GOD, TONIGHT I HAVE NO WORDS.

You answered messages, sorted out what you could, perhaps said once again that everything was fine. Now the house is growing quieter. You would like to pray, but do not know where to begin.

The words you know seem distant. The ones you really need to say come out unfinished. You can bring this struggle into prayer too, without first preparing a more presentable version of the day.

A prayer from CHIARA!

Lord, tonight I don’t know how to tell you properly what is inside me. Some things have hurt me and others I have not yet understood. There are words I said too quickly, and words I could not say.

I come as I am. With the tiredness of this day and the small but real desire not to feel alone before everything.

Receive what I cannot put in order. Help me recognise what I can face tomorrow and what I need to ask for help with.

I think of those I miss. Of those going through struggles I know nothing about. Of those I met without noticing how tired they were. Keep them safe too.

If I have hurt someone, give me the courage to acknowledge it. If I have been hurt, help me seek listening and protection, without confusing peace with having to pretend nothing happened.

I am not asking you to make this a perfect evening. I entrust my life to you as it is and ask for the grace to notice your closeness.

Stay with me as I rest. Accompany me when I return to what awaits me. And teach me, one step at a time, to receive and give love. Amen.

You can pause wherever you need

An original CHIARA! prayer to make your own: read it through, change a word or stay with the line that speaks to you today.

In his catecheses on the Psalms, Francis reminds us that prayer welcomes people’s real feelings. If you prefer words handed down by biblical tradition, you can open a Psalm or slowly return to the Our Father.

For tonight, you might keep just one question: what do I need to talk about, and whom can I speak to tomorrow? Not every burden dissolves as soon as you name it. But you can stop hiding it from yourself too.

If the thought keeping you awake is a result you are waiting for, you can also find a prayer before opening a medical report.