Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Phyllis Tickle
The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime–A Manual for Prayer (v. 1)
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.”
― Teresa of Avila
Yesterday I wrote about the first sentence of the prayer that hangs on the bulletin board above my desk. Today I will look at the second.
Give me the strength that waits upon You in silence and peace. Give me humility in which alone is rest, and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens. Possess my whole heart and soul with the simplicity of love. Occupy my whole life with the one thought and the one desire of love, that I may love not for the sake of merit, not for the sake of perfection, not for the sake of virtue, not for the sake of sanctity, but for You alone.
Thomas Merton
Give me humility in which alone is rest, and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens.
When you’ve used your strength in the waiting you need rest and not more burdens. Continue reading
Posted in A Little of This and a Little of That, Essays, Faith and Art, Hope, Prayer
Tagged Godzilla, grace, humility, MOTO, pride, rest, strength, Thomas Merton, waiting
The prayer below is pinned to the bulletin board above my desk.
Give me the strength that waits upon You in silence and peace. Give me humility in which alone is rest, and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens. Possess my whole heart and soul with the simplicity of love. Occupy my whole life with the one thought and the one desire of love, that I may love not for the sake of merit, not for the sake of perfection, not for the sake of virtue, not for the sake of sanctity, but for You alone.
Thomas Merton
It’s been there for months, but this morning the first sentence struck a chord. Continue reading
Posted in A Little of This and a Little of That, Essays, Faith and Art, Hope, Prayer, Silence
Tagged Christianity, prayer, pregnancy, silence, Thomas Merton, waiting
I heard God ask me a question this morning in the prayer room at the Austin House of Prayer. I don’t say that lightly. I had just read the account in the gospel of Luke of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary announcing the coming of the messiah and the part she was to play. Continue reading
Posted in Prayer
Tagged advent, Christianity, Faith, Inspiration, Jesus, relationship with God, Religion, spirituality
By Kay Hart
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. (Mt. 23: 29-31)
Granted that’s a strange passage for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Still, I didn’t choose it; it chose me. Back in May I began working my way through a modified version of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Continue reading
Posted in Ignatian, Social Justice
Tagged 7 woes, Jesus, Martin Luther King, MLK, sayings of Jesus, spiritual exercises, St. Ignatius
Doxology 