Pause
God of loving kindness, I know that there is no place, no matter how high or low, how far or near, where I am separated from Your love. As I prepare myself for prayer, I imagine slipping that love on as a garment, a warm cloak that wraps me in Your care.
Ask
God of new life, I ask for the grace of health and peace during pregnancy. I think of Mary and Elizabeth at the visitation, and I ask for a measure of the same joy that caused John to leap in Elizabeth’s womb. Each new life is a gift from You, and I commend this gift to You for safekeeping.
Listen
As I reflect on the gift of new life, I remember Mary carrying You in her womb, Jesus, and I ask her to keep me holy company as I await the birth of a child. With every movement, let me be assured of Your kindness, God, Your loving attention to the little one within the womb.
Share
I imagine You beside me, Jesus, as I prepare for birth, gathering all the supplies needed to care for a baby. In this special time of waiting, God, draw my heart ever closer to Yours, and allow me to see that just as I rejoice in the coming of this new life, so You always rejoice in me.
Reflect
As I conclude my prayer, I carry Your peace and joy with me, knowing You abide with me in the hope of awaiting a child. Thank you for nurturing this little one at every moment, and for nurturing me as I long for the day of birth, for the gift of holding this child for the first time.
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