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Religious People Happier Than Non-Religious People

The Wired Word for the Week of October 19, 2025

In the News

Religious people "self-identify as happier than non-religious people," reports Ryan Burge in Graphs about Religion. "There's just no mistaking that conclusion." The 2023-2024 Pew Religious Landscape Survey asked respondents the question: "Generally, how happy are you with your life these days?" Among the 37,000 people who responded, 28% said they were very happy, 58% were pretty happy, and only 13% were not too happy. When participation in religion was factored in, there was a noticeable increase in overall happiness.

The survey revealed that happiness increases along with attendance at worship. People who attend a house of worship on a yearly basis are six percentage points more likely to be very happy compared to people who never attend. Monthly attenders are three percentage points happier than yearly attenders. Weekly attenders are four percentage points happier than monthly attenders. Concludes Burge: "The most religiously active are easily the happiest."

A sobering dimension of this survey is that only 8% of the people surveyed fall into the weekly attendance (or more frequent attendance) category. Half of the survey group attends worship seldom or never. But 43% of the people who are the most religious are "very happy," compared to 22% of those who are not religious. The study also found that Christians are more likely to be "very happy" than members of other world religions or people who are not religious.

How about the effect of watching worship services online? "The folks who watch services online are happier than those who don't consume any online religious programming," reports Burge. But there is little evidence that online worship can replace in-person worship, at least in terms of happiness. "Going to a house of worship in person on a regular basis has a demonstrably large impact on personal happiness," concludes Burge. "Attending online does seem to increase happiness as well, but the effect is much more muted."

Another study found that people enjoy doing things together, which connects with the happiness that people find in attendance at worship. New research published in Social Psychological and Personality Sciences found that many people enjoy spending time around others, even doing activities that are not traditionally seen as being social.

Yahoo reports that researchers analyzed 105,766 activity episodes from 41,094 people who participated in the American Time Use Survey (a U.S. Census Bureau study that collects data on how people spend their time). Activities that people typically do with others, such as eating and drinking, were understandably linked with more happiness. But there were also some activities such as reading and cleaning, traditionally done alone, that increased feelings of happiness when done with others. "Every activity was significantly more enjoyable with other people," the researchers concluded.

People are social by nature, said Dr. Aaron P. Brinen, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "We’re designed to thrive in social groups," he said. "Doing things with others taps into our biological need for connection." It is no surprise that the Greek word for church, ekklesia, is a word that simply means "gathering" or "assembly."

TWW Team Member Bill Tammeus writes that religious people "are more likely to be surrounded by a supportive community that can share their load. It's certainly possible to be a lone wolf inside a religious congregation but it strikes me as more likely (and much of this comes from my own experience) that they feel part of a group of people who try, however imperfectly, to love and support one another."

Religion grounds people in practices that provide structure and comfort. Marriage and funerals are offered in a variety of religions, along with baptism, confirmation and Communion in the Christian tradition. Even the Lord's Prayer can have benefits -- Tammeus says "to be saying the same prayer today that, by the scriptural account, Jesus taught to his disciples 2,000 years ago can be a source of comfort and, thus, happiness."

The Washington Post reports that four recent surveys, taken between 2010 and 2021, have asked people how meaningful certain activities are to them, and how happy they feel when they do them. The activities are graded on a six-point scale, and the most meaningful and happiness-inducing are religious and spiritual activities. They get a score of 5.1.

And how about places of worship? The surveys have also looked at locations, and have found that places of worship are ranked as being very happy places. They get a score of 5.2 points, while at the bottom are banks, with a score of 3.8 points. For many people, churches are among the happiest places on earth.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Religious People Are Happier Than Non-Religious People. Graphs about Religion

Scientists Reveal the Simple Secret to Feeling Happier -- And It's Not What You Think. Yahoo

The Happiest, Least Stressful, Most Meaningful Jobs in America. The Washington Post

Applying the News Story

Reflect on the happiness you find in your faith, the benefits you gain from gathering with others, and the value you find in spending time in church.

