Monday Morning Prayer

More links for the Affiliate with FSPA subsection

FSPA affiliates, Christian women and men interested in sharing Franciscan values with the congregation, start each Monday by sharing a prayer with each other. Now you can join them in this thoughtful experience. Check in each Monday morning to start your week in prayer.

August 18, 2008

You are Christ's Hands
By Teresa of Avila
(1515 - 1582)

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ's compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.

August 11, 2008

Considering today is the Feast of St. Clare, I thought it would be a grand idea to pray with her.

Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
By Clare of Assisi
(1193? - 1254)
English version by Regis J. Armstrong, OFM CAP & Ignatius C. Brady, OFM

Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory!
Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance!
And transform your whole being into the image of the Godhead Itself
through contemplation!
So that you too may feel what His friends feel
as they taste the hidden sweetness
which God Himself has reserved
from the beginning
for those who love Him.

August 4, 2008

O my Lord, if I worship you
By Rabia (Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya)
(717 - 801)
English version by Charles Upton

O my Lord,
if I worship you
from fear of hell, burn me in hell.
If I worship you
from hope of Paradise, bar me from its gates.
But if I worship you
for yourself alone, grant me then the beauty of your Face.

July 28, 2008

Here are two prayers from the mystic saint, Hildegard of Bingen. Enjoy.

O virga mediatrix / Alleluia-verse for the Virgin
By Hildegard of Bingen
(1098 - 1179)
English version by Barbara Newman

Alleluia! light
burst from your untouched
womb like a flower
on the farther side
of death. The world-tree
is blossoming. Two
realms become one.

Laus Trinitati / Antiphon for the Trinity
By Hildegard of Bingen
(1098 - 1179)
English version by Barbara Newman

To the Trinity be praise!
God is music, God is life
that nurtures every creature in its kind.
Our God is the song of the angel throng
and the splendor of secret ways
hid from all humankind,
But God our life is the life of all.

July 21, 2008

The prayer is a writing from Abu-Said Abil-Kheir called "Love came."

Love came
By Abu-Said Abil-Kheir
(967 - 1049)
English version by Peter Lamborn Wilson and Nasrollah Pourjavady

Love came
flowed like blood
beneath skin, through veins
emptied me of my self
filled me
with the Beloved
till every limb
every organ was seized
and occupied
till only
my name remains.
the rest is It.

July 14, 2008

Since the weather has been perfect in La Crosse lately, the prayer today is full of the natural word. It is called "A land not mine, still" by Anna Akhmatova (1889 - 1966), English version by Jane Kenyon.

"A land not mine, still"

A land not mine, still
forever memorable,
the waters of its ocean
chill and fresh.
Sand on the bottom whiter than chalk,
and the air drunk, like wine,
late sun lays bare
the rosy limbs of the pinetrees.
Sunset in the ethereal waves:
I cannot tell if the day
is ending, or the world, or if
the secret of secrets is inside me again.

July 7, 2008

In The Morning
By John vzn Bemmel

In The Morning

Lord send me forth this day
to bring your Good News
to those poor who hunger for a world of hope;
to my neighbor, starving for a friendly gesture;
to my co-worker who longs to be accepted.

Send me out with eyes open wide
to see the loveliness of your creation.
the sight of your face in the face of the stranger:
the insight to know the right words and gestures
to offer a hurting friend.

Send me in peace and joy
that I might be an instrument
of your liberating love.
your joyful presence.
and your redeeming compassion.

Grant that I may bring your presence to a
waiting world. Amen.

June 30, 2008

Teach us, and show us the Way
By Chinook (Anonymous)
(18th Century)

We call upon the earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths and soaring heights, its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask that it

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the mountains, the Cascades and the Olympics, the high green valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers, the snows that never melt, the
summits of intense silence, and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams, that fall upon our gardens and fields and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, the fertile fields, the abundant gardens and orchards, and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with earth in their roots and the heavens in their branches, the fir and the pine and the cedar, and we ask them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas, our brothers and sisters the wolves and deer, the eagle and dove, the great whales and the dolphin, the beautiful Orca and salmon who share our Northwest home, and we ask them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, our ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built, and with thanksgiving, we call upon them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

And lastly, we call upon all that we hold most sacred, the presence and power of the Great Spirit of love and truth which flows through all the Universe, to be with us to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

June 9, 2008

Arlene O'Loughlin (La Crosse, WI) sent this lovely prayer.

