ROSARY PRAYERS FOR LGBTQ CHILDREN OF GOD
Photo courtesy of the author.
Introduction
I hardly even want to mention the COVID-19 pandemic because it's been difficult and life-changing for us all, especially for people such as myself who are addicts and mentally ill. During the time of being at home together, my oldest child began discovering the beautiful person she had been created to be. Thirteen years ago, my midwife handed me what we thought was my baby boy, the oldest child of my family. I have always been rather open about things such as puberty, gender, and sexuality, telling my four children that God loves them and created them special, even when I've been unable to believe it about myself. I have worked hard to break cycles of abuse in my family and my children know they are loved by God and by me. While we sat in the quiet during the pandemic, what she discovered was that she was actually a girl. It has changed her life to begin living into the beautiful young woman God created her to be from the very beginning. She chose a new name, Emily. Being transgender in middle school in Mississippi is unkind to say the least, and so as her mother and a member of the LGBTQ community myself, I wrote these prayers for her, to show her she was amazing and loved. That's why the prayers are intended for use personally or as a group. In days when certain people face so much hate, everyone needs to know they are loved and accepted. For me, the cool part about writing prayers is that they are statements of truth, whether I believe those truths at the time I write them, and whether the person praying them has come to believe that truth either. Even if we don't believe it at the time, praying the words is powerful and if we pray then often enough, we believe. To my precious daughter, Emily Wilson, I love you, you are beloved.
The first time around, on all of the weeks beads, you would pray the first set of weeks prayers. The second time around, on all the weeks beads, you would pray the second, etc. The same cruciform prayer is used without the entire three rounds.
These prayers are also designed to be able to be prayed in a group, exchanging the singular for the plural, for example, trading the word “me” for “us.”
Crucifix God, who is love.
The Name of Love
The Glory of Love
The Power of Love
Amen.
Invitatory (beginning) God, the very essence of you is Love.
You have created me in your own image.
When you created me, you declared me to be very good.
You designed me to be unique.
Cruciform God, help me to live authentically as the person you created me to be,
Even when doing so may be difficult or unpopular.
Weeks (1st) You have accepted me as your beloved,
help me to accept others as your beloved,
and help others accept me as your beloved.
Weeks (2nd) You blessed me with my own unique identity,
help me to affirm and accept the identity of others,
and help others to affirm and accept my identity.
Weeks (3rd) You lovingly created me with purpose,
help me to accept and fulfill that purpose,
and to use that purpose for the blessing of others.
Invitatory (closing) Your creativity is beautiful and holy.
I affirm and accept your creation of me.
I affirm and accept your creation of others.
You created me and all of humanity in your holy image.
The image of the divine, residing in all.
To bear witness of your love and beauty.
Crucifix (closing) God, you are love.
You are the source of life.
Amen.
(The opening invocation is taken from Beyond a Binary God: A Theology for Trans* Allies by Tara K. Soughers.)
