May we know the hope – here, now


Detail of stained glass window in Ontmoetingskerk, Krimpen aan de Lek, NL
 
 
 
So that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. (Ephesians 1:18)
 

Blessing of Hope

So may we know
the hope
that is not just
for someday
but for this day—
here, now,
in this moment
that opens to us:

hope not made
of wishes
but of substance,

hope made of sinew
and muscle
and bone,

hope that has breath
and a beating heart,

hope that will not
keep quiet
and be polite,

hope that knows
how to holler
when it is called for,

hope that knows
how to sing
when there seems
little cause,

hope that raises us
from the dead—

not someday
but this day,
every day,
again and
again and
again.

— by Jan Richardson, from paintedprayerbook.com
 

From the blog
Theme: Come to the waters  [prayer sheet]
Song in the night
People of the way

 

How do we know?


 

A quote by Madeleine L’Engle to ponder:

It is a frightening thing for many people to let go, to have faith in that which they cannot completely know and control.
      But how do we know?
      We’ve lost much of the richness of that word. Nowadays, to know means to know with the intellect. But it is a much deeper word than that. Adam knew Eve. To know deeply is far more than to know consciously. In the realm of faith I know far more than I can believe with my finite mind. I know that a loving God will not abandon what he creates. I know that the human calling is cocreation with this power of love. I know that ‘neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, not things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
      But in this limited world we tend to lose this kind of knowing, and this loss has permeated our fiction as well as our prayer.

 
~ from Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith & Art, p. 173
 

We know … we know not …


 

Your works are wonderful;
I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.
Psalm 139:14, The Voice

 

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 126)

Let us begin this day by rejoicing!
The Lord has done such wonderful things for us.
Let us be glad!
The day before us is uncertain.
We know not what we will encounter on our way.
Wherever we go, we go forth as people of the living God,
and we go forth to touch the lives of all with his healing touch.
Let us begin this day with rejoicing!
and return to our homes with gladness!

~ from re:worship
 

From the blog
Yield as sacrifice
Beyond
In the school of prayer with Ann Lewin
 

Desire and transformation


 
 
Jan Richardson writes,

Loving is always risky, because we cannot enter into it without being changed. Altered. Transformed. In the face of this, we might well ask, Do I really want this? Do we really desire to be so undone?
 
Loving is never just about opening our heart. It is about being willing to have our heart become larger as we make room for people and stories and experiences we never imagined holding. It is about being willing to have our heart become deeper as we move beyond the surface layers of our assumptions, prejudices, and habits in order to truly see and receive what—and who—is before us. It is about being willing to have our heart continually shattered and remade as we take in not only the brokenness of the world but also the beauty of it, the astounding wonder that will not allow us to remain the same.

 

~ from the paintedprayerbook.com archives
 

A prayer

O Lord, I do not know what to ask of you. You alone know what are my true needs. You love me more than I myself know how to love. Help me to see my real needs, which are concealed from me. I dare not ask for either a cross or a consolation; I can only wait on you. My heart is open to you. Come to me and help me, for your great mercy’s sake … I put all my trust in you. I have no other desire than to fulfil your will. Teach me how to pray; pray yourself in me.

~ written by Metropolitan Theodore Philaret of Moscow (1553-1633)
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #80
 

The desire of the humble


 

Litany of Humility

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus … (Philippians 2:5)

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

 
written by Rafael Cardinal Memy de Val (1865-1930),
Secretary of State to Pope Pius X
posted on re:worship
 

From the blog
Walk the walk
Reminder: Love is …
The last may be first
 

Energy of desire


photo taken during Vincent Meets Rembrandt: The Untold Story in Amsterdam

 
Spirit of Christ, sanctify me.
Accept and transform
my small energy of desire,
that it may become
part of your great energy of desire
for the redemption of the world.
Your will be done!

 
written by Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941)
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #401
 

From the blog | More by Evelyn Underhill
Yield as sacrifice
 

Burning desire


 

A prayer with a candle

My Lord and my God –
thank you for drawing me to Yourself …
Keep the burning of my desire for you
as clear and steady as the flame of this candle
– a single, undivided focus of attention,
a steady offering of the will.
Let my whole being be filled with Your light
so that others may be drawn to You.
Let my whole being be cleansed by the flame of Your love
from all that is contrary to Your will for me …
– my Lord and my God.

 
~ by Margaret Dewey (abbreviated), from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #34
 

From the blog
All my longings
In the school of prayer with St Francis of Assisi
Theme: Sharing in Jesus’ ministry  [prayer sheet]
 

Fire praise


Whitby sunset  (Photo: Irene Bom)

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 148:1, 7-11, 13)

Praise the Lord!
You creatures of the ocean depths,
fire and hail, snow and storm,
wind and weather that obey him,
mountains and all cedars,
wild animals and all livestock,
reptiles and birds,
kings of the earth and all people!
Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!

~ from re:worship
 

Come Spirit like fire

Come, Holy Spirit

Come Spirit like rain, refresh, renew, revitalise.
Come Spirit like fire, embolden, enlighten, enable.
Come Spirit like a mighty wind, move, challenge, enkindle.
Come Spirit like wave, move, tear down, lift up.
Come Spirit, come Breath, draw us close, make song, bring intimacy.
Come Spirit, come Love, make one, make justice, make peace.
Come Spirit, come Kingdom, come Love.

— written by Martin Brown, and posted on the CAFOD website.

For further study

Key symbols of the Holy Spirit

Fire: Matt 3:11, Acts 2:3-4
Oil: Ex 29:7. Lev 8, Ex 27:20, Mark 6:13; James 5:14
Wind: John 3:8, Acts 2:1-4
Water: John 7:37-39, Is 44:3, Joel 2:28-29
 

From the blog
Newness of life
3 Prayers for summer
Guest post #1 : Fire reflections
 

Fire not ashes


 

After the fire

God of Pentecosts,
we have received from you an inheritance of fire, not of ashes.
You have breathed your Spirit into us and we have been born anew.

And now our raised hands look for your purpose.
Our feet look for your path.
We look to spend our inheritance as fools for your grace,
As fools in your grace.
As fools by your grace.
Amen.

~ written by lutheranjulia, and posted on RevGalBlogPals