From the book "Sunny thoughts for Monday Moods"

As I climb a mountain
the mountain climbs
within me----
And from it summit
i survey
the magnificent vista
with wonder
and richness
filling up the chasms
in my soul.

June 2, 2008

It is Not Enough
By David Whyte
(1955 - )

It is not enough to know.
It is not enough to follow
the inward road conversing in secret.
It is not enough to see straight ahead,
to gaze at the unborn
thinking the silence belongs to you.
It is not enough to hear
even the tiniest edge of rain.
You must go to the place
where everything waits,
there, when you finally rest,
even one word will do,
one word or the palm of your hand
turning outward
in the gesture of gift.
And now we are truly afraid
to find the great silence
asking so little.
One word, one word only.

May 26, 2008

This prayer was sent by Arlene O'Loughlin (La Crosse, WI).

Sunny thought for a Monday Mood

Never think of yourself
as useless,
worthless,
or having no purpose:
for whoever you are,
and whatever you are,
you are unique

and you can be assured
there is at least one thing,
however small,
that you and you alone can do
to make this world a better place.

-Author unknown

May 19, 2008

Here is a little Hildegard of Bingen to begin your week right.

O spectabiles viri / Antiphon for Patriarchs and Prophets
By Hildegard of Bingen
(1098 - 1179)
English version by Barbara Newman

Spectacular men! you see
with the spirit's eyes,
piercing the veil.
In a luminous shade you proclaim
a sharp living brightness
that buds from a branch
that blossomed alone
when the radical light took root.

Holy ones of old! you foretold
deliverance for the souls
of exiles
slumped in the dead lands.

Like wheels you
spun round in wonder as you spoke
of the mysterious mountain
at the brink of heaven
that stills many waters, sailing
over the waves.

And a shining lamp
burned in the midst of you!
Pointing,
he runs to the mountain

May 12, 2008

Lord, Where Shall I Find You?
By Judah Halevi
(1075? - 1141)
English version by T. Carmi

Lord, where shall I find You? Your
place is lofty and secret. And where
shall I not find You? The whole earth is
full of Your glory!
You are found in man's innermost
heart, yet You fixed earth's boundaries.
You are a strong tower for those who
are near, and the trust of those who are
far. You are enthroned on the cherubim,
yet You dwell in the heights of heaven.
You are praised by Your hosts,
but even their praise is not worthy of
You. The sphere of heaven cannot
contain You; how much less the
chambers of the Temple!
Even when You rise above Your hosts
on a throne, high and exalted, You are
nearer to them than their own bodies
and souls. Their mouths attest that they
have no Maker except You. Who shall
not fear You? All bear the yoke of Your
kingdom. And who shall not call to You?
It is You who give them their food.
I have sought to come near You, I have
called to You with all my heart; and
when I went out towards You, I found
You coming towards me. I look upon
Your wondrous power and awe. Who
can say that he has not seen You? The
heavens and their legions proclaim
Your dread -- without a sound.

May 5, 2008

I knew God well when love flashed before me.

By Sultan Bahu
(1628 - 1691)
English version by Jamal Elias

I knew God well when love flashed before me.
It gives me strength by night and day, and shows what lies ahead.
In me are flames, in me is fuel, in me is smoke.
I only found my Beloved, Bahu, when love made me aware.

April 28, 2008

The following is a simple but profound poem/prayer. Enjoy.

[324] Beg for Love.

By Abu-Said Abil-Kheir
(967 - 1049)
English version by Vraje Abramian

Beg for Love.
Consider this burning, and those who
burn, as gifts from the Friend.
Nothing to learn.
Too much has already been said.
When you read a single page from
the silent book of your heart,
you will laugh at all this chattering,
all this pretentious learning.

April 21, 2008

This prayer was sent by Lola Burge (Colton, OR).

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And give the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I thank you that I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they all their needs are met. I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God.

April 14, 2008

Here is a poem/prayer for you. It is called "Now, a New Creature." Perhaps we can all have a time for greening this spring.

Now, a new creature
By Jacopone da Todi (Jacopone Benedetti)
(1230 - 1306)

Now, a new creature, I in Christ am born,
The old man stripped away; -- I am new-made;

And mounting in me, like the sun at morn,
Love breaks my heart, even as a broken blade:

Christ, First and Only Fair, from me hath shorn
My will, my wits, and all that in me stayed,
I in His arms am laid,
I cry and call --
'O Thou my All,

O let me die of Love!'

April 7, 2008

Here is a beautiful prayer from German poet Rilke.

