September 2024: Prayers and Reflections
The Pope’s Monthly Intention
For the cry of the earth: We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the earth and of victims of natural disasters and climactic change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live.
* * *
World Day of Prayer for Creation * 1 September
Glance at the sun. See the moon and stars.
Gaze at the beauty of Earth’s greenings.
Now think what delight God gives to humankind.
But we are to work with it.
For without it we cannot survive.
Meditation from Hildegard of Bingen
* * *
An Immigrant Prayer World Day of Migrants and Refugees * 29 September
Dear Jesus,
our journey through life is long and hard.
We cannot make this trip alone;
we must walk together on the journey.
You promised to send us a helper, your Spirit.
Help us to see your Spirit in those you send to journey with us.
In the refugee family, seeking safety from violence, let us see your Spirit.
In the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables, let us see your Spirit.
In the asylum seeker, seeking justice for himself and his family, let us see your Spirit.
In the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world, let us see your Spirit.
Teach us to recognise that as we walk with each other, you are present.
Teach us to welcome not only the strangers in our midst but the gifts they bring as well:
the invitation to conversion, communion, and solidarity.
This is the help you have sent:
we are not alone.
We are together on the journey,
and for this we give you thanks.
Amen.
Pope Francis
* * *
From the writings of St John Chrysostom
Feast: 13 September
If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the Church door you will not find him in the Chalice.
Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.
Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has, and this requires transforming greed into gratitude.
When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle and forgiving (all these are attributes of God) to be generous, to love their fellow human beings, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls and reveal the image of God within them.
Why not learn to enjoy the little things, there are so many of them.
* * *
Parent’s Prayer for children returning to school
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the gift of my child/children. Please watch over them as they begin a new school year. Bless their teachers, school administrators, bus drivers, school support staff, friends and classmates.
Keep them safe every day. I pray they may feel Your presence and know that You are always with them. Help them recall my loving words of support for them. Give them wisdom to make good choices, and an openness to learn new things. Fill them with knowledge and positive thinking. Help them overcome obstacles and shield them from negativity.
Surround my child/children with good friends who also know and love You. Help them treat each other with kindness, fairness, and respect. May they treat each person they encounter as another child of God. Grant them the Grace to place their trust in You so they may know Your peace. Amen
www.saintpaulcatholicchurch.com
* * *
St Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), priest
Feast: 23 September
Whatever fears we have in life can be forgotten with the name of Jesus. If anxiety or worries cloud your mind, remember that Jesus is more than any of our fears. The promise of His love, His mercy is more than anything
* * *