Dear heavenly Father,

Help us to truly follow Jesus by renouncing all condemning, unloving and unforgiving attitudes that might still linger in us, even if we have held them for years.  And let us turn all of that into positive action, learning to love our enemies, doing good to those who treat us badly.  Teach us to pray for all those who oppose us, so that they might come to know your mercy even as we have.

Teach us to truly treat others just as we ourselves would wish to be treated.

May our lives be full of good works, all consistent with the teaching of Christ, and may the foundation of our spiritual house be built on the rock, so that it will stand when the inevitable storms of life pound against it.

In Christ,

Amen.