Praying this Sunday for Berlin, where hatred has brought grief to a city that should have been celebrating, and for the Cairngorms, where fire has swept through God’s creation. May God grant comfort to the grieving, protection to the vulnerable, and peace to all who are afraid.

You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.

A note as I settle into a different way of life as a solitary: substack.com/@brshepardsb....

A New Name, A Quieter Way

Following the Shepherd

substack.com

Offering Compline this night for those who kept something together that was close to falling apart. May God hold what you steadied, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who held their ground in a small, quiet way today. May God honour that steadiness, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who lost track of the day and are only now catching up with themselves. May God gather the scattered hours, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who closed a door today, knowing they would not open it again. May God keep you in the leaving, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who left a message unsent and chose silence instead. May God hold what you kept back, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who felt a small, unexpected kindness today and are still carrying it. May God let it take root, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who are carrying something tender they don’t yet understand. May God hold it gently, and grant you rest.

Offering Offices this day for my bonus dad, a faithful shepherd and steady guide. It’s his birthday, and I’m giving thanks for him reaching the end of his cancer treatment. Please join me in praying for him today.

Offering Compline this night for those who stood in a doorway a moment longer than needed, unsure whether to go in or turn back. May God meet you in the threshold, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who kept something to themselves today to keep the peace. May God hold what you held back, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who took a longer way home just to have a little more time to think. May God meet you on the road, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who kept the lights on longer than they needed to. May God meet you in the moment you finally let the dark come, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who are laying down more than just the day. May God receive what you release, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who felt a little more like themselves today. May God guard that glimpse, and give you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who are learning to live with unanswered questions. May God keep you in the waiting, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who moved through the day on instinct alone. May God bless what carried you, and give you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who are carrying a decision that still feels uncertain. May God hold you steady, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who felt like a guest in their own life today. May God bring you home to yourself, and give you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who are tired of starting over. May God honour every beginning, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who reached the end of the day without a clear sense of what it all meant. May God keep you in the unknowing, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who are holding a disappointment no one else noticed. May God be gentle with what aches, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who are letting the day end without getting the last word. May God hold what remains unsaid, and grant you rest.

Friends, please join me in praying for the repose of the soul of Fr. Denis Geoghegan OCSO of Mount St. Bernard Abbey, who died today. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Offering Compline this night for those who feel like they’re falling behind in their own life. May God keep pace with you, and grant you rest.

Offering Compline this night for those who did one necessary thing today, and let that be enough. May God bless what was possible, and grant you rest.

Post–Holy Week power-down button: pressed. Silence, sleep, and letting everything settle.

Offering Compline this night for those who don’t have the energy to be hopeful, only to be here. May God honour your staying, and keep watch while you rest.