Daily Reading for October 28 • St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles

O Lord Jesus our God,
Who called people from their daily work
Saying to them, ‘Come ye after me’,
May your children today hear your voice
And gladly answer your call
To give their lives to you,
To serve your Church,
To offer their gifts
And give away their hearts
To you only.
Bless their hopes,
The first tiny stirrings of desire,
The little resolve to go forward,
The small vision of what might be.
Deal gently with their fears
The hesitation of uncertainty,
The darkness of the unknown,
The lack of confidence in their own capacity,
And turn it all to trust in you.

A prayer by Gabrielle Hadington of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, quoted in The Oxford Book of Prayer, edited by George Appleton (Oxford, 1985).