The Big Questions

1. What makes you the happiest? In what places do you find joy? Be specific.

2. When do you most enjoy gathering with others? What do you like to do alone? When, if ever, do you like to have people around you when you are performing an activity that is traditionally done alone?

3. How do you feel when you enter your place of worship? What happiness do you find there that is not available elsewhere? Name the dimensions of life in church that give you joy.

4. What can your congregation do to increase the happiness of church members and guests? Why is this important, if at all?

5. The practice of the Christian faith certainly evokes feelings beyond happiness. What are they, and why are they important in a life of discipleship?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD, and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (For context, read Nehemiah 8:1-10.)

The book of Nehemiah tells the story of the people of Judah, back in Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon. Their governor Nehemiah led them in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and instituting social and religious reforms, and the priest Ezra stood and read from scripture while the people listened.

The people hung on Ezra's every word, and the Hebrew text was interpreted by leaders standing nearby. You see, even though Ezra was reading the Scriptures loud and clear, the people could not understand them completely until they were interpreted in the more familiar Aramaic language. Like worshipers today, they needed scripture to be read and interpreted. A group of leaders helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. 

The people of Jerusalem gathered beneath a wooden platform and listened to the law of God being read. They knew that to "understand" the Bible means, quite literally, to "stand under" the Bible -- to place ourselves under its authority, to take it personally, to allow our lives to be shaped by it and to give it our trust and our confidence. Then Nehemiah told them to go off and celebrate, because "the joy of the LORD is your strength." The Word of God, both read and interpreted, can refresh our souls and guide our steps.

Questions: How do you benefit from the Word of God being read and interpreted in a service of worship? Where do you find happiness in a worship gathering? When, if ever, have you found strength in "the joy of the LORD"?

Psalm 22:22
I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you ... (For context, read Psalm 22:22-25.)

Psalm 22 is a song of lament, a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. It begins with the cry for help that Jesus offered from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (v. 1). But the psalm also includes several declarations of confidence (vv. 3-5, 9-11), along with an expression of assurance that God hears and responds (vv. 22-25).

This final section begins with the promise, "I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters." The psalmist makes a commitment to testify to God's deliverance, with the intention to praise God "in the midst of the congregation." The writer is grateful, saying that God "did not hide his face from me but heard when I cried to him" (v. 24).

Questions: What feelings arise from declaring confidence in God, and speaking about his help? Why is it good to do this "in the midst of the congregation," instead of alone? How does faith in God increase your comfort and joy?

Luke 11:1
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." (For context, read Luke 11:1-10.)

The gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus was praying "in a certain place" one day -- a very happy place for him. After he finished this spiritual activity -- number one on the happiness scale -- one of his disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray." This disciple wanted to get better at prayer, so that he could enjoy the happiness and stress relief that comes from praying well. Jesus agreed, because he wanted his disciples to pray in a way that drew them closer to God, with a sense of happiness and peace that cannot be found anywhere else.

So, Jesus said to his disciples, "When you pray, say: Father" (v. 2). Or, "Our Father in heaven." Over time, the prayer evolved into the version often used today, "Our Father, who art in heaven." Regardless of the exact wording, the teaching is that prayer creates a personal connection to the God who is as close to us as a loving parent. But this parent is not trapped in the world that we live in, as our earthly parents are. No, God is our Father in heaven -- God rules eternally from an infinite spiritual kingdom, caring for those of us who live in this finite physical world.

Jesus goes on to say that we should ask God for what we need for life. "Give us each day our daily bread" (v. 3). "And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial" (v. 4). Daily bread, forgiveness of sin, avoidance of trials and temptations: All of these are legitimate needs. God wants to give us what we need.

