One tradition holds that the olive tree was the tree of life planted in Eden. Christian sentiment thinks of the cross as the tree of life that awaits us in paradise restored. From it flows the grace of the Spirit that reaches us through God’s Word and all the sacraments. Those who sink their roots into that stream of grace bear, like the tree, life-giving fruit in prayer and in deeds of kindness, justice, and mercy for all.

Happy indeed is the man

who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

and who ponders his law day and night.

He is like a tree that is planted

beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season

and whose leaves shall never fade;

and all that he does shall prosper.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Isaiah 44:3-4)

I will pour out water upon the thirsty ground,/ and streams upon the dry land;/ I will pour out my spirit upon your offspring,/ and my blessing upon your descendants./ They shall spring up amid the verdure/ like poplars beside the flowing waters.

Go and bear fruit that will remain. (Jn 15:16)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Planted in the house of the Lord,/ they will flourish in the courts of our God,/ still bearing fruit when they are old,/ still full of sap, still green,/ to proclaim that the Lord is just. (Ps 92:14-16a)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet

of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

To Christ our life, we pray:

R/Bear fruit in us!

You are the fount of life:

– enliven the listless spirits of believers who have lost their taste for prayer. R/

You are the tree of life:

– make strong the branches who have been weakened by the storms of daily life. R/

Your Spirit is the living water flowing from your side:

– deepen the roots of those who have grown restless for more abundant life. R/

Your Church is the orchard fed and pruned by your love:

– may all who seek peace find rest in its shade. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

God our Father, by the death of your Son, you planted the seed of the tree of life deep in this earth. By his Resurrection, you gave it light and warmth. By the gift of the Spirit, you water it with the waters of life that flowed from his side on the cross. May our lives bear its fruit, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Raphael BenedictLast Updated: September 28, 2020

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PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28)

Prayer for the Morning