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 my 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 my child. With every movement, let me be assured of Your kindness, God, Your loving attention to the little one within my womb.
Share
I imagine You beside me, Jesus, as I prepare for birth, gathering all the supplies needed to care for my 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 my 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 in my arms for the first time.
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