Let us pray that strength and
courage abundant be given to each of us
as we work together to heal and renew our world where
human dignity, freedom, and human flourishing prevail.
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That the good that is in our hearts may day by day be magnified
and generously shared with others especially the unwanted and
unloved in our midst and those who have no place to call home;
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That each of us will come to see more clearly not that which
divides us, but that which unites us;
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That each hour and day may bring us closer to a greater understanding
and mutual respect for one another, not of one against another;
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That the true spirit of this Christmas Season, the Commemoration of the Birth of Jesus, its joy,
its beauty, its hope, and above all His abiding love of every person who has ever been born,
may live within each of us and to those entrusted to our care;
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That the blessings of peace be ours, the peace to build and grow,
to care and to comfort one another with compassion, to live in harmony
and humility with those with ideas and dreams different than our own, of age, color,
ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, and lifestyle, so that we might pray, live
and work together and to plan our future with confidence. Amen.
Let us make our way to Bethlehem and look earnestly upon this Word, which has been made flesh, the immense God who has been made a little Child (Gueric of Igny, Christmas Sermons)
Office of Health Services, Dominican Friars Province of St. Joseph – 2017
(18 December 2017)