I find you, Lord, in all Things and in all
By Rainer Maria Rilke
(1875 - 1926)

English version by Stephen Mitchell

I find you, Lord, in all Things and in all
my fellow creatures, pulsing with your life;
as a tiny seed you sleep in what is small
and in the vast you vastly yield yourself.

The wondrous game that power plays with Things
is to move in such submission through the world:
groping in roots and growing thick in trunks
and in treetops like a rising from the dead.

March 31, 2008

This prayer by Walter Brueggeman was sent by Mary Ellen Haupert (La Crosse, WI). Feels like a good one for the Easter Season.

Start Again

You are the One who has brought our Lord Jesus Christ again to life from the dead;
You are the One who by your summoning imperative has caused the worlds to be;
You are the One who has the will and power to begin again, to start anew.

You are the only self-starter whose name we know.
And so we bid you, start again,
start here, start now,
start with us and with our place,
start with your mercy, and with your justice,
and with your compassion, and with your peace.
Make the world new again, and young again, and innocent again ...
Start ... before it is too late.

--Walter Brueggemann

March 17, 2008

Shirely Huhn (Bangor, WI) sent this and it seemed especially appropriate today.

A BLESSING FOR EQUILIBRIUM.
BY JOHN O'DONOHUE, from 'Benedictus – A Book of Blessings'

Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,
May the music of laughter break through your soul.

As the wind wants to make everything dance,
May your gravity be lightened by grace.

Like the freedom of the monastery bell,
May clarity of mind make your eyes smile.

As water takes whatever shape it is in,
So free may you be about who you become.

As silence smiles on the other side of what's said,
May a sense of irony give you perspective.

As time remains free of all that it frames,
May fear or worry never put you in chains.

May your prayer of listening deepen enough
To hear in the distance the laughter of God.

March 11, 2008

I realize the prayer is a day late but trust you were able to get through your Monday successfully without it.

i thank You God for most this amazing
By e. e. cummings
(1894 - 1962)

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

March 3, 2008

This was sent by Arlene O'Loughlin (La Crosse, WI).

It's in the Valleys I Grow

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow and woe.
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would live in vain.
I have so much to learn,
And my growth is very slow.
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I'm very sure of one thing
My Lord will see me through.
My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross.
He went through the valley of death
His victory was Satan's loss.
Forgive me Lord for complaining!
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.
Thank you for the valleys, Lord.
For this one thing I know,
The mountain tops are glorious,
But it's in the valleys I grow!

By June Eggleston

February 25, 2008

A Blessing for Equilibrium
By John O'Donohue
(1954 - 2008)

Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,
May the music of laughter break through your soul.
As the wind wants to make everything dance,
May your gravity be lightened by grace.
Like the freedom of the monastery bell,
May clarity of mind make your eyes smile.
As water takes whatever shape it is in,
So free may you be about who you become.
As silence smiles on the other side of what's said,
May a sense of irony give you perspective.
As time remains free of all that it frames,
May fear or worry never put you in chains.
May your prayer of listening deepen enough
To hear in the distance the laughter of God.

February 18, 2008

This is a short but lovely poem/prayer for you on a white, wintry Monday morning.

Worship
By Dogen
(1200 - 1253)
English version by Steven Heine

A white heron
Hiding itself
In the snowy field,
Where even the winter grass
Cannot be seen.

February 11, 2008

Sr. Suzanne used these two prayers at the Verona Cluster Day. The as short and powerful.

First prayer is from Father Michael who died in the Twin Towers:

Lord, take me where you want me to go.
Let me meet who you want me to meet.
Tell me what you want me to say.
And, keep me out of your way. Amen!

Second is from Henri Nouwen:

Compassion
Changing the human heart
and changing human society
are not separate tasks but
are interconnected
as the two beams of the cross.

February 4, 2008

This prayer is from Evelyn Sullivan (Norwalk, WI).

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

January 28, 2008

This prayer was sent by Evelyn Sullivan (Norwalk, WI).

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day, I thank you for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because you are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and you keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you.

I ask now for your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from you.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And give the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray, you listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know you intimately.

But I thank you that I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes and all their needs are met. I pray that all people know there is no problem, circumstance or situation greater than God.

January 21, 2008

Today is the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr's hopes and dreams for our world as well as all the good he did during his life. So thought today's prayer should reflect our celebration.

This prayer is for the harmony of all nations and it is from the book, Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly: Prayers of Peace and Justice, by Edward F. Gabriele.

