November 9, 2012
Prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila
How good Thou art, O God! All is done for us by Thee, who dost but ask us to give our wills to Thee that we may be pliable as wax in Thy hands.
~ Theresa of Avila (1515-1582)
November 6, 2012
Beauty before me
May every beautiful thing I see today
turn my thoughts toward you
O Lord my God
Amen.
November 5, 2012
Relatable God
God of relationship-
Who created us to be connected with you and others-
how many people will I see today, talk to, be with?
Which do you want me to learn from
or to bless?
Which strangers will become friends?
Open
my eyes
my ears
my heart
my mind
to what you are doing today.
Amen.
October 8, 2012
Colossians 3.1-3
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
October 5, 2012
A Prayer for Fresh Vision
Lord, purge our eyes to see
Within the seed a tree
Within the glowing egg a bird,
Within the shroud a butterfly:
Till taught by such, we see
Beyond all creatures Thee;
And hearken for Thy tender word,
And hear it, “Fear not: it is I.”
~ Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
Taken from: At the Still Point: A Literary Guide to Prayer in Ordinary Time
Compiled by Sarah Arthur
September 27, 2012
A Franciscan Blessing ~ Bendición Franciscana
A Franciscan Blessing
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths,
And superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression,
And exploitation of people,
So that you may work for
Justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain,
Rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand
To comfort them and
To turn their pain to joy
And may God bless you
With enough foolishness
To believe that you can
Make a difference in the world,
So that you can do
What others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness
To all our children and the poor.
Amen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bendición Franciscana
Que Dios te bendiga con la incomodidad,
Frente a las respuestas fáciles, las medias verdades,
las relaciones superficiales,
Para que seas capaz de profundizar dentro de tu corazón.
Que Dios te bendiga con la ira,
Frente a la injusticia, la opresión y la explotación de la gente,
Para que puedas trabajar por la justicia, la libertad y la paz.
Que Dios te bendiga con lágrimas,
Para verterlas por aquellos que sufren dolor, rechazo, hambre y guerra,
Para que seas capaz de extender tu mano y reconfortarlos,
Y convertir su dolor en alegría.
Y que Dios te bendiga con suficiente locura,
Para creer que tú puedes hacer una diferencia en este mundo.
Para que tú puedas hacer,
Lo que otros proclaman imposible hacer.
Amén.
September 7, 2012
Gratefulness by George Herbert
Thou, that hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more: a grateful heart.
See how thy beggar works on thee
By art.
He makes thy gifts occasion more,
And says, If he in this be crossed,
All thou hast given him heretofore
Is lost.
But thou didst reckon, when at first
Thy word our hearts and hands did crave,
What it would come to at the worst
To save.
Perpetual knockings at thy door,
Tears sullying thy transparent rooms,
Gift upon gift, much would have more,
And comes.
This not withstanding, thou wentst on
And didst allow us all our noise:
Nay thou hast made a sigh and groan
Thy joys.
Not that thou hast not still above
Much better tunes, than groans can make;
But that these country-airs thy love
Did take.
Wherefore, I cry, and cry again;
And in no quiet canst thou be,
Till I a thankful heart obtain
Of thee.
Not thankful when it pleaseth me;
As if Thy blessings had spare days:
But such a heart whose pulse may be
Thy praise.
~ From The Temple by George Herbert (1593-1633)
August 31, 2012
To Him Who Slumbers Not ~ Prayer from George MacDonald
Lord, I would have me love thee from the deeps –
Of troubled thought, of pain, of weariness.
Through seething wastes below, billows above,
My soul should rise in eager, hungering leaps;
Through thorny thicks, through sands unstable press –
Out of my dream to him who slumbers not nor sleeps.
~ George MacDonald (Scottish, 1824-1905)
Taken from: At the Still Point: A Literary Guide to Prayer in Ordinary Time by Sarah Arthur
August 30, 2012
The Advocate
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great High Priest whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Saviour died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Saviour and my God!
~Charitie Lees Smith (1841-1923) also know as Charitie Lees Bancroft was an Anglican Irish American hymnwriter
August 24, 2012
Saint Francis’ Prayer for Holiness
Saint Francis’ Petition for Holiness from the Earlier Rule
(St. Francis of Assisi and a Prayer of Importance)
Therefore,
let us desire nothing else,
let us want nothing else,
let nothing else please us and cause us delight
except our Creator, Redeemer and Savior,
the only true God,
Who is the fullness of good,
all good, every good, the true and supreme good,
Who alone is good,
merciful, gentle, delightful, and sweet,
Who alone is holy,
just, true, holy, and upright,
Who alone is kind, innocent, clean,
from Whom, through Whom and in Whom
is all pardon, all grace, all glory
of all penitents and just ones,
of all the blessed rejoicing together in heaven.
Amen.
Taken from: http://datinggod.org/2012/07/10/francis-of-assisi-and-a-prayer-of-importance/
Prayers & Creeds 