Lord, we come to you with deep gratitude for all who mother. And we ask these things of you, knowing your maternal heart for us.
For the mothers who are worn out and depleted: Lord, guide them to a quiet place. Let them linger with whatever catches their attention and grace them with a spaciousness for whatever most rejuvenates them.
For the mothers and mothers-to-be whose bodies are hurting and tired: Lord, labor for them with boldness and creativity. Nourish and heal them in extravagant ways.
For the mothers who are carrying the grief of a loss of a child, due to violence, illness, miscarriage, abortion, and all other forms of loss: Lord, envelope them with your solace. Bring peace to every corner of their being. Lavish them with comfort, sensitivity, and hope.
For the mothers who worry about the safety of their children in a racist world: Lord, have mercy on them. Show them how you cry alongside them for justice. Provide them with daily sanctuaries where their bodies can unfurl and they can be held by you.
For the mothers who feel isolated, anxious, and depressed: Lord, nurture them with tenderness. Make your home in their hearts and give them the grace and courage to draw near to you and receive the gifts you so long to give them.
For the mothers who feel disoriented or unanchored: Lord, birth in them an awareness of their daughterhood. Tend to their deep and unspoken dreams. Invite them to dance and create in new and invigorating ways.
For the women who mother their neighbors and communities, who labor for justice and righteousness, who birth new ideas: Lord, may they feel your delight. May they know the significance of their maternal presence in the world.
For the women who long to have children: Lord, hear their desires. Hold them in the waiting and the loss. When the pain gets too hard to bear, labor for them. Invite them to freely lament and hold them close, massaging every word and cry until there is some relief. Reveal their femininity, maternity, and beauty to them in new and glorious ways.
For all who have a difficult or estranged relationship with their mother or children: Lord, bless the humanness. Nurture the inner corners of the relationship with your insight and favor. Inspire hope-filled hearts with a sense of curiosity and compassion.
For all who have lost a mother: Lord, dwell in their thoughts and hearts with your maternal tendencies. Grant them generous glimpses of motherly love.
For the mothers who are in consolation: Lord, bless them with time to cherish and treasure your graces and their learnings. May they enter the next hard thing with a greater awareness of your presence, a deeper trust in you, and a more keen sense of the temporary nature of circumstances.
For Mother Earth: Lord, bless her. Heal her waters, revive her wildlife, and purify her air. Teach us how to live in harmony with her, learn from her, and cherish her.
For all who mother: Lord, may your graces abound in our hearts and lives. May we sense the Divine in the seemingly insignificant tasks of our days. May we grow in the art of motherhood with confidence, wisdom, and joy. May we sense our connection to mothers across the world and through generations, including Mary, Mother of Jesus. May we feel seen, heard, and celebrated. May we know and remember our worth and purpose in this world and respond from that truth to the people and tasks we encounter.
Lord, we rejoice in the ways you mother us. You tend to each of us so faithfully, intimately, and fully. May our hearts be glad, our minds at peace, our bodies at ease, and our spirits aligned with you.
May it be so.
Amen.