A Prayer for Back to School

A Prayer for Back to School

By Lindsay O’Connor

God of new beginnings,
Be with us—students, educators, and we who love them—as a new school year begins. Bless us with awareness of Your presence amidst our excitement, stress, busyness, and anticipation. Allow us to be open to Your work in us throughout this new school year.

God of wisdom,
Help us to grow in knowledge and wisdom that comes from experience. Let us know the joy and fulfillment of learning in an embodied way that involves our heads, hearts, and bodies so that along with wisdom, we grow in humility.

God of compassion,
Some of us begin this school year with heavy hearts and weary bodies. Our grief, physical and mental illnesses, financial difficulties, broken relationships, and other personal struggles do not often follow a calendar and thus follow us into the school year. Let us know intimately the comfort available to us through You, and allow us the blessing of comforting others with the comfort we ourselves have received.

God of unity in diversity,
Thank You for the creativity with which You have created us, for our diverse brains, bodies, and learning styles. Help us and others to see the gifts we bring, even when those unique gifts sometimes feel like burdens. Help us to companion one another well on the journey of self-compassion that leads to compassion for others. Let us not forget that we are all connected and that our well-being is inextricably tied to that of those in community with us.

God of goodness,
Allow our schools and educational institutions to be protected places where people grow and thrive without fear or threat of danger. Protect students and educators from every kind of violence. Help us all to work together to eradicate the forces of oppression that plague the most vulnerable among us, that we might partner with You in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth.

God of abundance,
Thank You for the abundance of goodness we don’t even know to ask for this year but will receive from You. Open our eyes to see the treasures hidden in the everyday, ordinary moments where You dwell.

Amen.

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