A brother once asked one of the elders, saying: There are two brothers, of whom one remains praying in his cell, fasting six days at a time and doing a great deal of penance.  The other one takes care of the sick.  Which one's work is more pleasing to God?  The elder replied: If that brother who fasts six days at a time were to hang himself up by the nose, he could not equal the one who takes care of the sick.

Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Trans. Benedicta Ward SLG
Cistercian Publications, 1975

 

 

 

Silent meditation is not as scary as it might sound.  Simply "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.  Your silent time can last a minute or an hour.  If you have trouble focusing, try repeating a breath prayer such as "God be with me."  Abbot Pastor said, "Any trial whatever that comes to you can be conquered by silence."  Try to find a moment of silence where you might experience God's peace.

Let your mind relax and float where it might go.  Listen to how God might speak to you as images freely emerge from your unconscious.  Imagine yourself in God's arms surrounded by warmth and an overwhelming presence of love.  Simply rest with God for a little while.  You may find clarity in what seems to be aimless wandering.

 

 

 

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Saint Francis of Assisi

 

 

 

All who are lead by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 

You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, “Abba”.  The Spirit himself lives witness with our spirit that we are children of God.  But if we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God, heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him same as to be glorified with Him. 

A reading of Paul to the Romans, 8:14-17

 

 

 

My Lord God

I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.   I cannot know for certain where it will end.  Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.  But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.  And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.  I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.  And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.  Therefore will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.  I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. 

Thomas Merton
Thought In Solitude
Abbey of Gethsemani

 

 

 

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hollowed be Thy name.  They Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory.

 

 

 

MARTIN  LUTHER'S  PRAYER

Behold, Lord,
An empty vessel that needs to be filled.
My Lord, fill it.
I am weak in faith;
Strengthen thou me.
I am cold in love; Warm me and make me fervent
That my love may go out to my neighbor.
I do not have a strong and firm faith;
At times I doubt and am unable to trust thee altogether.
O Lord, help me.  Strengthen my faith and trust in thee.
In thee I have sealed the treasures of all I have.
I am poor; Thou art rich and didst come to be merciful to the poor.
I am a sinner; Thou art upright.
With me there is an abundance of sin;  
In thee is the fullness of righteousness.
Therefore, I will remain with thee of who I can receive
But to whom I may not give.

 

 

 

BUDDHIST PRAYER

Reverencing You Lord, we offer flowers:
Flowers that today are fresh and sweetly blooming,
Flowers that tomorrow are faded and fallen.
Our bodies, too like flowers, will pass away.

Reverencing You Lord, we offer candles:
To You who is the Light, we offer Light.
From Your greater lamp a lesser lamp; we light within us,
The lamp of wisdom shinning within our hearts.

Reverencing You Lord, we offer incense:
Incense whose fragrance pervade the air,
The fragrance of the perfect life, sweeter than incense,
Spreads in all directions throughout the world.

 

 

 

The real gift that the Lord gives us Is the gift of His pease. 

Father John, S.M.

 

 

 

Psalm 121
A Song of Ascents.

I will lift my eyes to the mountains: 
from where will my help come?  
My help comes from God, Maker of heaven and earth. 
He will not let your foot slip.  
He will not slumber - the Guardian. Behold, He dows not slumber nor does 
He sleep - the Guardian of Israel! 
God is your Guardian, God is your shelter at your right hand. 
By day the sun will not smite you, not the moon at night.  
God will guard you from all  evil: He will preserve you soul. 
 God will guard your going and coming, from now and forever.

 

 

 

Psalm 130
A Song of Ascents.

Out of the depths I have called to You, God, My Master, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.  If You, God, should take account of iniquities, my Master, who could survive?  For with You is forgiveness, in order that You be feared.  I hope for God, my soul hopes; and for His word, I wait.  my soul waits for my Master more than the watchman waits for the morning, more than the watchman waits for the morning.  Wait, Israel, upon God, for with God there is loving-kindness and with Him there is much redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

 

 

 

GURU NANAK’S SAINTLESS PRAYER (HINDU)

O Lord, I love the saints of every faith:
I put away my pride.

I remember the essence of religion
Is meekness and sympathy, 
Not fine clothes, 
Not the person’s attire and ashes, 
Not the blowing of the horns, 
Not the shaven head, Not long prayers,
Not recitations and tutoring, 
Not the ascetic way,

But a life of goodness and purity amid the world’s temptations…

 

 

 

You can develop a healthy, robust community, that lives right with God and enjoy it’s results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. 

James 3:18

 

 

 

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, the trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

Russell Kelfer

 

 

 

Surely God would not have created such a being  as man to exist  only for a day!
No, no, man was made for immortality.

