the hardest of these is love

I received this poem today from Inwardoutward.org and loved it:

IF PRAYER WOULD DO IT

If prayer would do it
I'd pray.

If reading esteemed thinkers would do it
I'd be halfway through the Patriarchs.

If discourse would do it
I'd be sitting with His Holiness
every moment he was free.

If contemplation would do it
I'd have translated the Periodic Table
to hermit poems, converting
matter to spirit.

If even fighting would do it
I'd already be a black belt.

If anything other than love could do it
I'd have done it already
and left the hardest for last.

Stephen Levine
Source:  Breaking the Drought

That first line about prayer brought discomfort.   I often commit to praying for someone in an effort to remain detached or to comfort myself with the thought, "well, at least I'm praying for them."  

My prayer for today is to remain open to new ways to love one another, for that is what Christ continues to do ....Love costs but as the saying goes, it pays well.  

What is Prayer?

Expanding the concept of prayer...one beautiful poem at a time...

 

 

 

 

 

What is Prayer?  

 

Prayer is intimacy with the Great Mystery.

Be every moment aware of the Presence —

how you are loved!

 

She takes off Her wings

to heal you, He surrenders

everything for your sake.

At all times in every

hidden, open place

It lives in your deep

soul’s core, It moves

in your moving and acts

through your skin

and the skin or bark or shell

of all living beings—  forms of angels,

and also of water, rocks, and fire.

 

So be awake to the life that is loving you

and sing your prayer, laugh your prayer,

dance your prayer, run and weep and

sweat your prayer,

sleep your prayer, eat your prayer,

paint, sculpt, hammer and read your prayer,

sweep, dig, rake, drive and hoe your prayer,

garden and farm and build and clean your prayer,

wash, iron, vacuum, sew, embroider and pickle your prayer,

compute, touch, bend and fold, but never delete

or mutilate your prayer.

 

Learn and play your prayer,

work and rest your prayer,

fast and feast your prayer,

argue, talk, whisper, listen and shout your prayer,

groan and moan and spit and sneeze your prayer,

swim and hunt and cook your prayer,

digest and become your prayer.

 

Release and recover your prayer.

Breathe your prayer.

Be your prayer.

 

Let prayer be your thinking

and thriving, your passionate

living and humble dying

back into Earth and God.

Let prayer be your senses and sex,

your political power, your confusion

and vision for good.

 

Let teaching tolerance and all childcare be prayer.

Let your mistakes be a prayer, and your unknowing.

Let remorse and forgiveness be prayer.

 

Make love in every act,

create growth in each intent.

Nature in any form serves

as sanctuary and temple.

 

Let your bath be an oracle chamber,

every trip anywhere a pilgrimage,

and your dream bed each night

the Holy of Holies.

 

And so you are praying.

So you do what you be,

and all your being is blessed

and all your life is a prayer.

And all your acts are a blessing.

 

           Alla Renée Bozarth

 

From Moving to the Edge of the World

by Alla Renée Bozarth, iUniverse 2003. All rights reserved.

For permission to reprint or for any other reason, contact

the poet at allabearheart@yahoo.com Write “Permission”

or “Poetry” in the subject line. Also see

http://allabozarthbooks.blogspot.com/

 

 

photo by Helen Forshee taken at Butchart Gardens, B.C.

 

What will you do with your prayer?

 

pray contemplatively

“To pray contemplatively is to abandon one’s idea of how and why it all works:

God, justice, or prayer.

It is to abandon ourselves to trust in the living presence and reality of the divine,

mysteriously at work within the darkness of the human condition -

a living presence apparently not in the business of straightening out

everything we would do, or to our specifications.”-Patricia Loring

art from here

Seven Sorrows of Mary

While at the Mater Dolorosa we walked the ‘Seven Sorrows of Mary.’

It was in a gated garden surrounded by wisteria vines – such an aroma!