Since God is a loving parent, we can trust that our prayers will be answered and our needs will be met -- Jesus says, "Ask, and it will be given to you" (v. 9). God wants us to be happy. God wants to reduce our stress. God wants to fill our lives with meaning. And that is why the happiest place on earth is reached by connecting with God through prayer.

Questions: How does prayer draw you closer to God, and give you a sense of happiness and peace? What requests do you make of God in prayer? How has God answered your prayers and met your needs? Be specific.

Acts 11:26

... So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called "Christians." (For context, read Acts 11:19-26.)

In the early days of the church, the followers of Jesus were fleeing Jerusalem because of the persecution of Stephen. They scattered throughout the Mediterranean region, and some ended up in Antioch, which is in modern-day Turkey. Initially, the refugees from Jerusalem gathered only with people who shared their Jewish background. But there were also some followers of Jesus who had their roots in Cyprus and Cyrene. When they came to Antioch, they spoke to the non-Jewish Hellenists also, and they proclaimed "the Lord Jesus" (v. 20).

Acts tells us that the "hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord" (v. 21). Antioch is often called the cradle of Christianity because it played such an important role in the emergence of the Christian faith. It started with people simply coming together as followers of Jesus Christ.

The congregation, Barnabas and Saul met together, learned from each other, and encouraged each other.  It was a life-giving time, and Acts tells us that it was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called "Christians." This initial use of the word "Christian" is an important historical event, but it is equally significant that Barnabas and Saul met with a group called "the church." This is only the sixth time in the entire book of Acts that the word "church" is used.

The word "church" is important because it means "assembly" or "gathering." In the New Testament, the Greek word is ekklesia, which literally means "the called out ones" -- a group of people who have been called out to a meeting. When you say you are going to church, you are really saying that you are going to an assembly, a gathering, a meeting. The line from Acts which  says, "they met with the church" (v. 26) could also be translated as "they associated with the association," or "they assembled with the assembly," or "they gathered with the gathering" or "they met with the meeting."

Questions: How are you inspired by gathering with other members of the church? When has your happiness been increased by coming together with followers of Jesus? What other assemblies are life-giving to you?

For Further Discussion

1. David Williams, a novelist and a pastor, has written a book called The Prayer of Unwanting: How the Lord’s Prayer Helps Us Get Over Ourselves -- And Why That Might Be a Good Thing. He knows that we have a lot of desires -- success, safety, wealth, health, love. We often use prayer to ask for these things. But the Lord's Prayer gives us an opportunity to think more about God and less about ourselves. When we say, "Father, may your name be revered as holy," we are focusing more on God than on ourselves. We are asking not for earthly health or wealth or success, but for heavenly holiness. Williams knows that there is a big lack of holy awareness in this world, even among Christians. So, in this line of the prayer, Jesus is inviting us to let go of our earthly anxieties and gaze at God's holiness. When have you gazed at God's holiness in prayer? What happened? How did it change your mood, if at all?

2. St. Augustine believed that humans have a "God-shaped hole" in their hearts that can only be filled by God. This restlessness and emptiness is not a result of sin but is due to being created for a relationship with God. "When we find and rest in God," says TWW Team Member Mary Sells, "we fill the empty space that nothing else fits." How has this been true, for you, if ever?

3. TWW Team Member Henry Brinton preached at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, on its 75th anniversary in 2023. He said, "You have been gathering as a community since 1948, and this experience of coming together is such an important spiritual activity. It is something that was not possible for us during the pandemic, and we all missed it so very much. For the church, coming together in person is life-giving, and this has been true since the first days of the church." What did you miss most about the church during the pandemic? Where do you find the greatest value in being able to gather as a community of faith?

4. Psalm 84 speaks of the joy of worship in God's temple: "How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God" (vv. 1-2). What is most lovely about your place of worship? When does your soul long to be in church? How does an experience of "the living God" give you feelings of joy?

