Dios esta Aqui-God is Here!

God is here, as certain as the air I breathe,
as certain as the morning rises,
as certain as I can speak to you and you hear me.

You can feel God right now,
You can feel God in your heart.
God can help you in that problem you have.
Jesus is here, you can feel him if you choose.

Sunday Prayer: Come Away with Me....

(Photo by mompriest)

Holy and Gracious God, we give you thanks for
family, friends, life, love - for
All the blessings (name blessings and thanksgivings)
you have bestowed upon us.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of our Mothers and Fathers, your desire for
us leads the way, may we have
the ears to hear the cries of this world -
responding with Your hope.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Compassionate One, fill us with your love that we
may see deeply into all the needs
around us, (name the hurts, needs, and hope you are carrying)
help us to care with Your heart.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

May Your love, Your grace, Your compassion,
Your mercy, carry us away, this day
and lead us with love
to be Your hands and heart in the world.

Amen.

Prayer For Joy in God's Creation

O heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. -- Book of Common Prayer

Thursday Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,

come into my heart,

pray in me and with me,

that I may learn from You

how to pray.

Amen.

*Probably from Mother Teresa

Tuesday Prayer

Hear our prayer, O God

Hear our prayer, O God

Incline your ear to us

and grant us your peace.






Words from the Taize community. Image of a human cochlea, artist unknown.

I Want You in My Very Self

Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself to me.

Behold I love you, and if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love you more strongly.

I cannot measure my love to know how much it falls short of being sufficient, but let my soul hasten to your embrace and never be turned away until it is hidden in the secret shelter of your presence.

This only do I know, that it is not good for me when you are not with me, when you are only outside me.

I want you in my very self.

All the plenty in the world which is not my God is utter want.

Amen.

St. Augustine

Sunday Prayer

God of joy - we give thanks for a song in our hearts -
Our souls long for You;
Our heart and our flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Happy are those who
live in your house, ever singing your praise.

Hear our prayer; give ear, O God!

Behold our shield, O God;
Guide us in times of trouble, through night of sorrow,
and days when deceit lives in our heart more than love,
and hate for the stranger, more than love.
Speak gently to your anointed ones, that we may hear.

Hear our prayer; give ear, O God!

Help us see the stranger, who comes because Your song
is in his heart and on her tongue, ringing through -
help us to hear, to see, to embrace You -
in him, in her, in you, even, in me -
with outstretched arms and mighty hands.

Hear our prayer; give ear, O God!

God of joy - we give thanks for a song in our hearts!
Amen.

Cross posted at RevGalsBlogPals

Thursday Prayer

I have broken my faith a thousand times

to meet always with Your forgiveness.

You are more true to me than I to myself

and I bow my head to Your bounty.

Amen.

Hakim Sanai. The Book of Everything: Journey of the Heart's Desire. Trans. Priya Hemenway. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002. 62.

Wednesday Prayer

Our times are in your hands:
But we count our times for us;

we count our days and fill them with us;
we count our weeks and fill them with our busyness;
we count our years and fill them with our fears.

And then caught up short with your claim,
Our times are in your hands!

Take our times, times of love and times of weariness,
Take them all, bless them and break them,

give them to us again,
slow paced and eager,
fixed in your readiness for neighbor.

Occupy our calendars,
Flood us with itsy-bitsy, daily, kairoi,
in the name of your fleshed kairos. Amen.

~ Montreat Conference: Jubilee/June 1, 2000

Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Bruggemann
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003).

Benedictus

Blessed + be Sophia, the God of Israel; *
She has come to her people and set them free.

She has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of Her servant David.

Through Her holy prophets she promised of old,
that She would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.

She promised to show mercy to our forebears *
and to remember Her holy covenant.

This was the oath She swore to Sarah and Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship Her without fear, *
holy and righteous in Her sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before Sophia to prepare the way,

To give Her people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the
shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Mother, and to the Christ, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Sophia's Book of Hours
Rev. Dr. Laura Grimes

Sunday Prayer

Gracious God
Thank you for
Life: mine, yours, others, all.
Bread: real, you, me, all.
Hope: unexpected,
Grace: given, received,
Jesus.

Hear our prayer.

Holy One
Comfort, heal -
Strife: nations, cities, people
Anger: certainty, right, wrong, who?
Pain: in, out, mine, yours, us - what!
with
Grace.

Hear our prayer.

God, Mother
Tend our wounds:
War - mine, yours, not!
Hate: - bitter, fist
Other-ness,
with
Mercy.

Hear our prayer.

God, Father
Enlighten
All
People,
Nations -
with
Kindness.

Hear our prayer.

God, Sister,
Open eyes
minds
hearts
with
Wisdom.

Hear our prayer.

God, Brother,
Open ears
minds
hearts
with
Love.

Hear our prayer.

Holy God,
Gracious
One -
Give
us
Strength.

In your Name
We
pray.
Amen.
Amen.

Cross posted at RevGals and Desert Prayer

Thursday Prayer

Now is the time to free the heart,
Let all intentions and worries stop,
Free the joy inside the self,
Awaken to the wonder of your life.

Open your eyes and see the friends
Whose hearts recognize your face as kin,
Those whose kindness watchful and near,
Encourages you to live everything here.