O God, you are the foundation of peace
among every race and people,
among every city, village and tribe.
From the dawn of creation,
we have been gathered as a family of nations
whose gifts of culture and progress
are born from the goodness of your love.

But in the course of the centuries,
rulers and powers have raged against each other.
Greed and power
have clouded the vision of your dignity
that is our rightful heritage.

Break the chains of prejudice and hatred among us.
Teach us to put aside war and injustice.
Draw us to live in peace and harmony.
Jesus showed us how to hope and how to heal;
may we learn from him.

We ask this through Christ and the Holy Spirit,
with you, One God, forever and ever.
Amen.

January 14, 2008

O My Lord, Your dwelling places are lovely

By Judah Halevi
(1075? - 1141)

English version by Solomon Solis-Cohe

O My Lord, Your dwelling places are lovely
Your Presence is manifest, not in mystery.
My dream brought me to the Temple of God
And I praised its delightful servants,
And the burnt offering, its meal and libation
Which rose up in great pillars of smoke.
I delighted in the song of the Levites,
In their secrets of the sacrificial service.
Then I woke, and still I was with you, O Lord,
And I gave thanks – for to You it is pleasant to give thanks!

January 7, 2008

This is from our Clare of Assisi.

What a great laudable exchange:

By Clare of Assisi
(1193? - 1254)

English version by Regis J. Armstrong, OFM CAP & Ignatius C. Brady, OFM

What a great laudable exchange:
to leave the things of time for those of eternity,
to choose the things of heaven for the goods of earth,
to receive the hundred-fold in place of one,
and to possess a blessed and eternal life.

December 31, 2007

In this church year, the 12 Days of Christmas are celebrated from December 25th to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord which this year is January 13th. The traditional “twelve days of Christmas” began with December 26th and end on the feast of the Epiphany, January 6th. Below is a poem adapted from Howard Thurman. It celebrates the active mission of Christmas.

The Work of Christmas

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost
to heal the broken,
to feed the poor,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace to all of creation,
to make music in the heart.

We wish you a happy new year. May we all remember that each and everyone of us is blessed with the name of “Emmanuel.

Peace to you and to our world.

December 24, 2007

The following is a poem found by Sister Mildred Tigges. I do not know the source.

And Did It Happen?

And did it happen
that in a stable long ago
a weary couple,
who no one wanted to know,
should choose a manger,
in spite of the danger,
to hold and hallow the Lord below?

And did it happen
that in the stillness of the night,
the woman labored
to let God see the light,
and bathed and dressed him,
breastfeed and blessed him,
the Word Incarnate whose time was right?

And did it happen
that news of this first reached the poor,
compelled by angels
to tiptoe to the door
and see no trappings,
just linen wrappings,
a baby for certain and God for sure?

And did it happen
that all of this was meant to be,
that God from distance
should choose to be set free
and show uniqueness
transformed in weakness,
that I might touch him and he touch me?

One last thought. Immanuel means “God with us.” As Sister Macrina Wiederkehr suggests, perhaps we could adopt Immanuel as our name and become living signs of God with us. What a powerful Christmas gift this would be for our world. Merry Christmas, everyone. God bless us one and all.

December 17, 2007

Here is today's prayer. It was written by Mother Theresa.

We are all pencils in the
Hands of God,
Who is sending Love
Letters to the world.

December 10, 2007

This is a beautiful Advent prayer sent by Suzanne.

I am the one for whom God waits!
I am awaiting the One who is awaiting me!

Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B.

December 3, 2007

This very lovely prayer comes from Gwen Puent (La Crescent, MN).

In humble gratitude for all life and breath, let us pause.
Eternal Spirit of Justice and Love,
at this time of thanksgiving
we are aware of our dependence on the earth,
and on the sustaining presence
of other human beings,
both living and gone before us.

As we partake of bread and wine,
may we remember that there are many
for whom sufficient bread is a luxury,
or for whom wine, when attainable,
is only an escape.

Let our thanksgiving for life's bounty
include a commitment to changing the world,
that those who are now hungry may be filled,
and those without hope may be given courage.

Amen.

November 26, 2007

O My Lord, Your dwelling places are lovely
By Judah Halevi
(1075? - 1141)
English version by Solomon Solis-Cohen

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

A prayer of Thanksgiving seems appropriate. This is from the abbey of New Clairvaux, Viña, California.

