Daily Prayer

No sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.

Jesus, I look around me for signs
of your life in the Church,
and often all I see are problems.
If I weren’t born into this community,
would I join it?

And then I look at the elect
preparing for baptism.
Why are they here?
What signs of life do they see
that I miss or take for granted?

Jesus, my faith is often weak.
I always seem in danger of missing
the life-giving signs around me.
If I were a Ninevite,
would I have
repented just because
a far-from-perfect Jonah
told me to?
If I were the queen of the south,
would I even have made the trip
to visit Solomon, never mind see the
wisdom of God in him?
Do I take my membership
in your body so for granted
that I often don’t even feel
the divine power that now tugs
at the hearts of the elect?

Lord, forgive me
for my hardness of heart.
Help me to repent,
to surrender myself
to your Spirit,
and to truly grasp
the life you offer to me.
Bring your elect safely
to the Easter water,
and give me the grace
to truly recommit myself to you.
Amen.


For a traditional prayer to pray today, see page 11 in the March issue of Living with Christ.