Below is the first station with the prayer of Mary

as she heard Simeon foretell the destiny of her son.

The mosaics were beautiful and the prayers profound,

especially as we journey towards Good Friday.

The First Sorrow ~ The Prophesy

The prophet, Simeon, foresaw that the child Mary held so lovingly in her arms

was the one destined to fulfill God’s plan of redemption for his people.

Simeon also knew that Mary would see her beloved son, Jesus,

enter into the mystery of his Passion and death.

And so, Simeon spoke of a sword that would pierce her heart,

a sword of sorrow in seeing the reality of suffering unfold

in the life of her very own child.

“Help us, Loving God, to remember all parents today who see suffering in the lives of their sons and daughters.

Some will suffer because of illness; others will feel great sadness at the loss of faith or love in their children’s lives;

still others will experience much grief because of addictions to alcohol or drugs.

Like our Blessed Mother, these parents, too, feel the sword of suffering and pain.

Help us to love and support each of these parents, as well as their loved ones, in such difficult and trying times.

Help us to bring life and hope to them in the midst of their struggles.’

fan the flames

“Father of my soul, Mother of my heart,
I know your love for me is

limitless beyond imagining.
You care for me as a loving parent.
Through my smallest Lenten sacrifices,
help me to become less selfish
and more aware of your ways.
Fan the flame of my desire
to draw ever closer to you.
Guide me to seek your love.”

photo from here

prayer from here

Advent womb

"We wait in the darkness, expectantly, longingly, anxiously, thoughtfully.
The darkness is our friend.

In the darkness of the womb we have all been nurtured and protected.

In the darkness of the womb,

the Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light.
You are with us, O God, in darkness and light."

 

first stanza of a prayer from the

Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand (adapted)

world council prayer

Prayer of the World Council of Churches
Vancouver Assembly, 1983

"Eternal God whose image lies in the hearts of all people,
We live among peoples whose ways are different from ours,
whose faiths are foreign to us, whose tongues are unintelligible to us.
Help us to remember
that you love all people with your great love,
that all religion is an attempt to respond to you,
that the yearnings of other hearts are much like our own and are known to you.
Help us to recognize you in
the words of truth,
the things of beauty,
the actions of love about us.
We pray through Christ,
who is a stranger to no one land more than another,
and to every land no less than another."

thanks to Josh at "The Daily Office West."

 

prayer for the soul

"The soul that You have given me, O God, is a pure one!

You have created and formed it, breathed it into me,

and within me You sustain it.

So long as I have breath, therefore, I will give thanks to You,

O Lord my God and God of all ages, Master of all creation,

Lord of every human spirit.

Blessed is the Lord, in whose hands are the souls of all the living

and the spirits of all flesh."

 

 Gates of Prayer, The New Union Prayerbook, p.53

 

photo from here

 

behold & inhabit

 

"The ultimate goal of prayer is to learn to behold yourself

with the same gentleness, pride, expectation, and compassion

with which the divine presence beholds you at every moment.

If we can inhabit that reflex of divine presence,

then compassion will flow naturally from us."

-John O'Donohue

 

photo is from here.

one can never receive too many blessings

"May the Maker's blessing be yours,

encircling you round

above you

within you.

May the angels' blessing be yours

and the joy of the saints

to inspire you

to cherish you.

May the Son's blessing be yours,

the wine and the water,

the bread and the stories

to feed you

to remind you.

May the Spirit's blessing be yours,

the wind, the fire,

the still small voice

to comfort you

to disturb you.

