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Starting Point


Lead us, O Lord of all seasons

By EDWARD K. BRAXTON

O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Lord of all seasons, we thank you for the times that we share with those we love, especially our meals together. Quiet our minds and hearts amidst the goings and comings of our busy nights. When darkness falls, lead us through the shadowy world of sleep with its fascinating dreams and guide us to the amazing dawn of a new day. Hear our prayer in autumn!

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

O Lord, there is a time for everything; yes, even dying. In these autumn days, we pray often for all who have died. We think particularly of the more than 12,000 dear people who perished in the hurricanes in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, and all those who die at the hands of violence each day in places of conflict around the world and in our land. We think as well of the dearest of the dear in our lives who have died. Take them unto yourself. Comfort us who mourn for them and miss them so.

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

O Lord of autumn, the trees have said farewell to their leaves, once green. “Yellow leaves or none, or few do hang upon the boughs which shake against the cold, care-ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang.” The falling leaves whisper in our ears that we, too, have our moments of letting go of what has been, without knowing what is to come. Such moments are always filled with uncertainty and risk. Help us to let go when we need to do so.

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

O Lord of multicolored leaves that fall in dazzling patterns, then turn brown and swiftly disappear, our lives have their own dazzling patterns. As we explore the patterns of our own growth, may we learn from the fleeting life of the leaves and discern your presence in our lives. We pray for those who are discerning their vocations, especially those considering the priesthood, the diaconate, the religious life, Christian marriage, public service or lives dedicated to the poor. May they be generous in their response.

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

O Lord of misty days and harvest moon nights, our lives are always enfolded in mystery and wonder. Help us to recognize the sacred beauty of every season of our pilgrimage from You to You. We pray for those in our neighborhoods or nearby who are so poor that they ate no lunch today and will eat no supper tonight. May we do nothing that increases the suffering of the poor in our midst. May we join forces with those working to eradicate it.

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

O Lord of harvest wagons, fields of ripened grain and late autumn snows, many gifts of growth lie within this season of our surrender. Help us to wait for harvest in faith, hope and love. Grant us patience and courage when it seems that there will be no harvest, when we think we do not see your blessings. We pray for those who are discouraged or depressed by conflicts and difficulties at work or at home, especially those who do not find work meaningful or who have no work at all. May they know that you are closer to them than they are to themselves. We pray for those who are estranged from their families or from the church. May they be reconciled.

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

O Lord of flowers chilled by frost and windows in icy white winter splendor, may your love keep our hearts from growing cold in the seasons of our lives during which we feel empty. May we never take the life-giving love of those who care for us for granted. May we take the risk of loving others! We pray for those who are suffering from acute loneliness the infirmities of the passing of years, those in nursing homes, those struggling with the confusion of dementia and those who are gravely ill. May they be comforted and cared for by their family members and their friends.

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

O Lord of Love, renew us all as we anticipate the pastoral visit of the Holy Father to North America and to the United States in January. We pray for Pope John Paul II. May his visit be an experience of blessed Peter in our midst. May his presence be a spiritual event, strengthening the faith of his sisters and brothers. Give him the vigor and vision he needs to lead the church across the threshold of the new millennium.

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

O Lord, you enter into our autumn seasons, into the deepest places of our hearts and call us from wintry death into spring life through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and reconciliation. May our autumn contemplations of the amazing cycle of the seasons call us to grow and to change so that we may share that life more fully. May our inevitable autumn reflection on the certainty of our own deaths transform the way we live in order that we may share in your eternal life.

Lead us, O Lord, to the season of eternal life in your Kingdom!

Grant us openness to the continuous process of letting go and moving on, which can be a difficult part of the human journey. We are grateful that you are our faithful companion on this journey. Slow us down, Lord, slow us down. Thaw our numb souls that we may feel this truth. Your eternal word has pitched his tent in the cold stable of our world. The greatest of all presents at Christmas is the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives and in our world. May your Holy Spirit continue to brood over our bent earth with warm breast and Ah! bright wings.

Edward K. Braxton is an auxiliary bishop in the St. Louis archdiocese. Braxton gratefully acknowledges the writing of Servite Sr. Joyce Rupp as an important source of inspiration for this prayer.

National Catholic Reporter, January 8, 1999