O God of peace, you sent Saint John to teach the way to inner silence and outward peace. Through his intercession, renew in your Church a deep spirit of prayer as we prepare to welcome your Word, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer taken from Magnificat Magazine – US edition, Morning Prayer, Thursday, December 14, 2023.

Images Saint John of the Cross (San Juan de la Cruz), 1675; Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington