Feb 22, 2024
O disciple of John
and shepherd who drank deeply
of the cup of Christ’s suffering,
you who bore both
the burden of a long life
and the pain of a violent death
yet remained faithful
till the end –
pray that the fire into which we are cast
we may also endure
as the sacrifice of Jesus
and so find it fruitful,
and so find it blessed…
and so rejoice in the witness
we are granted to give
in the name of our Savior.
May the offering of our lives
join with your own and all the saints’
in rising as holy incense
to the throne of God
and serve as witness,
to the eyes that behold us,
of the Lord’s great power and love.