Every day I’m reminded of the last words that my mom spoke to me just eight days before she died.
“Very grateful.” I’m grateful that that’s the way she summed up her life.
A Prayer Diary |
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Today I want to remind you to offer gratitude. I am grateful for this pristine day here at the cottage. But I’m aware that some of you may be struggling with inclement weather, or are dealing with difficult situations. I won’t list them, you know them. I pray that you can find gratitude even in the tough times and know that God is with you no matter what. Every day I’m reminded of the last words that my mom spoke to me just eight days before she died. “Very grateful.” I’m grateful that that’s the way she summed up her life.
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Most mornings I say the following prayer, attributed, I believe, to St. Augustine.* Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen Yesterday (see my blog www.acottagebythesea.net), my car got stuck in the ice at the end of a rather desolate road. I knew I needed help, so I prayed; help came and I was on my way—a rather usual, simple prayer story, I’d say. The unusual prayer story, however, is that from the moment my wheels started spinning, I didn’t fall into adversity. St. Augustine’s prayer had become mine, at least for that moment. The prayer doesn’t ask that no adversity happen, but that we don’t become part of it. And I didn’t. (I didn’t take any photos, so here’s one of the moonrise last night.) * This is included in “The Divine Hours” by Phyllis Tickle, in book form and found on www.explorefaith.org. Sun on the beach today. In the Prologue of The Rule of St. Benedict we are asked to listen with the ‘ear of your heart’. What a comforting way to listen-- to God, to ourselves or to others. When I first set out on my walk today all I could hear with the beeping of construction trucks working on the road. Certainly not what Benedict had in mind. It was difficult to settle into listening with ear of my heart. In fact, I have a long way to go to hear anything in that way. Today the best I could do was to release some of my judgments and chatter when they came up. I felt was a good start because I’m pretty certain that I have a many useless, noisy thoughts blocking my heart. Speaking of thoughts, how about this one? What about seeing with the ‘eye of your heart’? When I ask God what God is calling me to do, I usually think in terms of some all encompassing vocation. It sounds like I am asking for a job in one of the helping professions. Isn’t that what would really please God, what God secretly wants of me? Not really but it sure looks good on a resume. I am aware that God does call some to ordained ministry, or to serving the poor ands the sick in very obvious and public ways. And there are the call stories in the Bible that can bring us envy. How special was Moses or Isaiah? And yet, before I get too envious, I’d better remember that their life didn’t get easier. Another way to look at this call issue is to consider that maybe God is just calling me to respond to whatever is presented to me. That is what Walter Ciszek, a Jesuit priest who spent twenty-five years in Russia, many in the hard labor in Siberia, suggests in his book “He Leadeth Me”, which I quote from “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything” by James Martin. [God’s] will for us was the twenty-four hours of each day; the people, the places, the circumstances he set before us in that time. Those were the things God knew were important to him and to us at the moment, and those were the things upon which he wanted us to act, not out of any abstract principle or out of any subjective desire to “do the will of God.” No, these things, the twenty-four hours of this day, were his will; we had to learn to recognize his will in the reality of the situation. This is what Jesus did. He saw what was needed and went right to it. Today is St. Brigid's Day. I found this prayer in my copy of "Celtic Daily Prayer." Have also posted in until prayers and poems. I should like a great lake of finest ale for the King of Kings. I should like a table of the choicest food for the family of heaven. Let the ale be made from the fruits of faith and the food be forgiving love. I should welcome the poor to my feast, for they are God’s children. I should welcome the sick to my feast, for they are God’s joy. Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest place, and the sick dance with angels. God bless the poor, God bless the sick, and bless our human race. God bless our food, God bless our drink; all homes, O God, embrace. |
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