NaPraGoMo: National Pray to God Month

You will show me the path to life

2007-11-30T00:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 16. A Psalm of David.

I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, you are my only good.
: Worthless are all the false gods of the land. Accursed are all who delight in them.
: They multiply their sorrows who court other gods. Blood libations to them I will not pour out, nor will I take their names upon my lips.
: LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you have made my destiny secure.
: Pleasant places were measured out for me; fair to me indeed is my inheritance.
: I bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my heart exhorts me.
: I keep the LORD always before me; with the Lord at my right, I shall never be shaken.
: Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure,
: For you will not abandon me to Sheol, nor let your faithful servant see the pit.
: You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.

Picture source.

**********************************************************************

I hope people have enjoyed this site. Today ends the posts, since this was meant for one month of inspiration to more and deeper prayer.

If you want more simple, short encouragement, I like Emilie Griffin's Doors Into Prayer, the collection Nearer To The Heart of God (both by the absolutely excellent Paraclete Press) and of course, the Bible.

Peace, and see you next year!
I.C.

Fiery life

2007-11-29T20:26:00.000-06:00

If we permit the love of God to replace our cares in the world, and if we give ourselves over to steady prayer and meditation, we will soon find our attitude and behavior changing. We will stop racing from one thing to another. We will rest in tranquility and peace.

A stable. spiritual life requires much prayer and devout singing of psalms. Evil is only conquered by continual prayer.

Prayer can become habitual. Whether praying or meditating, it is possible to focus our attention on God. In this kind of prayer we do not think of anything in particular. Our whole will is directed toward God. The Holy Spirit burns in our soul. God is at the very heart of our being. Our prayers are made with affection, and they become effective. If our prayers require words, we do not rush. We can offer every syllable as a prayer in itself. The love burning in us will give fiery life to our prayers.

Prayer of this kind is a delight.

--Richard Rolle, The Mending of Life
Picture source.

The Memorare

2007-11-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

While we're in a Marian frame of mind...a video of the evangelical song "Mary, Did You Know," with clips from The Nativity Story and The Passion. Hat tip to The Deacon's Bench.

Click here to play.

Waiting until God is heard

2007-11-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

As my prayer became more attentive and inward, I had less and less to say. I finally became completely silent… This is how it is. To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking. Prayer involves becoming silent, and being silent, and waiting until God is heard.

-- Søren Kierkegaard

Picture source.

To clasp the hands

2007-11-26T00:00:00.000-06:00

To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.

~ Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Guideposts, 3/05

To Jesus Christ our sovereign King

2007-11-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

To Jesus Christ, our Sovereign King,
who is the world's salvation,
All praise and homage do we bring,
and thanks and adoration

Christ Jesus, Victor! Christ Jesus, Ruler! Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer.

Your reign extend, O King benign,
to every land and nation;
For in your kingdom Lord divine
Alone we find salvation

Christ Jesus, Victor! Christ Jesus, Ruler! Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer.

To you and to your Church, great King,
We pledge our heart's oblation;
Until before your throne we sing
In endless jubilation

Christ Jesus, Victor! Christ Jesus, Ruler! Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer.

--Msgr. Martin Hellriegal, 1941
In honor of today's feast, Christ the King (in Roman Catholic churches)

Whom shall I love, if I love not you

2007-11-24T00:00:00.000-06:00

Lord, who am I, that You have loved me so much, and that You should so much desire to be loved by me?

O my God, worthy of infinite love! I love You, or rather, I should say, I love You not.

I love You above all things; more than my life, more than myself; but still I see that I love You too little.

O King of Heaven! make Thyself also King of my heart, possess me entirely.

II.

I leave all, and turn to You. I embrace You, I press You to my soul; despise me not, immeasurable good; I love You.

Now that You have united me to You, O my Jesus, how can I see myself separated from You? I love You, and will never cease to love You.

Unite Thyself to me, Lord; let not the corruption of my sins drive You away from me.

III.

O God, O God! whom shall I love, if I love not You, my life, my love, my all?

Chosen among thousands. My God, You only, You alone do I choose for my love.

My Redeemer, I desire no other but You.

Oh that I might be wholly consumed for You, who was entirely consumed for me!

Take possession, Lord, of my whole will, and do with me what You please.

--St Alphonsus Ligouri

More of this series of prayers here.

Let nothing disturb you

2007-11-23T09:59:00.000-06:00

Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing.
God alone is changeless.
He who has patience wants for nothing
He who has God has all things.
God alone suffices.

--Teresa of Avila

If the only prayer

2007-11-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you’, that would suffice.