See the gifts the years have given,
Things your effort could never earn,
The health to enjoy who you want to be
And the mind to mirror mystery.

O'Donohue, John. To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. NY: Doubleday, 2008. 175.

Yesterday: Feast of St. Clare of Assisi (1193-1253)

Clare's letter to Ermentrude of Bruges

To Ermentrude, dearest sister, Clare of Assisi, humble handmaid of Jesus Christ, greetings and peace.

I know that you, o dearest sister, have fled the filth of the world, with the help of God's grace; for which I rejoice and give thanks with you and again rejoice that you tread the paths of virtue strenuously with your daughters. Be faithful, dearest, to him to whom you are promised until death, and you will be crowned by him with the laurel of life.

This labor of ours is brief, but the reward is eternal; let the noises of the fleeting world and its shadow not confound you; let the empty specters of the deceiving world not drive you mad; shut your ears to the whispers of hell and, strong, break down its attempts [against you]; willingly bear adverse evils and let provident goods not puff you up; for the one requires faith, the other demands it; what you promised God, faithfully render, and he will repay you.

O dearest, look on heaven that invites us, and bear the cross and follow Christ who preceded us; indeed, after various and many tribulations we shall enter through him into his glory. Love with your whole heart God and Jesus, his son, crucified for our sins, and never let his memory escape your mind; make yourself mediate continually on the mysteries of the cross and the anguish of the mother standing beneath the cross.

Pray and be always vigilant. And the work that you began well, finish and the ministry you assumed, fulfil in holy poverty and sincere humility. Do not fear, daughter, God is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works, he will pour out his blessing on you and your daughters; and he will be your helper and your best consoler; he is our redeemer and our eternal reward.

Let us pray God for each other, for in bearing each other's burden of charity we shall fulfil the law of Christ.

Amen.

(Here.)

Sing, Dance, Praise and Love

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.

Sunday Prayer

Bread of Life
Given
Received
Hands emptied
Hearts filled

God of Love
Poured
Flowing
Hands emptied
Hearts filled

Me, You, Us
Angry
Hurling
Hands filled
Heart empty

Strangers too
Anger
There, that!
Hands - fist
Heart, closed

Stop. Breathe.
Deeply
In, out
In, out
in. out.

God of Love
Poured
Flowing
Hands, heart
Filled, empty

Bread of Life
Given
Received
You, me, us
heart, hands.

Amen.

Cross posted at RevGalBlogPals and Desert Prayer

Thursday Prayer

O Holy Spirit, Fiery Comforter Spirit,
Life of the life of all creatures,
Holy are You, You that give existence to all form.
Holy are You, You that are balm for the mortally wounded.
Holy are You, You that cleanse deep hurt.
Fir of love, breath of all holiness, You are so delicious to our hearts!
Bulwark of life, You are the hope of oneness for that which is separate.
Amen.

(Based on Hildegard of Bingen) By Kathleen Fischer

Fischer, Kathleen. Autumn Gospel: Women in the Second Half of Life. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1995. 171.

Wednesday Prayer

When I come
into the silence
I am guaranteed nothing
Not even silence
since things tend to happen
also thunderstorms
Not peace
since I am with my own thoughts
more than yours
Not energy
Not delight
Not rest
Not anything at all
Except your presence.

Tuesday Prayer

...He addressed them as friends. That is what he called Judas
when that disciple
Betrayed him in the garden with a kiss.

Ah, friends - they can eat your bread and plan your undoing.

At the end of the meal when, as scripture says they sang a hymn,
Did Jesus sing too?
Could he, knowing all that had been done and undone?

Yes, I think so. I think he sang the blues. He had before:
"Oh, Jerusalem, you who stone the prophets, how often would I have gathered you in my arms as a hen her chicks,
But you would not."

The blues means not knowing how to stop loving when loving hurts.
It's what makes Jesus a Billie Holiday fan -
A broken heart that keeps on singing....


A little Lent in the midst of Ordinary Time, excerpted from "All His Friends" by David Slater in Before the Amen: Creative Resources for Worship

We Long for Your Dwelling Place

O Jesus Christ, risen presence among us....we long for your dwelling place.
O Jesus Christ, strength of our new day...
O Jesus Christ, joy of all who trust in you...
O Jesus Christ, hear our prayer of praise...
O Jesus Christ, turn our tears to joy...
O Jesus Christ, draw us to yourself...
O Jesus Christ, be a refuge for those in need...
O Jesus Christ, lead us along your straight paths...
O Jesus Christ, protect us that we may exult in you...
O Jesus Christ, bless the just ones with love...
O Jesus Christ, shield your people from harm...we long for your dwelling place.

Sunday Prayer

God.
Oh my God!
Some days I forget You
pumped up as I am on
Me.

See
how great I
am? lost to me in me -
a glutton, fattened, full,
fed.

Led
astray, I
lost the you in me and
hurt those I love, until -
You.

You
show me. My
flaws are great, change my heart
sorrow deep, repent, me?
Me!


You
God feed me
bread of life the food of
love. You in me, Jesus,
Bread.

Christ
turn my heart
fill my life, pour out love
love that feeds, Body, One
All.

Amen.


crossposted on RevGals and Desert Prayer.