Abraham Lincoln

 

 

 

Keep watch, Dear Lord, with those who work, or watch or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep.  Tend the sick, give rest to the weary, bless the  dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake.  Amen
Book of Common Prayer
Evening Prayer II
The Church Hymnal Corporation, 1979

 

 

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdensome, and I will refresh you.  Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.   Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

 

 

 

SWAMI  AKHILANANDA  PRAYER  (HINDU)

May He who is Father in Heaven of the Christians,
Holy One of the Jews,
Allah of the Muhammandans,
Buddha of the Buddhists,
Tao of the Chinese,
Ahura Mazda of the Zoroastrians,
And Brahman of the Hindus
Lead us from the unreal to the Real,
From darkness to light,
From disease and death to immortality.

May the All-Loving Being manifest Himself unto us,
And grant us abiding understanding
And all-consuming divine love.

Peace, Peace.  Peace be unto all.

 

 

 

“If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

Matthew 10:42
 

 

 

NATIVE AMERICAN PRAYER
Laurel Singing Water Cat's Prayer

Great Spirit, God, Creator of All
I welcome You into my heart, mind, body and soul
There is always room for You here.

Grant me the wisdom to heed my inner voice and the Strength to stay grounded while I sing my sacred song.  Guide me down my chosen path and give me the courage To pursue what is available to me.
I am thankful for the lessons and grateful for my struggles: I have not forgotten what has brought me to where I am today.
Open my heart to the healing wholeness of nature; We are related, and through this I will find serenity.
Great Spirit, God, Creator of All Cleanse my spirit and wash my soul. There is always room for You here.

 

 

 

No one knows where the Spirit World is.  The ancient people said that it is beyond the pines.  The pine trees are at the edge of the world, and beyond them is the path of the winds.  The Spirit World begins there at the edge of the world among the stars, and the winds will tell the spirits of people where to find it.

What is life? 
It is the flash of the firefly in the night.  It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.  It is the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

Paul Goble
Beyond The Ridge Plains
Indian Tradition
Bradbury Press, 1989

 

 

 

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.  Light is often a sign of hope.  In times of distress, persecution, and famine, people of faith have looked to the light as a reminder that God is with them in the struggle.  During your struggle you may feel the darkness all around you – alone, closed in, forgotten, disoriented in the darkness.  Such abandonment can lead to feelings of anger, fear and despair that can seem like endless darkness.  Try lighting a candle as a sign of God’s presence with you.  As you light your candle you might pray, “Oh God, let this flame kindle in me the assurance of your presence, let it warm my sould so that I might find courage, strength and hope in each hour that you walk with me.  Fill me with your light.”

 

 

 

PEACE

Anxiety is often our first reaction to conflict, problems or even our own fears.  In those moments, detaching and getting peaceful may seem disloyal or apathetic.  We think: if I really care, I'll worry; if this is really important to me, I must stay upset.  We convince ourselves that outcomes will be positively affected by the amount of time we spend worrying.

Our best problem-solving resource is peace.  Solutions arise easily and naturally out of a peaceful state.  Often fear and anxiety block solutions.  Anxiety gives power to the problems around us, not the solution.  It does not help to harbor turmoil. It does not help.

Peace is available if we choose it.  In spite of chaos and unsolved problems, all is well.  Things will work out.  We can surround ourselves with resources of the Universe: water, earth, a sunset, a walk, a prayer, a friend.  We can relax and feel peace.

Today I will let go of my need to stay in turmoil.  I will cultivate peace and trust that timely solutions and goodness will arise naturally and harmoniously out of the wellspring of peace.  I will consciously let go and let God.

The Language of Letting Go
Daily Meditations for Codependents
Harper Collins Publishers, 1990

 

 

 

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray and to concentrate my thoughts on you: I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness, But with you there is light; I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help; I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you patience; I do not understand your ways, but you know the way for me...

Restore me to liberty, And enable me so to live now That I may answer before you and before humanity. Lord, whatever this day may bring, Your name be praised.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

 

 

Christ be at home in your family,
May He sit down to eat at your table,
And kneel with you nightly to pray.
May His peace and His kindness be with you,
And His presence in every room,
For when Christ is at home in a family,
Then a family is truly at home.                     

Father Joseph

 

 

 

Breath Prayers:
are easy to recite while having a difficult day.

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Jesus put your hands on me.
Mother of God pray for me.
All mighty God let me feel your presence.
God look kindly on your servant.
Father protect and lead me to eternal life.
God grant me peace.
We praise your name.
Jesus bless me.
Lord have mercy.
May God, the Father, bless me.
God give me strength.
Father forgive my sins.
God prepare my place.
Father bring me peace.
God hear my prayer.