NIGHT PRAYER: Halloween

 

It's Halloween, Lord!

 

Image source

It's time, Lord, to ponder the costumes we don 

    - the rest of the year -

when we outfit ourselves

    as someone or something we're not

    - or hide the persons we are...

Our costumes hang in our closets,

the day-to-day clothing we wear

    to make ourselves more attractive,

    to conceal or highlight the shape we're in, 

    to show that we're up to date with the times

    or to distance ourselves from trends and fads... f

But you, Lord, you care little

    about style, couture, color and cut, 

    designer label or off the rack,

    old or new, hot - or not... 

 

Instead, you look to our hearts, Lord,

and are pleased when you find them naked,

    bare and exposed to your healing touch

that you might swaddle and clothe us

    in your kindness, compassion and love...

St. Paul reminds us:

    Clothe ourselves in heartfelt mercy

        and  put on garments of gentleness,

            humility and patience...*

 

Strip me of all my pretense, Lord, 

    my desire to be who I am not:

and make me content to be and become

    the person you've made and call me to be...

 

Clothe me in peace and outfit me, Lord,

    for the work that's mine to do;

robe my heart in a garment of love

    and garb me in grace and strength...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

    and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

 

*Tonight's song draws its lyrics from Colossians 3:12-17

 

Because You Are Chosen by John Michael Talbot

 

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Because you are chosen 

Called to be holy 

Because you are the Lord’s beloved

You must clothe yourself with kindness

With heartfelt mercy 

In the meekness of humility

 

So bear you now with one another

And forgive as the Lord’s forgiven you

Over all these virtues

Bind them all together

In the Love of our Lord Jesus

 

Over all these virtues

Bind them all together

In the Love of our Lord Jesus

Over all these virtues

Bind them all together

In the Love of our Lord Jesus  

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A prayer for Halloween

 

It's time for tricks or treats, Lord!

It's Halloween 

    - and I'm knocking at your door!

I haven't come in costume

  because I know you see behind all the masks I wear:

        you see through my games,

        my pranks and charades, 

        my stunts and my antics,

        my capers and cons,

        foolishness, all 

           - and sometimes worse...

So, I come with this Halloween prayer, Lord:

    a prayer for mercy and pardon 

    a plea for your healing forgiveness

for all my shenanigans, mischief and sins

    and the tricks I've tried to play on you

        - and my duping myself and my neighbor...

 

I trust in your loving kindness, Lord

    so much so that I'm bold to say:

        "No tricks  - but a treat  I'll ask this year,

            the grace of a Halloween blessing:

        treat me with mercy, healing and peace

            on this eve of the feast of All Saints

        and fill my arms, my heart and my soul

            with the sweetness and joy of your grace...

Amen.

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Where did Halloween come from?

A Franciscan site (no longer online) once answered some questions about the origins of Halloween and its connection to All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

When you think of Halloween, what comes to mind? For a lot of people, Halloween has become synonymous with candy, costumes, scary stuff, witches, ghosts and pumpkins. But do you know the Christian connection to the holiday?

The true origins of Halloween lie with the ancient Celtic tribes who lived in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany. For the Celts, November 1 marked the beginning of a new year and the coming of winter. The night before the new year, they celebrated the festival of Samhain, lord of the dead. During this festival, Celts believed the souls of the dead, including ghosts, goblins and witches, returned to mingle with the living. In order to scare away the evil spirits, people would wear masks and light bonfires.

When the Romans conquered the Celts, they added their own touches to the Samhain festival, such as making centerpieces out of apples and nuts for Pomona, the Roman goddess of the orchards. The Romans also bobbed for apples and drank cider, traditions which may sound familiar to you. But where does the Christian aspect of the holiday come into play? In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration for all martyrs (later all saints) from May 13 to November 1. The night before became known as All Hallows' Eve or  Eventually the name was shortened to the current Halloween. On November 2, the Church celebrates All Souls Day, a day to pray for all the departed.

The purpose of these feasts is to remember those who have died, whether they are officially recognized by the Church as saints or not. It is a celebration of the "communion of saints," which reminds us that the Church is not bound by space or time.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that through the communion of saints "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things" (CCC #1475).

  

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The continuing impact of Erika Kirk's words of forgiveness...

    Erika Kirk reacts after President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of freedom to her murdered husband Charlie Kirk in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, on Oct. 14, 2025.

 

Here's a link to a thoughtful article on the impact and implications of Erika Kirk's words of forgiveness at her husband's memorial service.

 

 

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Out of town!

I'm pleased to say I'm leaving today for a few days out of town! I'll be back on Sunday night, November 2. While I'm away, posting here will be less frequent than usual - I'll be back to my regular schedule on Monday, November 3.

 

 

 

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Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 10/28

   Image souorce

 

I pray this morning, Lord, for the person I know 

    who may be most in need of prayer...

 

And I pray today for all of those I don't know

    who are standing in the need of prayer...

 

I pray for those who haven't prayed in years

     - or have given up on prayer...

 

I pray for those who've forgotten how to pray

    - and don't know how to start again...

 

I pray this morning, Lord,

    for those afraid to ask for prayers

        - or who have no one to ask...

 

And I pray for those who always pray for others

    but find it hard to pray for their own needs...

I pray for those who often pray

    in sighs and tears and sobs...

 

And I pray for those who can't find words for prayer

    but whose silence echos clearly in your heart...

 

And I pray for those who pray today

    with gratitude, in joy...

And I'm grateful for the prayers, Lord, 

    that others pray for me:

 we're all in this together,

    we stand in need of prayer...

