I lift my eyes to the heavens where does my help come from?
I lift my hands to the sky ready to bring the kingdom come
I lift my voice in song, singing praises to the Holy One
I lift my life in honor to the Christ: God's only begotten son

Whatever is holy whatever is pure
Whatever is just whatever is right
What good you do you can be sure
Is pure and blameless in His sight
Let peace and mercy and hope endure
In a world full of misplaced love
We can rest easy our souls secure
For we rest in the heart of God above
We are sick and looking for a cure
Options exhausted we begin to doubt
Some miracle drug to help reassure
That, in the end, things will all work out
I've heard of some great treasure
And the claim it makes is pretty bold
Still, its promise holds a strange allure
And many swear by it I have been told
This Jesus fellow, they say, He can save
How He loves us beyond all measure
Some even claim he rose from the grave
And from our right living He takes pleasure
Whatever is pure and holy
Whatever is good and true
And goodness in us is only
God's work in me and you

Don't be afraid, but be brave,
Have courage and take a leap of faith.
Step out on the edge beyond the known,
Dare to move outside of your comfort zone.
You can't be disappointed if you don't try
You also won't find that you were meant to fly.
Take a chance on loving and you will see
Take a chance on living all there is to be.
I give you my peace, my peace, I give to you
Look into my eyes and you will see it is true.
Don't be afraid but be brave.

Lord, there has been so much anger, violence and death lately; so many innocent lives lost. It breaks my heart; I know your heart aches for them as well. You, Oh Lord, are the Great Comforter. You know our suffering and pain for you suffered too for us on the Holy Cross. Lord, help us unite our pain with yours and offer these sorrows up for the grace and peace of those victims, their loved ones, and especially for the souls of those who hurt so many. Mary, mother of God, you were no stranger to sorrow. Comfort and console us as we grieve the loss of our children and, in your mercy, help us cling ever tighter to your Son our Lord Jesus Christ that we may not lose our faith in God or in humanity. God, give us the courage to move forward, give us the grace to forgive, and give us the strength and peace to heal. Amen

Be watchful, be alert, be vigilant
Guard your soul and do not be lax.
Prepare yourselves for the moment
When the thief suddenly attacks.
Build up treasure in your heart
Where thieves and dust cannot destroy
Where moths and rust cannot corrupt.
Guard your heart from evil things
Fill it instead with the perfect love of Christ.
Care for your spiritual health and faith
As a man cares for his lawn
Or, a gardener, his plots.
Arm yourself with the weapons
Of fasting, truth and prayer.
Be unified and protect one another
Breathe deeply the sanctified air
Be a band of sister and brother,
Linked by threads of grace
And by bonds of purest love
And army of angels and a sea of saints
Fight by our side defending our souls.
So you, my brothers and my sisters,
When the day comes at that unknown time
May the Lord find us prepared and ready
That we may partake of the wedding feast
With our fellow man
At the supper of the Lamb.

You search me Oh Lord and you know me,
You created me before I was even born.
In the palm of your hand I was formed:
Created in your image and likeness.
There is a part of you that lives in me.
You live in me and I am alive in you.
You knew my inmost being even before
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
What do you see when you look deep inside
To the dark places that I try so hard to hide?
You love me just the same and then,
With tender, loving, nail-scarred hands
You reach down and pick them up.
You illuminate and restore them.
Lord, you take broken things
And make them beautiful.
I am broken and you make me beautiful.
You took the cross and made it a bridge,
A gruesome death and turned it into life.
You were pierced and you poured forth healing
All so that, one day, I might come to know you
As you, my God, have always known me.

The years pass and the seasons change
And sometimes I wonder am I still the same?
I look around and see others moving by
And I feel like standing water: still and dry
Am I in a desert of my own designs
Or are you leading me to the divine?
Lord, I feel like I should be waiting for you
Or am I just afraid of what you're calling me to?
My heart and my mind are at odds again
Locked in a battle of faith and of reason
Lord Holy Spirit come now and descend
Put these two warriors to rest and easin'
Lord, take my fear, and in your mercy, grant me peace
You love me perfectly
And perfect love drives out all fear
Break through this stubbornness
And help me to draw ever near
Near to your heart and into your arms
A refuge of safety, a place that warms
Through all of these questions, fears, and doubts
There is one thing that I'm quite sure about:
I have your life within me
And it changes everything
Though sometimes I can't see
Just what difference it will bring
Change me Lord from the outside in
That I may be transfigured: made holy and pure
Making beauty from wretchedness is a miracle to be sure
You lift me from the ashes and breathe life into my bones
My spirit cries out to you with sweet and wordless groans
I am not, today, as I was once, before,
I have grown and matured and what's more
I am a work in progress, I am still being made
And so, my fears of stagnancy are allayed