Lord, help me not to fear
poverty
sorrow
weakness
hunger
thirst
We find you in our emptiness.

God, Creator of all the earth,
you give us many choices
and many opportunities.
Be with us in our decisions 
so that we may act in the way
that is best for all.
Be in our hearts as we listen to each other.
Guide our thoughts so we
may grow ever closer to you.
We ask these things in the hope
of receiving what we need
rather than what we want.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

 
Adapted from The Word on Campus © RENEW International.

Lord our God,
each day you invite us to come closer to you
and to live in your light.
Teach us to listen and understand your promptings
so that we can respond to you with our whole heart.
When our selfishness or human weakness
blocks us from doing your will,
touch us with your mercy and forgiveness.
May we become a people
who will produce abundant fruits
of peace and reconciliation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

 Adapted from The Word on Campus © RENEW International.

 
Adapted from The Word on Campus © RENEW International.

I still remember that afternoon. Dressed in her black Ursuline nun’s habit, Mother Mary Edith was on playground duty. It was a very hot day. The white starched collar and scalp covering wrapped around the nun’s face so that only her half-circle face was visible, and on that day, that face was very red from the heat. Some children were gathered around her, chatting, and one of them must have asked her how she felt standing out there in such hot weather. Mother Mary Edith smiled and burst into a little song about joy.
 
That made quite an impression on me at my preteen age; I still remember that smile and that ditty after so many years. She was joyful, even when she had to have been so uncomfortable. Was she happy in such heat? Probably not. She was joyful, and that leads me to some thoughts about joy versus happiness.
 
I compare joy and happiness to climate and weather. Joy is more a state of being, a condition, an atmosphere, while happiness is more fleeting, more on the surface, more subject to change. Joy gives us fullness. The Bible has many verses that mention joy, and they are easy to find. For example, Psalm 126:5-6 tells us: