One of the new features I’m adding to Beyond Blue this week is the “Prayer of the Week.”
A couple of reasons for this:
1) I’m trying to get more spiritual, and I’m using my fear deadlines to get there. Deadlines hold great power over me. If I force myself to write a prayer every week by Monday, some of my spiritual homework is done before I get to Tuesday.
2) I love to write prayers, or to record my dialog with God. The process reminds me that I am in a relationship with Him, and that we need to sit down and talk once in awhile. The prayer allows me to pencil in some time for God.

3) One day I’d like to compile my prayers in a book for holy whackjobs like myself.
4) By basing the prayer on Sunday’s readings, I will have to pay attention at Mass (and attend Mass), and be mindful of the Gospel readings all week long.
5) They give you, Beyond Blue readers, a sanity update from me so that you know where the posts of the week are coming from: a fearful and anxious writer, or a fearful, anxious but stable writer.
But rest assured, these are not pious prayers. I’m trying to be as honest with God as I am with you.