Busy Lives, Prayer and Stewardship

Even in the midst of the busyness of his public ministry, Jesus was always making time to maintain his relationship with God the Father - making time for prayer. Even if it meant getting up a little earlier (not one of my favorite things to do!) or stepping away from all the people clamoring for his attention, he knew that prayer was an essential part of each day. As disciples of Jesus, we strive to follow his example, making time for prayer to keep us focused on what's most important, using our gifts wisely, and connected with our spiritual source of strength. These are also the fundamentals of Christian stewardship: recognizing all we have is a gift from God which we are called to discern through prayer how we can use wisely in union with God’s plan. May the following prayer I found help guide us as we ramp-up our activities for the fall, both in our personal lives and our parish families.
Lord Jesus Christ

As we begin to shift from summer schedules
to autumn demands,
teach us to recognize you,
And help us follow you amidst our busy life.

Open the Scriptures to us…
That we may know you, see you, hear you -
in the voices of friends and family,
in the ministries of our parish,
in the proclamation of the Word,
and in the Breaking of the Bread.

Teach us to be good stewards,
that we may use your gifts wisely
and care for all those you place in our path.

Encourage us, when we are overwhelmed.
Strengthen us, when we are frightened.
Challenge our complacency.

Help us make this new season a time of spiritual
renewal, hope, and action to proclaim the
Gospel in our words and in our deeds.

For the kingdom and the power and the glory
are yours, now and forever. Amen