Thursday Prayer

Lord, have mercy. Have mercy on those in West, Texas who have had their world turned upside-down. Have mercy on those in Boston still struggling. Have mercy on those in Syria who are living in the midst of bombs and gunshots. Have mercy on those in North Korea who do not have enough to eat today. Have mercy on the 14.9 million children who have been orphaned by AIDS today. Have mercy, Lord Jesus. Have mercy. And in the midst of all of this, give us your heart. Give us the compassion that comes from You. Remind us that we ALL are in great need of your mercy, grace and love.

“Compassion- which means, literally, "to suffer with"- is the way to the truth that we are most ourselves, not when we differ from others, but when we are the same. Indeed the main spiritual question is not, "What difference do you make?" but "What do you have in common?" It is not "excelling" but "serving" that makes us most human. It is not proving ourselves to be better than others but confessing to be just like others that is the way to healing and reconciliation.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen

From Renovare USA

Help Us Learn

Lord, I will learn also to kneel down into the world of the invisible,
  the inscrutable and the everlasting. Then I will move no more
  than the leaves of a tree
  on a day of no wind, bathed in light, like the wanderer who has come home at last and kneels in peace,
  done with all unnecessary things; every motion; even words.

~Mary Oliver

Thursday Prayer

Come Lord!
Do not smile and say
you are already with us.
Millions do not know you
and to us who do,
what is the difference?
What is the point
of your presence
if our lives do not alter?
Change our lives, shatter
our complacency.
Make your word
flesh of our flesh,
blood of our blood
and our life's purpose.
Take away the quietness
of a clear conscience.
Press us uncomfortably.
For only thus
that other peace is made,
your peace.

~ Dom Helder Camara

Thursday Prayer

"Open wide the window of our spirits, O Lord, and fill us full of light;
Open wide the door of our hearts,
That we may receive and entertain thee with all our powers of adoration and love. Amen"

~ Christina Rossetti

Thursday Prayer

Found at St. Laika's website

Thursday Prayer

"O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen." 

(Samuel F Pugh)

All Are Prayers

It’s such a sad world

Don’t we all get on with it though?

I, for example, am upset

because I’ve lost a shoe

and am tearing up

an almost clean house to find it

so I can run to the store for carrots.

I have everything else I need

for a chuck roast dinner,

went to the store last night

and bought half a dozen

unnecessary things, but forgot my carrots.

Can you believe it?

I’ve got a sister

saving up money she doesn’t have

for a divorce she doesn’t want,

another sister praying

‘cause she’s been there. My dad’s feet

are turning black from diabetes,

and about half the people I know

are recovering from an addiction.

The other half are in denial.

I’ve been trying to read

three chapters from the gospels every day.

I’m twenty-seven chapters behind.

But I believe

that all my poems are prayers,

that it’s OK to ask God for anything, anytime;

that it’s OK to sit down

in the middle of your floor and cry

because you’ve lost a shoe,

that it’s OK to ask Him

for a glimpse

of what it will feel like

stepping into that place

He’s promised to prepare.

~~Ginger Andrews (1956- )

Andrews, Ginger. An Honest Answer. Ashland, OR: Story Line Press, 1999. 49-50.

Forgotten Prayer

It is Saturday, and I forgot about posting a prayer on Thursday. So I hope your attitude is that "it is better late than never!" So I looked up "forgetting prayer" on Google and found this "forgotten prayer" by Paul Coelho:

Lord, protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups and to children, it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory.


Amen

By Paul Coelho

May There Be Peace Within

May you trust your highest power 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 our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to
sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you...

--Author Unknown

(Found in an email received from the Cenacle Retreat House in Houston, TX.)

Thursday Thought

" The place which God takes in our soul he will never vacate, for in us is his home of homes, and it is the greatest delight for him to dwell there. . . . The soul who contemplates this is made like the one who is contemplated."

~~Lady Julian of Norwich

Thursday

Thank you. Bless us--every one.

Thursday Prayer

Ever-loving God, thank you for your presence in difficult situations. Help me be a true lover of peace, at peace in your vast heart. Amen.

Advent prayer and book!

O God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thy only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may have sure confidence to behold him when he shall come to be our Judge: who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

~~Gelasian Sacramentary, eighth century

This is a prayer at the end of a day's reading in John Polkinghorne's Advent devotional book, Living with Hope: A Scientist Looks at Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. This is available from Christian Book.Com at 78% off its price (which I originally paid at Amazon)--go to the book link or here.

This is the most thought provoking Advent book I have in my possession. It is written by John Polkinghorne, who was a Professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge until he decided to become an Anglican priest when he was 47 years old. If I was rich enough, I would give a copy to everyone I know!

Thursday Prayer

"Divine Hope, who is found both beyond and within us,
As we begin this season of preparation, we admit how often we fear silence, fight stillness and resist the unknown. Move us beyond the exterior material in our

lives toward the inner rooms of our hearts. As we explore in these depths, adjust our seeing toward each new reality that arises out of shadow and darkness. Through our sense of relief, stir us to passion for others, leading us beyond mere survival to fullness of joy. Amen."
 

~ Janet Salbert

In Thanksgiving

Storms

Willow

To understand
A little of how a shaken love
May be sustained

Consider
The giant stillness
Of a willow

After a storm.
This morning it is more than peaceful
But last night that great form

Was tossed and hit
By what seemed to me
A kind of cosmic hate,

An infernal desire
 To harass and confuse,
Mangle and bewilder

Each leaf and limb
With every vicious
Stratagem

So that now I cannot grasp
The death of nightmare.
How it has passed away

Or changed to this
Stillness,
This clean peace

That seems so unshakable
A branch beyond my reach says
"It is well

"For me to feel
The transfiguring breath
Of evil

"Because yesterday
The roots by which I live
Lodged in apathetic clay.

"But for that fury
How should I be rid of the slow death?
How should I know

"That what a storm can do
Is to terrify my roots
And make me new?"

~ Brendan Kennelly ~

(A Time for Voices)

In God's Beauty

In beauty may I walk.
All day long may I walk.
Through the returning seasons may I walk.

Beautifully will I possess again.
Beautifully birds . . .
Beautifully joyful birds

On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.
With grasshoppers about my feet may I walk.
With dew about my feet may I walk.

With beauty may I walk.
With beauty before me, may I walk.
With beauty behind me, may I walk.
With beauty above me, may I walk.
With beauty below me, may I walk.
With beauty all around me, may I walk.

In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk.

It is finished in beauty.
It is finished in beauty.

A Navajo Indian Prayer of the Second Day of the Night Chant (anonymous)

Found here.

Thursday Prayer

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow men

throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger.

Give them through our hands this day their daily bread,

and by our understanding love, give peace and joy.

Mother Teresa

 

Peace and Healing Prayers here.

Prayer Thought

"To pray, I think, does not mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things, or to spend time with God instead of spending time with other people. Rather, it means to think and live in the presence of God. As soon as we begin to divide our thoughts about God and thoughts about people and events, we remove God from our daily life and put him into a pious little niche where we can think pious thoughts and

experience pious feelings. ... Although it is important and even indispensable for the spiritual life to set apart time for God and God alone, prayer can only become unceasing prayer when all our thoughts -- beautiful or ugly, high or low, proud or shameful, sorrowful or joyful -- can be thought in the presence of God. ... Thus, converting our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer moves us from a self-centered monologue to a God-centered dialogue."

-Henri Nouwen, Clowning in Rome

Thy will be done

Surrender me to thee,

O Lord,

surrender me to thee.