Give us this day our daily bread, O Father in heaven, and grant that we who are filled with good things from Your open hand, may never close our hearts to the hungry, the homeless, and the poor; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

November 12, 2007

Sunlight made visible

By Akka Mahadevi
(12th Century)

English version by A. K. Ramanujan

Sunlight made visible
the whole length of sky,
movement of wind,
leaf, flower, all six colours
on tree, bush and creeper:
all this
is the day's worship.

The light of moon, star and fire,
lightnings and all things
that go by the name of light
are the night's worship.

Night and day
in your worship
I forget myself

O lord white as jasmine.

November 5, 2007

For our prayer, let's have some words from Clare.

What a great laudable exchange:

By Clare of Assisi
(1193? - 1254)

English version by Regis J. Armstrong, OFM CAP & Ignatius C. Brady, OFM

October 29, 2007

Since we are thinking about Franciscanism, here is a prayer used during the Transitus Service called "Canticle of Fraternity" by Renita Brunner, OSF.

"Canticle of Fraternity"
-Renita Brunner, OSF

Praise be You, My Lord, through Sister Brokenness
who reveals to us your healing and your wholeness.
She is tender and fragile and invites us to share our poverty with one another.

Praise be You, My Lord, through Sister Forgiveness
who reveals your unconditional love and tender mercy.
She is gentle and asks for poverty of spirit as she seek
to be both freely given and freely received in fraternity.

Praise be You, My Lord, through Brother Conversion
who reveals your radical Gospel call and the heart of the paschal mystery.
He is violent and requires uprooting, letting go, emptying
and comes to us through self-emptying fraternal experiences.
He is a mirror of true Eucharist.

Praise be to You, My Lord, through Sister Joy
who reaveals your fullness and the life of the Trinitarian love.
She is carefree. She is loving. She is genuine. She is beatitude.
She is gift coming from you through sharing Your presence with one another.

Most High, all powerful, good Lord
Yours are brokenness, forgiveness, conversion, and joy.
We praise and bless You, Lord, and give You thanks for fraternity.
All praise be yours, O Lord.

October 22, 2007

O God, Another Night is passing away

By Rabia (Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya)
(717 - 801)

English version by Charles Upton

O God, Another Night is passing away,
Another Day is rising --
Tell me that I have spent the Night well so I can be at peace,
Or that I have wasted it, so I can mourn for what is lost.
I swear that ever since the first day You brought me back to life,
The day You became my Friend,
I have not slept --
And even if You drive me from your door,
I swear again that we will never be separated.
Because You are alive in my heart.

October 15, 2007

This poem/prayer was sent by Chandra Sherin (La Crosse, WI). It is from Robert Bly's 2005 book of poems, My Sentence Was a Thousand Years of Joy.

The Dark Autumn Nights

Robert Bly

Imagination is the door to the raven's house, so we are
already blessed! The one nail that fell from the shoe
lit the way for Newton to get home from the Fair.

Last night I heard a thousand holy women
and a thousand holy men apologize at midnight
because there was too much triumph in their voices.

Those lovers, skinny and badly dressed, hated
by parents, did the work; all through the Middle Ages,
It was the lovers who kept the door open to heaven.

Walking home, we become distracted whenever
we pass apple orchards. We are still eating fruit
left on the ground the night Adam was born.

St. John of the Cross heard an Arab love poem
Through the bars and began his poem. In Nevada it was
always the falling horse that discovered the mine.

Robert, you know well how much substance can be
wasted by lovers, but I say, Blessings on those
who go home through the dark autumn nights.

October 1, 2007

I thought we would start the month with a poem/prayer by a mystic. Here is Hildegard of Bingen.

O Euchari in leta via / Sequence for Saint Eucharius

By Hildegard of Bingen
(1098 - 1179)

English version by Barbara Newman

Eucharius!
you walked blithely when you stayed
with the Son of God,
touching him, watching
his miracle-working.

You loved him with a perfect love
when terror fell on your friends --
who being human had no
strength to bear the brightness
of the good.

But you -- in the blaze of utmost love --
drew him to your heart
when you gathered the sheaves
of his precepts.

Eucharius!
when the Word of God possessed you
in the blaze of the dove,
when the sun rose in your spirit,
you founded a church in your bliss.

Daylight shimmers in your heart
where three tabernacles stand
on a marble pillar
in the city of God.

In your preaching Ecclesia
savors old wine with new --
a chalice twice hallowed.

And in your teaching Ecclesia
argued with such force
that her shout rang over the mountains,
that the hills and the woods might bow
to suck her breasts.

