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Editor's note: NCR is sharing with our readers a nine-day Novena for Pentecost resource created by board member and composer Dan Schutte. Schutte writes, "if there's ever a moment when we all could use the light and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, it's now. While we wait till we can be together again for Sunday worship, this is a way we can join our hearts in prayer." The entire Novena for Pentecost can be found here.
We pray for patience
Four suggested steps:
- Place yourself in the presence of God.
- Close your eyes. Take some slow, deep breaths. Imagine that you are enveloped by the unconditional love of God.
- Ask for the grace you desire today.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit may teach you to bless you with an abundance of patience, with a heart that is slow to judge and quick to grant forgiveness.
- Spend time in prayer and with the song.
- Pray as you feel drawn, either sitting in silence or listening to the song. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Distractions are normal for all of us. God smiles on our small efforts without judgement or shame.
- Pray in gratitude.
- In your own words, express a simple prayer of thanks to God.
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In God's perfect time
Learning to love others as Christ showed us is no easy task. Sometimes it's very hard to see the goodness and beauty in them that might allow us to respond. And we get discouraged that we don't do better. Perhaps patience is mostly about just hanging in there, enduring and maybe even embracing life's hurt and our human brokenness.