And may my own blessing be yours -

a blessing rooted in our common pilgrimage,

the blessing of a friend."

from

The Pattern of Our Days,

Worship in the Celtic Tradition

from the Iona Community

edited by K. Galloway

p. 157

photo of Iona Abbey

Prayer for those suffering in Japan

Merciful God, in your hands are the caverns of the earth and the heights of the hills: our times also are in your hands.
Hear our prayers for those suffering in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan; soothe those in distress;  watch over those trapped and hoping for  rescue; comfort the bereaved; strengthen those who labor to help others, lift up those who cannot help themselves; and in every danger be their very present help by the power of your Holy Spirit; we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.  -The Rev. Jennifer Phillips

This prayer is from St. Pete's Rock.  You will find several others at that site. The artwork is a child's depiction of the tsunami that ravaged Sri Lanka several years ago.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday - the first day of Lent -  and I cannot decide what spiritual discipline to take on for this season...so once again I am posting the prayer that was read last night while we watched the burning of the palms from last year - a prayer that offers a myriad of fasting/feasting options.

Fasting and Feasting
Fast from worry; Feast on trust.
Fast from words that hurt; Feast on words that heal.
Fast from anger; Feast on patience.
Fast from discontent; Feast on thanksgiving.
Fast from gossip; Feast on the courage to go to the source for more accurate understanding.
Fast from discouragement; Feast on hope.
Fast from bitterness; Feast on forgiveness.
Fast from suspicion; Feast on truth.
Fast from fear; Feast on love for stangers.
Fast from judging others; Feast on the Christ within them.
Fast from focus on differences; Feast on the love that unites us all.

Elizabeth Bloch's+ adaptation of William Arthur Ward's Lenten prayer.

endow me

"Oh Lord, endow me with more contentedness in what is present,

And less solicitude about what is future;

With a patient mind to submit to any loss of what I have,

Or to any disappointment of what I expect."

-Bishop Simon Patrick, 17th century hymn composer

Prayer for My Enemies

The following prayer is from the end of the sermon I preached yesterday. 

The prayer is based on Matthew 5:43-45 in which Jesus expands 

"love your neighbor" into "love your enemies"

and oh yes, pray for them too! 

"Thank you for enemies Lord, for they drive me back to you in prayer.

Thank you God for your sun that rises on everyone.

May it bring warmth and comfort to my enemies today.

Bless them Lord.  Heal the hurts in their lives just as you heal mine.

Give me the grace to show your love to them today.

Thank you God for this rain that you have sent to quench your earth.

May it quench the thirst of my enemies today.

Bless them Lord.  And as you have forgiven me,

May your Spirit give me the grace I need to forgive my enemies today.

Thank you for these tangible reminders that your grace is bestowed on all.

And when the pain of hurt and hatred begin to overwhelm me,

and I consider seeking solace in resentment and revenge,

may your Holy Spirit direct me to the only place I can receive true comfort

and healing - in your loving embrace.  Amen"

Roberta Hiday, Spiritual Director

Sequim, Washington

Almost to the Light

As the wise ones faithfully follow the light,

which will guide them to the Light,

let us ponder our own epiphanies.

Messenger of truth and mystery,

Opener of doors and windows,

Source of both day and night,

We come to you as the sages of long ago did,

Somewhat frazzled, confused and amazed

by what you have chosen to reveal to us.

We walk on in the journey of life,

struggling to accept the gifts you give,

to figure them out, to make sense of them.

Bless us with the capacity to live

With unanswered questions,

To trust that even a child can lead us,

To step over the threshold into your wisdom.

In the name of the one who revealed your love,

we pray. 
Amen.

Prayer by Sherri Alms, Liturgist

Lydia's Joy

Today Lydia Joy was baptized!

Sustain her O Lord, in your Holy Spirit.

Give her an inquiring and discerning heart,

the courage to will and to presevere,

a spirit to know and to love you,

and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works.

Amen.

The Baptismal Covenant

I will faithfully continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship,

in the breaking of bread and in the prayers.

Where there is evil, I will resist it.

Whenever I fall into sin, I will repent and return to the Lord.

I will proclaim, by both word and example, the Good News of God in Christ.
I will seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself.

I will strive for justice and peace, among all people,

and respect the dignity of every human being.