Pray for this company now,
pray with resounding voice
that we forsake not Christ
in his sacred rites,
but become before his altar
a living sacrifice.

September 24, 2007

This prayer is from Arlene O’Loughlin (La Crosse, WI).

Faithful God, we pray for all families who have been forced from their homes and businesses due to the recent floods in the area.
Grant them courage as they rebuild and seek out their future.
Bless all the generous people that have come forth with donations to help them--for the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Red Cross, and all volunteers that have stepped forth to give hours of love and labor to their neighbors. Amen.

September 17, 2007

S. Kathleen Kenkel (La Crosse, WI) gave me this prayer by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin with a note “Teilhard was a Jesuit paleontologist and he certainly knew of the slow evolution of the earth, the universe. He inspired us with his explanation of Christo-genesis, the centrality of Christ and our development into the cosmic Christ.”

Here is the prayer/reflection.

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new, and yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability – and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you. Your ideas mature gradually – let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

-Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

September 10, 2007

This prayer was sent by Arlene O’Loughlin (La Crosse, WI).

Prayer for Wisdom and Discernment

by Thomas 'a Kempis

Grant me, O Lord, to know what is worth knowing,
To love what is worth loving,
To praise what delights you most,
To value what is precious in your sight,
To hate what is offensive to you.

Do not let me judge by what I see,
Nor pass sentence according to what I hear,
But to judge rightly between things that are differ,
And above all to search out and to do what pleases you,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

September 4, 2007

Today is the Feast of St. Rose of Viterbo. We are dedicating the two new statues in front of St. Rose this morning. So I thought it would be good to have a prayer from Rose this morning. In my searching I learned from the American Catholic webpage that Rose's dying words to her parents were: "I die with joy, for I desire to be united to my God. Live so as not to fear death. For those who live well in the world, death is not frightening, but sweet and precious.” I also learned the she is the patron saint of florists.

If this information just wets your appetite and you would like to learn more about Rose’s life, go to the FSPA.org. There is a great page about her. Just follow the link. www.fspa.org/spirituality/rose.asp

The following prayer was used during a Viterbo University prayer service for the beginning of the school year and in celebration of St. Rose.

O Lord, open my eyes
that I may see the need of others,
open my ears that I may hear their cries,
open my heart so that they need not be without assistance.
Let me not be afraid to defend the weak
because of the anger of the strong,
nor afraid to defend the poor,
because of the anger of the rich.
Show me where love and hope and faith are needed,
and use me to bring them to these places.
Open my eyes and ears that I may, this coming day,
be able to do some work of peace for you.
Amen.

August 27, 2007

This prayer was sent by Joan Gerhards (Verona, WI). If you have a prayer you would like to share, please send it to me and I will be glad to pass it along to the group.

Magnificat to the God of Dawn

My being proclaims the wonders of light
as it slowly penetrates the ebbing darkness.

And my spirit bows to the beauty of the One
who gives life to all that has existence.

Oh, vibrant green stems of life sing out
your praise to the Heart who draws you forth.

Bird songs rejoicing in the breath of dawn,
warble your joy in view of the morning star.

Dew drops radiant upon the wetness of the grass
give glory to the Wise Creator who sustains you.

Flower gardens, rushing streams, silent deserts,
sing, sing for the Dance who rejoices in you midst.

People of the plant, creatures of the universe,
play before the Enlivener who delights in you.

And my soul, my soul rise up and greet this day
with gratitude, in a stance of humble remembering.

For all I am, all I am called to be, is held
in the hands of the Creator who daily loves me into life.

August 20, 2007

This prayer was sent by Arlene O’Loughlin (La Crosse, WI).

In the Evening
By Jennifer Phillips

As the darkness of the world closes in,
Blessed one, you are our light.
Keep this house in peace and safety
through the hours of the night to come.
As lamps fill our homes with brightness,
send also the illumination of your Holy Spirit to enlighten and cheer our hearts.
Sleep in good conscience,
and a peaceful waking, renewed by your energy:
through Christ our Defender and Daystar. Amen

August 6, 2007

Good Monday morning.

I touch God in my song

By Rabindranath Tagore
(1861 - 1941)

English version by Rabindranath Tagore

I touch God in my song
as the hill touches the far-away sea
with its waterfall.

The butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough.

Let my love, like sunlight, surround you
and yet give you illumined freedom.

Love remains a secret even when spoken,
for only a lover truly knows that he is loved.

Emancipation from the bondage of the soil
is no freedom for thee.

In love I pay my endless debt to thee
for what thou art.

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