Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer

Gracious, all-seeing God, You know us through and through, because You have created us, You walk with us, You are in love with us, and became one of us in Jesus. Your knowledge is awesome and frightening. You watch attentively to our choices and the way we treat each other and Your creation. Give us Your Gentleness and smiling Compassion. Let Your Wisdom penetrate our hearts with the gift of wonder and understanding, as You understand and wonder. Breathe life into the child in us and free us to play again with wonder amid boring cynicism of our adulthood. Make us comfortable with the child in us who is Your hopeful, restless Spirit breathing and playing, reminding us that You are at our core — You, Who are ever young in Your hope and trust of us! Reveal our truest self in the child deep within, who is Your Child!