Opening Prayer
Jesus, friend and brother, it is almost Lent. Time to pig out one last time in a Mardi Gras of celebration as we prepare to walk the desert that in suffering and discerning discipline we might be refined and shine with your glory. We create so much evil, division, tension, anxiety and misunderstanding by trying to be and do what is not us. My dark emptiness grabs and consumes, causing violence as I try to fill myself with emptiness. There is a war raging within me. Bring peace, Jesus. Enliven and embrace the inner child who still trusts and knows you, rather than the hardened, power seeking adult who lurks in silence and works with violence. Gentle me to surrender into your arms, as you surrendered yourself into God’s arms on the cross. Let pain not breed fear within me.
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