Pause+Pray – Franciscan Media

The Beauty of Ordinary Time

Christopher Wesley — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 09:30:00 +0000

Reflect

It’s easy to chase after mountaintop moments—big conversions, deep retreats, life-changing revelations. But most of life happens on the plains, in the quiet repetition of ordinary days. And it’s there, too, that grace shows up. Sometimes, the miracle is simply getting up and saying yes again.

Pray

God of the everyday,
Help me to find you in the ordinary.
In dishes and deadlines, in laughter and laundry.
Let me not miss your whisper
because I’m waiting for a shout.

Act

Choose one everyday task today—washing a cup, folding a shirt, answering an email—and offer it to God as a prayer of gratitude and love.

Work for Greater Equality

Shannon K. Evans — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 09:30:00 +0000

Reflect

Racism is a deeply rooted malady in every society in the world and must be uprooted with intentionality and awareness. May this prayer aid you in your anti-racism work to be a better disciple of Jesus.

Pray

God of justice, all people are made in your image
and all people have equal dignity and worth.
Show me the ways I have been blind
to my own prejudices
and help me be part of the healing
rather than part of the problem.
May I have the humility to learn
and the courage to call others forth
to a world of greater equality.
Amen.

Act

Find and employ one action to equip your anti-racism work. Sign up for an online course, read a book, or bring in a person of color as a speaker to your parish or faith community.

Rupture and Repair

Kyle Kramer — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 09:30:00 +0000

Reflect

Whenever we have serious conflict in our relationships with family, friends, or coworkers, it’s tempting to demonize the other person or even sever the relationship. Even in the best relationships, however, there are moments of rupture. The messy work of love and redemption is to find ways to heal, repair, and deepen our connections with each other.

Pray

Lord,
We know that death and resurrection
are the pattern of all things that matter.
In moments when we are angry, hurt, or estranged,
may we have the strength to be vulnerable,
to soften rather than harden our hearts.
Give us the grace we need to give grace to others,
so our love and care can lead to new life and deeper love.

Act

When you have gotten sideways with someone you love, don’t expect them to make the first move toward reconciliation—even if you think the conflict is their fault. Without papering over hard things, find a way to tell and show them that you value the relationship and are willing to find ways to come back together. Unless there is abuse, try never to close the door on the possibility for a renewed relationship.

Overcoming Obstacles

Melanie Rigney — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 09:30:00 +0000

Reflect

Reading didn’t come easily to Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), and she didn’t learn to write until she was an adult. But Catherine wasn’t about to let those limitations and other obstacles—including her parents’ desire to marry her off—get in the way of God’s plan. The 400 or so writings—many of them dictated to others—that Catherine left behind paint a powerful picture of God’s love for us.

Pray

Jesus,
protect me today
from the Evil one’s whispers
that others
know better than you
what’s best for me.

Act

Make your time with God today a dialogue. Don’t do all the talking.

Seeking Serenity

Maureen O'Brien — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 09:30:00 +0000

Reflect

When headlines of injustice weigh us down, where do we turn? This week, I had a conversation with a dear friend about the state of the world, and we ended up agreeing about the power of the Serenity Prayer: “The prayer doesn’t say ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, unless those things happen to be upsetting world events’.” We found comfort together in this prayer that upholds that no matter what is going on, no matter what issues we cannot change, we can still seek serenity.

Pray

When the world seems
overshadowed with despair
a line from this trusted prayer
can break through
like a sudden rectangle of sun.
Guide us today, God,
to return to words
we already know.
Finding renewal, waiting right here.
May we reach out
and touch their hope and their light.

Act

Today, I will let go. I will repeat this familiar prayer throughout my day, seeking both serenity and acceptance.

Our Father’s World

Carol Ann Morrow — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 09:30:00 +0000

Reflect

Long distances can lead to ignorance of civil unrest, hunger, natural disasters. This is Our Father’s World, as the song says. Though far away, all the globe’s peoples are brothers and sisters to us.

Pray

I sense your mighty hand, O God,
in the incredible variety of languages,
customs, and beliefs across this planet
you have flung out beyond the stars.
Stretch my heart to acknowledge this immensity.
Help me use the news to shape my concerns
for those who suffer from the effects of war,
of weather, of human greed.
I ask a shower of mercy on the poor, the neglected,
the lonely, the bitter, the imprisoned, and the dying.
I would be a citizen of this world,
joined to all those I hope to meet in the next.

Act

Embrace a nation today about which you know little. Learn something new about it. Then pray for its peoples and its problems.