Responding to the News

This week, give thanks for the opportunity to practice your faith, and reflect on the happiness that comes from it. Look for an opportunity to gather with others for worship, Bible study or a small group experience. Offer your church a portion of your time, talent and energy, in support of its ministry and mission.

Prayer

We thank you, God, for the happiness that comes from the practice of the Christian faith. May we not neglect to gather together, but instead seek opportunities to join our hearts and minds in worship and service. We offer all this in a spirit of joy and thanksgiving, in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.

Other News This Week

'Peanuts' Children at 75 Never Grow Old

The Wired Word for the Week of October 19, 2025

In the News

On October 2, Peanuts marked the 75th anniversary of the debut of Charles Schulz's comic strip featuring children with large heads who reflect experiences of childhood to which people of any age could relate. The comic ran until Schulz's death in 2000, when it was syndicated in more than 2,600 newspapers in 74 countries and in 21 languages, reaching approximately 355 million readers. The franchise earns about $30M every year.

TV producer and talk show host Andy Cohen calls Peanuts universal. "You think it's about kids, but it's really about life. ... there were a lot of big life lessons wrapped up in what [Schulz] was doing, and I think those never get old or tired."

The 1965 issue of TIME magazine that featured Peanuts characters on the cover contained this comment in its article about the comic strip: "Religion, psychiatry, education -- indeed all the complexities of the modern world -- seem more amusing than menacing when they are seen through the clear, uncompromising eyes of the comic-strip kids from Peanuts. The wry and wistful characters ... demonstrate ... an engaging wisdom beyond their years, a simplistic yet somehow impressive understanding of the assorted problems that perplex their elders."

Schulz once told People that Charlie was his alter ago: "I never realized how many Charlie Browns there were in the world. I thought I was the only one." Like Charlie Brown, Schulz experienced dreams of glory dashed by repeated failure, rejection, loneliness, loss and unrequited love, bouts of depression alternating with hope and the determination to keep trying against all odds. Schulz put "a little bit of himself in all of the characters," he said. He could be mean and pompous, like Lucy, philosophical and anxious, like Linus with his security blanket, single-focused, like Schroeder with his piano, imaginative and heroic, like Snoopy with his Sopwith Camel, a loyal, if sometimes eccentric, friend, like Woodstock.

Peanuts has staying power, some say, because the characters, who never seem to age, are funny and relatable. "The things that stick stay true to some essential thing," said actor Alec Baldwin. "It's loose enough, it's plain enough, you can put on it what you want, you can assign to them certain characteristics you want to assign to yourself."

Charles Schulz died of cancer February 12, 2000, the day before the final Peanuts strip appeared in the Sunday newspapers. Close friend and fellow cartoonist Lynn Johnston called the timing "prophetic and magical," adding "He made one last deadline. There's romance in that."

In recognition of his civic and cultural contributions, Schulz received many foreign and domestic awards, accolades and honors, and his Peanuts characters were featured in cartoon conventions, sports events, fashion and art shows, music compositions, and parades. Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends continue to connect with newly minted generations through Emmy award-winning TV specials, movies and theater productions; theme park attractions, corn mazes and countless consumer products, including dolls, clothing, party decorations, collectible ornaments, jewelry, calendars, best-selling books, greeting cards and postage stamps.

The Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, has two Peanuts exhibitions: Memorable Moments: Celebrating 75 Years of Peanuts, which runs through November 3, 2025, and HA! HA! HA! HA! 75 Years of Humor in Peanuts, running through March 18, 2026.

More on this story can be found at these links:

About Peanuts. Peanuts

Charles M. Schulz Biography. Charles M. Schulz Museum

As Peanuts Turns 75, Charles Schulz's Comic Is More Poignant Than Ever. USA Today

'Peanuts' Turns 75! Inside the Life of Comic Strip Creator Charles M. Schulz. People

Charlie Brown's Diamond Anniversary. The Daily Cartoonist

Applying the News Story

The Peanuts comic strip might prompt us to ask how we see ourselves. Charlie Brown struggled with his self-image. Is he "Good Ol' Charlie Brown"? Or is he the blockhead Lucy says he is? Will he be the failed manager of a children's baseball team, or the goat who strikes out and loses the game (Not the goat as in "Greatest Of All Time," but the goat as in the animal that doesn't fit in with a flock of sheep)? Use the news to consider the role of childhood, and what it means to be a beloved child of God.

