Prayers for the Cardinals

There is a delightful book called "A Book of Blessings - and how to write your own"

compiled by Ruth Burgess, and published byWild Goose Publications in 2001.

These two blessings come from this publication and may well be very timely as the College of Cardinals seeks the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,  both in the lead up to the Conclave and the time of the Conclave itself.

The Keeping of Christ

We set the keeping of Christ about you;

we send the guarding of God with you

to possess you, to protect you,

to accompany you

on all your paths,

through trouble, through danger, through loss.

And we set the dancing of the Spirit around you

to comfort and gladden and inspire you,

each day, each night,

each night, each day.              (Kate McLlhagga)

 

Change

May God bless you:

the Creator working constantly through change,

the Christ who comes to share and change our lives,

the Spirit moving in the world and changing it.

May God bless you,

here and now and for all eternity     (Jan Sutch Pickard)

 

and from an anonymous source,

 

Father, you gave us your son Jesus to show us how to be your presence in this world.  Jesus then sent the Spirit to strengthen and sustain us after He returned to you.

With deep confidence, we ask that you bless our Cardinals

 - with the humility of Jesus,

that in their discerment of a new Pope, they may reflect and act out of that same humility, in obedience to your will.

 - with the wisdom of the Spirit,

that they may confidently and wisely read the signs of the times of both our church and our world;

and that they may, in naming these signs, wisely choose a Pope to lead us your people, as we strive to live through these times in accordance with your will.

Our faith and our hope are in you, O God, as we offer our prayers through Christ, our Risen Lord.