Election Day Prayer

Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges:  Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives;  that, by faithful administration and wise laws,  the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes;  through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

from the Book of Common Prayer

photo of NY women voting in 1917

All Saints Day Prayer

Living God, in whom there is no shadow or change,

we thank you for the gift of life eternal,

and for all those who, having served you well,

now rest from their labours.

We thank you for all the saints remembered and forgotten,

for those dear souls most precious to us.

Today we give thanks for those who during the last twelve months,

have died and entered into glory.

We bless you for their life and love,

and rejoice for them,

"all is well, and all manner of things will be well."

God of Jesus and our God,

mindful of all those choice souls who have gone on ahead of us,

teach us, and each 21st century disciple of every race and place,

- to follow their example to the best of our ability,

- to feed the poor in body or spirit,

- to support and comfort the mourners and the repentant,

- to encourage the meek and stand with them in crises,

- to cherish and learn from the merciful,

- to be humbled by, and stand with, the peacemakers.

Let us clearly recognize what it means to be called the children of God,

and to know we are to be your saints neither by our own inclination nor in our strength

but simply by the call and the healing holiness of Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Amen.

Prayer of Remembrance by Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church of Australia

photo from wikimedia -

All Saints Day, 1st November 1984 in the Beskiel Cemetery, Oswiecim, Poland.

Eternal Triptych

"Lord, the Eternal Triptych - Creator, Child, and Spirit -

Keep us steadfast in your holy mystery;

give us strength to breathe in the truth

and to embrace what we can barely comprehend:

That you love us, that you are with us,

and because of Jesus your grace is draped upon us all."

-Christine Hemp, poet, writer

This is a segment taken from Christine's

"Prayers of the People"

written for St. Paul's in Port Townsend, WA.

A triptych is a work of art that is divided into 3 sections that are hinged together.

The Divine relationship is exquisitely rich in triptych beauty and mystery,

as are Christine's words.

art by Dana Ball

Growing Old Prayer

LORD, I AM GROWING OLD. . .

I do not want to be old before my time. I do not want to be an early retiree

or to fail to give all my energy to your service in my remaining years,

but I cannot deny the decades gone and the limited years ahead.

I feel more fragile, more vulnerable.

In my youth, there were so many days, months, yes years that seemed to lie ahead

that I fooled myself with illusions of immortality. Now I know the years are numbered,

and I sense in a new way that each day is a gift not to be presumed but to be cherished.

My relationship with you has always sustained me, directed me, and given me hope,

but too often I have neglected it, presumed it was there, and failed to nourish it.

Even my commitment to ministry seemed too often a product of compulsion

rather than zeal, of a desire to be esteemed rather than a desire to serve.

But this is less a time for regrets and self-criticisms

and more a time for gratitude and renewed commitments.

This is a time to deepen my relationship with you

and to be more attentive to your presence in my everyday life.

This is a time to be with you Lord,

and to invite you to be with me.

This is a time to surrender my life into your hands

and to discover that my name is written on the palm of your hand.

This is a time to tend to my deepest desires so that I can discover your desires for me.

This is a time to think about home and where my heart is and to unearth my treasure.

This is a time for abiding in you and noticing how you abide in me.

This is a time for harvesting and a time for planting new seeds

in the sure hope that you will give them growth.

Jesus, you said to Peter: ‘When you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt

and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,

and someone will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go’

John 21:18).

Lord, be with me as I grow old. Lead me, guide me

and draw me ever closer to your heart for only there will I find peace

and the assurance of life eternal. Amen.

Gerald M. Fagin, SJ is Associate Professor of Theology and Spirituality at the

Loyola Institute for Ministry, Loyola University, New Orleans. He has been involved

in the ministry of spiritual direction for thirty years and, for the past twenty years,

he has co-directed an internship in spiritual direction at the New Orleans Archdiocesan

Spirituality Center. This prayer was taken from his article “The Spiritual Exercises

and the Later Years” The Way, 43/1 (January 2004), p.78-79.