The Big Questions

1. To which Peanuts character, if any, do you most relate, and why?

2. When you were a child, what did you dream of becoming when you grew up? How has your current reality fallen short of, met, or surpassed your childhood dream?

3. How does the person you are now mirror or mask the person you were as a child?

4. How does the Bible present the role of children in biblical times, and God's view of children?

5. How can the church create space for children to encounter God and learn to follow Jesus?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Proverbs 22:6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it. (No context needed.)

Other translations render the text this way: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (KJV), and "Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray" (NRSVUE).

Two days after Schulz was born in 1922, an uncle nicknamed him "Sparky" after a horse named Spark Plug from the Barney Google comic strip that same year. For as long as he could remember, Schulz wanted to "draw funny pictures," and whether or not he ever sold his work, he said, "I would continue to draw because I had to."

Upon seeing a picture Schulz drew of a man shoveling snow, his kindergarten teacher said, "Someday, Charles, you're going to be an artist." Schulz and his father read every comic strip available in their newspapers, and he received gifts, such as a book on how to draw, that fed his passion for cartoon art. His parents enrolled him in an art school correspondence program.

It's not unusual for parents to ponder what the future may hold for their children. Some cultures even observe special celebrations (such as the Korean party for a child's first birthday) to try to guess what the child's aptitudes, skills and future career might be. The friends and neighbors of Zechariah and Elizabeth who observed the strange circumstances surrounding the birth of their son, who would later be known as John the Baptizer, wondered "What then will this child become?" (Luke 1:66).

Questions: What is the difference, if any, between training children "in the way they should go," "in the right way," and "in keeping with their individual gifts or bent"? How would you interpret the kind of training children need, as each translation renders the text? Which translation seems to fit the way Charles Schulz's parents attempted to raise their son? 

Proverbs 20:11

Even children make themselves known by their acts, by whether what they do is pure and right. (No context needed.)

Adults may try to hide their character by subterfuge or deception, but Jesus taught that every tree is known by the fruit it bears. If it produces thorns, it is a thorn bush. If it produces peaches, it is a peach tree. So, he said, "The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:43-45).

This proverb tells us that the character of children is also seen in their deeds. Like Lucy, who promises to hold the football still for Charlie Brown, only to snatch it away just as he attempts to kick it, her actions don't match her words. While a person's character is not revealed in a single, isolated action, it is solidified when deeds of a certain type are repeated over and over. If we want to be known as kind people, we will practice kindness every chance we get.

When Solomon wanted to know what kind of worker a person was, he didn't conduct an interview or ask for a resume. Instead, he observed the state of the person's property, from which he deduced the kind of character the person had. If the field was overgrown with thorns, or the vineyard covered with nettles and the stone wall broken down, he concluded that the person was either lazy or stupid, and on the road to ruin (Proverbs 24:30-34).

Questions: How can parents and other people who care for children best understand the character of the children for whom they are responsible? What happens if children are always told that they are nothing but thornbushes? What happens if they are always told that they are peach trees, destined to produce delicious peaches? If every child has the potential, metaphorically speaking, to produce either "thorns" or "peaches," how do they become "good trees" producing good fruit (good character and moral behavior)?

Psalm 127:3-5 KJV
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. (For context, read Psalm 127:1-5.)

The Hebrew word for heritage refers to an inheritance passed down from one person to another. In this case, children are an inheritance God passes on to parents. In a broader sense, we might see children as a blessing God bestows on the entire community, including people who have no biological children as well as those who have borne children of their own.

