How the Eucharistic Prayer Is Bringing Peace into my Life

AnneMarie Miller ponders the unexpected impact that the Eucharistic Prayer is having on her life.

Sometimes I feel anything but peace when I walk into Mass. Whether I’m exhausted from the lengthy process of getting my kids ready and out the door, frustrated at the traffic from the drive to church, or feeling overwhelmed at the long list of things I still need to do, countless factors nag me as I slip into the pew.

However, one day, the Eucharistic Prayer shook me out of this inner turmoil.

Prior to the Consecration, the priest offered a petition that I hadn’t really noticed before: “Order our days in your peace.” Although I had heard, and read, Eucharistic Prayer I many times, this phrase never jumped out at me … until now. In these moments before the bread and wine would be transformed into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, the priest was asking God to transform our lives: to order our days in His peace.

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This prayer, just a short snippet from a lengthy Eucharistic Prayer, is life-changing. How will my attitude, perspective, and life be affected if I offer this prayer in my heart? When I ask God to order my life, I hand the flow of my days to Him. I am relinquishing control. When I ask God to order my day in His peace, I need to let go of my frustrations and anxieties. This is a simple prayer to offer, but I’m finding it hard to live out.

In the moment, it can feel much simpler to hold onto my frustration and irritation. It can seem simpler to let the chaos of life unfold without trying to bring God’s peace into situations. Yet, Jesus calls us to live in His peace:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

I fail time and time again, but I’m trying to follow this call of Christ. Both within and outside of Mass, I’ve begun to focus on God’s peace in a deeper way. I’ve been returning to that petition from the Eucharistic Prayer: “Order our days in your peace.” When I’m ushering children into church or trying to focus during prayer time, when I’m trying to figure out dinner or grasping for sanity as I hold a screaming baby, I send up that prayer as I ask God to bring peace into the situation.

Click to tweet:
When I ask God to order my life, I hand the flow of my days to Him. I am relinquishing control. #CatholicMom

This doesn’t erase all of the challenges and frustrations that I encounter each day, but it shifts my perspective. It is a small reminder that God is ready and waiting to help me and to shower His peace in the day. This prayer has become a little way for me to ask God to transform my life in large and small ways.

What are other ways we can bring God’s peace into each day?

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