Other, by Leo Buscaglia)


1. Don't think in terms of forever. Think of now, and forever will take care of itself. Resolve issues right away.

2. Grow up together, constantly.

3. Expect to invest a great deal of time and energy in your relationship. Lasting relationships don't just happen, it takes some effort.

4. But don't feel as if you are required to spend every waking hour with those you love. Move aside from time to time and allow them a separate space too.

5. Respect the other person's relationships apart from you. If they are
important to the one you care about, they should be important to you.

6. Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations.

7. Take your time. Patience is a virtue and people we love are worth waiting for. There is no sense in hurrying anything in relationships.

8. Remove price tags from people. Everyone has worth; the excitement lies in the discovery of their value. Remember that we are all created in God's image.

9. Don't be afraid of giving. You can never give too much, if you're giving willingly. Don't be afraid to give until it hurts!

10. Never force anyone to do anything for you in the name of love. Love is not to be bargained for.

11. Don't overanalyze your relationships. There are things that logic cannot reason with. Some things are understood only by the heart.

12. Realize that you always have choices. No one is responsible for your happiness. It's up to you.

13. Remember that a relationship is a pooling of resources. It means that with each relationship you are not only giving, but you also get something.

14. Don't allow relationships to burden your heart; rather use it to become more aware and sensitive.

15. Don't lose in touch with the romance inside you. This, with a large dose of caring, will assure that your relationship will never be boring.

16. Don't brood. Get on with living and loving. You don't have forever to live your life.

17. Don't hold on to anger. It steals your energy and keeps you from love.

18. There are times when you want to give up on a relationship but never give up on relating. Communication is the key.

19. Learn to listen. You don't learn anything from hearing yourself talk.

20. Learn to forgive hurts and misunderstandings. Give people nth chances.

21. After an argument is over, forget it.

22. Expect what is reasonable, not what is perfect. And don't expect so much for we are all unique individuals.

23. Write down all the reasons why you love each person you relate with. Then, when the going gets tough, take the list out and reread it. It resolves problems quickly.

24. Don't become involved in pettiness, ego and childish hurts. Those will only serve to degrade your relationship and prevent closeness.

25. Learn to bend. Be flexible. It's better than breaking.

26. Since love is an action and can be created, there is no reason to be loveless.

27. Even though you are only half of a relationship, you must remain a whole person, apart from the relationship.

28. Remember that moral and spiritual values don't restrict, they protect.

29. Don't fall in love with love, you'll die with its complexities.

30. Don't allow your relationships to die of neglect.

31. Know 1 Corinthians 13 by heart and put it into action. Love is a powerful feeling, it will allow you to do even the impossible.

32. Best of all, put God at the center of your relationship and allow Him to stay in its midst.

DAILY ACCEPTANCE PRACTICE

Take a deep breath, each breath, feel the life force flowing through you,
Let yourself relax gently into the present moment,
say these words to yourself silently,
allow your heart to open to their full meaning:


I accept myself completely.
I accept my strength and weaknesses,
My gifts and my shortcomings,
My good points and my faults.
I accept myself completely as a human being.

I accept that I am here to learn and grow,
And I accept that I am learning and growing.
I accept the personality I've developed,
And I accept my power to heal and change.

I accept myself without condition or reservation.
I accept that the core of my being is goodness
And that my essence is love.
And I accept that sometimes I forget that.

I accept myself completely, and in this acceptance
I find an ever deepening strength.
From this place of strength, I accept my life fully
And I open to the lessons it offers me today.

I accept that within my mind are both fear and love,
And I accept my power to choose which I will experience as real
I recognize that I experience only the results on my own choices.

I accept the time that I choose fear
As part of my learning and healing process,
And I accept that I have the potential and power
In any moment to choose love instead.

I accept mistakes as part of growth,
So I am always willing to forgive myself
And give myself another chance.

I accept that my life is the expression of my thought,
And I commit myself to aligning my thoughts
More and more each day with the thought of Love.

I accept that I am an expression of God’s love,
Love's hands and voice and heart.

I accept my own life as a blessing and a gift
My heart is open to receive, and I am deeply grateful.

May I always share the gift I receive fully, freely, and with joy.
Amen.

PRAYER OF ST. THERESA

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY by MOTHER TERESA

Heavenly Father,
you have given us the model of life
in the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Help us, O Loving Father, to make our family another Nazareth where love, peace and joy reign.

May it be deeply contemplative,
intensely eucharistic, revived with joy.

Help us to stay together in joy and sorrow in family prayer.

Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our families, especially in their distressing disguise.

May the eucharistic heart of Jesus make our hearts humble like his and help us to carry out our family duties in a holy way.

May we love one another as God loves each one of us, more and more each day, and forgive each other's faults as you forgive our sins.

Help us, O Loving Father, to take whatever you give and give whatever you take with a big smile.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, cause of our joy, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

Holy Guardian Angels, be always with us,
guide and protect us.

Amen.

THE EVERYDAY FAMILY PRAYER

(Shared by Raoul and his wife Thelma who are members of the Couples for Christ Worldwide Movement)

Father, we Adore You. We praise You for Your Goodness. Blessed be Your Holy Name. Your Will be done in everything.

We ask You to bless our family, our friends, relatives, me and especially those who need your blessing and protection right now. Show all of us, O Lord, a new revelation of Your Power and Glory.

Direct our minds today, so that what we think, say or do would only be to affirm Your Love for us, and the love we need to give You back by being men and women for others. And whether or not we are aware of it, lead us to fulfill the purposes for which You have created us and placed us precisely where we are.

Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to us at this very moment --

· Where we have pain, help us find meaning in it and give us Your Peace.

· Where we are sick, heal us.

· Where we have destructive addictions or dependencies, wean us away from them.

· Where we are aggrieved, give us the will to forgive.

· Where we are torn by guilt or regret, help us forgive ourselves and give us

Your Mercy.

· Where some people want to do us harm, protect us.

· Where we do things that are really bad for us, move us to the right path and let Your Angels be our guides.

· Where we are immobilized by self-doubt, renew our self-confidence.

· Where we labor under fear, give us courage.

· Where we face uncertainty, give us trust in Your Providence.

· Where we have needs, fulfill them.

On the other hand, O Lord, if there is any noble stirring within us, nurture it and enable us in time to realize it, so that our fellowmen may benefit from its good fruits.

And always bless our homes, finances, investments, our health, our work and those who give us livelihood. Bless the institutions we work for, and the men and women who help us do our job or help us in our business. Bless the people with whom we associate, so that we may lead one another toward becoming the persons we were meant to be. Bless our comings and goings the whole day through, and at night when we sleep.

And we ask all these in the precious name of Jesus through whose passion, death and resurrection we have been restored as Your Children and call You Father. Amen

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