We note that in biblical times, courts were often located at the gates of a city. Judges would hear litigants plead their case, and render verdicts to give people justice and resolve disputes, hopefully reestablishing peace among former opponents.  

Questions: How have children been a blessing in your life, whether you are a parent or not? How are children like arrows in the hand of a skilled archer? What might those arrows provide for the archer?

Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing children to him in order that he might touch them, and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. (No context needed.)

"Peanuts are the grandest people in the world," Schulz said in 1977. "All children are peanuts. They're delightful, funny, irresistible, and wonderfully unpredictable. I really hate to see them grow out of the peanut stage."

Jesus seemed to share that view of children.

Questions: What do the disciples' actions reveal about how people viewed children in that culture? How is that view like or unlike how people see children today? How would Jesus react to the way we treat children in our nation and world these days? In our churches today?

How does a little child "receive the kingdom of God"? Why does Jesus make the shocking statement that the kingdom of God "belongs" to children? In what sense do children "belong" to and in the kingdom of God?

How might church people stop children from coming to Jesus? How can the church treat children the way Jesus did? What would that look like?

For Further Discussion

1. Discuss this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "One of my favorite Peanuts strips involved a meeting on the mound in which the characters began to lament their losing record. Linus, as I recall, quoted from the book of Job, how we're born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. In the final panel Charlie Brown says something to the effect that he doesn't have a ball team, he has a theological seminary.

            "I can't look up the exact words because earlier this year I gave the hardcover book with that strip on the cover to an 8-year-old grandson. As it turned out, he and his sister became instant fans, not of a cartoon or a stuffed animal, but the strips. There's no internet, no computers in the strips, very little technology, but somehow the humor still works. He took the book everywhere.

            "Their father told me that sometimes the reason they found the strips funny might have been different from Schulz's original intent. Our world is different from the Bronze Age, but the words of the Hebrew Scriptures still work for us. Somehow or other the parables of Jesus still speak to us today, despite the great gap in culture between our world and his."

2. It's been said that actors never want to appear on stage with children or dogs, because they will always steal the scene. Talk show host Art Linkletter discussed how children who came on his show were impacted by the experience, in this interview (7:26). Why are shows featuring children often so appealing and memorable?

3. One of the recurring motifs in Peanuts featured Lucy promising to hold a football for Charlie Brown to punt, only to pull the ball away at the last minute, causing him to kick at nothing and land flat on his back. Why did that slapstick humor work, and what lesson might we take away from Charlie's resolution to keep trusting the girl (who could be relied upon to be unreliable)? The importance of forgiveness? Maintaining hope that people can change? Persevering in the face of adversity? Or something else?

4. Schulz used his comic strip and the celebrity that came with it to entertain and connect with everyday people, and also to address issues of the day, such as race, gender, childhood cancer, honoring veterans, and the costs of war. In Peanuts, girls played baseball with boys and a black child named Franklin met Charlie Brown on a public beach, when such things were controversial in some circles. And Schulz insisted that Linus be allowed to recite the nativity story from the gospel of Luke in the 1965 TV special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," when producers questioned whether some audience members might be offended by that scene.

            How are you using your strengths, assets and talents to stand up for what you believe is right, even when others may not understand or appreciate your perspective?

Responding to the News

1. Brainstorm additional ways you can connect with and support the children in your families, church and community. Make plans to begin to implement at least one new initiative this week.

2. Share this song as a prayer: "Lover of the Children" (Make Me Like A Child) -- with Lyrics (Video 2:55).

Prayer suggested by Matthew 21:12-17

Lover of children, help us to listen to the voices of children, whether gurgling and giggling their praise, or grimacing and groaning in pain. Purge anger from our hearts and replace it with compassion and gentleness. Make us young again, responding with the spontaneity of children to your grace, lifting up our arms to be caught up in the embrace of your Son, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.

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