Amen.

Standing In the Need of Prayer, 

    an African-American Spiritual

        performed by Beyond the Walls Choir 

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 10/27

I posted this prayer way back in Lent...  As you'll see it's a prayer based on words we pray just after the Lord's Prayer every time we celebrate the Eucharist.  Each time I pray these words at mass they seem to echo more clearly and tragically how much we need call on the Lord for help - especially in these very troubled times...  So let's pray this again - and don't miss the awesome song at the end of tonight's prayer...

 

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, 
    grant us peace in our own day,
        in your mercy, keep us free from sin
            and safe from all distress...

 

Every time we come to your table, Lord,

    we make some very big requests

        - the same big requests!

 

We pray for  

     - deliverance from every evil

     - peace - right now

     - freedom from sin

     - and a life safe from all distress...

As this day ends, I'm thinking:

    maybe we should pray these words every night!

 

Those four petitions sum up so well

    so much of what we need from you,

    so much of what we long for:

        the deliverance, peace, freedom and safety

            that only you can offer, that only you can give...

So, tonight, Lord, I pray again

  that you deliver us from every evil:

    - the evils of racism, poverty and war 

    - the evil of consumerism, greed and selfishness

    - the evil of twisting and distorting the truth

        for personal gain, pleasure and advantage

    - the evil that masquerades as virtue
    - the evil of assaults on human life

        in all its shapes and forms
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil...

 

And I pray, Lord, for peace in our own day, 

    the peace that only you can give:

        - peace in our world and in our nation,

            in our communities, streets and neighborhoods

        - peace among peoples of different faiths

            and peace in our own Church

        - peace in our families and in our homes

        - peace in our minds, hearts and souls,

        -  peace with you, Lord

            and peace with ourselves

And I pray for this peace to come sooner than later:

        even now, Lord - even now...

In our own day, Lord,

    graciously grant us peace...

 

And tonight I pray that you keep us free from sin, Lord:
   - free from temptation and its wily ways
   - free from sin that becomes a habit
   - free from sins of omission and silence
   - free from the sins we find hard to acknowledge

   - free from sin that divides your people
   - free from sin that keeps us from you

        and your word, your love and your peace
Keep us free from sin, Lord...

 

And tonight, Lord, I pray 

that you  keep us safe from all distress:
   - the distress of worry, doubt and fear
   - the distress of disease, illness and pain
   - the distress of terrorism, tyranny and war
   - the distress of grief, anxiety and depression
   - the distress of hunger, homelessness and want
   - the distress of discouragement, loneliness and despair
Keep us safe from all distress, Lord...

 

I know, Lord - I'm praying for, I'm asking a lot!

But this is what we need 

    and you are all we have;

you're the source of every blessing,

    our best and only hope!

We pray with humble hearts, Lord,

for the grace that's yours to give:

    - the grace to help us turn from all evil

        whenever, wherever, however we meet it;

    - the grace to work for that mercy and justice

        whose harvest is unity, fairness and peace

    - the grace to turn from the path of sin 

        and follow the path your wisdom and truth

    - the grace to turn to you in distress

         and to offer refuge to all those in need...

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, 
    grant us peace in our own day,
        in your mercy, keep us free from sin
            and safe from all distress...

And all of this, Lord, while we wait for you 

    to come again, at the end of time,

and even now, in our own day:

    our Savior, our hope and our God... 

Protect us, Lord, while we're awake
    and watch over us as we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

I'm not sure there could be a better song to accompany tonight's prayer than this piece by Paul Zach.

 Good Lord, Deliver Us by Paul Zach

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Good Lord
Good Lord
Good Lord, deliver us
Good Lord
Good Lord
Good Lord, deliver us

 

From the merchants in the temple 

and the worship of our greed; 

from the whisper of the tempter:     

    we should take more than we need; 

from the chains of wealth and plunder.

from our avarice and pride, 

from the ever growing hunger, 

from our vanity and strife

From our constant quest for power 

    over all that we survey; 

from the lies that we devour; 

from the fears we cannot face; 

come and save us from our demons,

come and strip away our hate;

come O Lord, restore our reason;

come O Christ, the time is late

 

Good Lord, good Lord, good Lord:

    deliver us! 

Good Lord, good Lord, good Lord:

    deliver us! deliver us! deliver us!

  

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Monday Morning Offering: 10/27

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

What I offer you this morning, Lord,

    is a very simple prayer

        for a gift we need so much... 

 

I offer you a prayer for peace:

    in my family, near and far,

    at work and in my neighborhood,

    in my nation and my town,

    in my Church

    and all around the world...

 

I offer you my prayer, Lord:

    for the peace we've failed to make or find, 

    for the peace that only you can give,

    for the peace that goes beyond our dreams,

    for the peace we need to survive,

    for the peace we need to thrive

    for the peace that finally makes us one

    in you and in your Spirit... 

 

So I pray for your peace

    to soften our hardness of heart,

    to relieve our fear and foreboding

    and to tame our lust for power...

 

And I pray for your peace 

    to free us to feed the hungry, 

    to give us a hunger for justice, 

    to transform our arms and munitions

        into tools for building and farming...

 

Give us your peace, Lord, 

    to sweeten our speech with kindness, 

    to heal what divides and tears us apart,   

    to resolve all our stubborn conflicts,    

    and to render our world a place of trust,

        of hope, compassion and love...  

 

So, this is my morning offering, Lord,

    this very simple prayer,

a plea for a gift we need so much,

    a prayer for your gift of peace...

 

Amen. 

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