--Meister Eckhart

There is only one vocation

2007-11-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

... there is only one vocation. Whether you teach or live in the cloister or nurse the sick, whether you are in religion or out of it, married or single, no matter who you are, you are called to the summit of perfection: you are called to a deep interior life perhaps even to mystical prayer, and to pass the fruits of your contemplation on to others. And if you cannot do so by word, then by example.
Yet if this sublime fire of infused love burns in your soul, it will inevitably send forth throughout the Church and the world an influence more tremendous than could be estimated by the radius reached by words or by example.

--Thomas Merton, Seven Storey Mountain [page 458]

Hat tip to Mike's blog.
Picture here, and from www.flickr.com/photos/phildowsing .

Be Thou Alone My Hope

2007-11-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul
with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love,
and with true, calm and most holy apostolic charity,
that my soul may ever languish and melt with entire love and longing for Thee,
may yearn for Thee and for thy courts, may long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.

Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and super substantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delightful taste.

May my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee,
Whom the angels desire to look upon,
and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor;
may it ever thirst for Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the fullness of the house of God;
may it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee,
run to Thee, come up to Thee, meditate on Thee, speak of Thee,
and do all for the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, with perseverance to the end;
and be Thou alone ever my hope,
my entire confidence,
my riches,
my delight,
my pleasure,
my joy,
my rest and tranquility,
my peace,
my sweetness,
my food,
my refreshment,
my refuge,
my help,
my wisdom,
my portion,
my possession,
my treasure;

in Whom may my mind and my heart be ever fixed and firm and rooted immovably.

Amen.

--St. Bonaventure

Picture source.

I only feel myself resting

2007-11-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

I only feel myself resting in God's arms, to state it a bit pathetically. Whether it is here at my most dear and safe desk or in a month or so in a bare room in the Jewish ghetto or perhaps in a working camp under SS surveillance, I will always feel myself resting in God's arms, I guess.

Yes, my Lord, I remain very faithful to you, through thick and thin. (...) The only human thing that still remains in these times is: to kneel before you, o God.

There are moments when I feel like a little bird, covered by a big protecting hand. (July 28 1942)

--An Interrupted Life
Etty Hillesum
Killed at Auschwitz, 1943

Prayer is the light of the soul

2007-11-18T00:00:00.000-06:00

There is nothing more worthwhile than to pray to God and to converse with him, for prayer unites us with God as his companions. As our bodily eyes are illuminated by seeing the light, so in contemplating God our soul is illuminated by him. Of course the prayer I have in mind is no matter of routine, it is deliberate and earnest. It is not tied down to a fixed timetable; rather it is a state which endures by night and day.

Our soul should be directed in God, not merely when we suddenly think of prayer, but even when we are concerned with something else. If we are looking after the poor, if we are busy in some other way, or if we are doing any type of good work, we should season our actions with the desire and the remembrance of God. Through this salt of the love of God we can all become a sweet dish for the Lord. If we are generous in giving time to prayer, we will experience its benefits throughout our life.

Prayer is the light of the soul, giving us true knowledge of God. It is a link mediating between God and man. By prayer the soul is borne up to heaven and in a marvelous way embraces the Lord. This meeting is like that of an infant crying on its mother, and seeking the best of milk. The soul longs for its own needs and what it receives is better than anything to be seen in the world.

Prayer is a precious way of communicating with God, it gladdens the soul and gives repose to its affections. You should not think of prayer as being a matter of words. It is a desire for God, an indescribable devotion, not of human origin, but the gift of God's grace. As Saint Paul says: we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.

Anyone who receives from the Lord the gift of this type of prayer possesses a richness that is not to be taken from him, a heavenly food filling up the soul. Once he has tasted this food, he is set alight by an eternal desire for the Lord, the fiercest of fires lighting up his soul.

To set about this prayer, paint the house of your soul with modesty and lowliness and make it splendid with the light of justice. Adorn it with the beaten gold of good works and, for walls and stones, embellish it assiduously with faith and generosity. Above all, place prayer on top of this house as its roof so that the complete building may be ready for the Lord. Thus he will be received in a splendid royal house and by grace his image will already be settled in your soul.

--St. John Chrysostom

Picture source.

The moment between

2007-11-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

The moment between deciding to pray and actually praying can be the longest moment of one's life.

--Emilie Griffin, Clinging

Picture source.
More at www.flickr.com/photos/phildowsing .

"Pray As You Go"

2007-11-16T09:25:00.001-06:00

Short but meaty downloads for your MP3 player, from the Jesuit Media Initiatives.

I arise today

2007-11-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the
Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession
of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

I arise today through the strength of Christ with His Baptism,
through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial
through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.

I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubim
in obedience of Angels, in the service of the Archangels,
in hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets,
in preachings of Apostles, in faiths of Confessors,
in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through the strength of Heaven:
light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendour of Fire,
speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea,
stability of Earth, firmness of Rock.

I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me,
God's host to secure me:
against snares of devils, against temptations of vices,
against inclinations of nature, against everyone who
shall wish me ill, afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

I summon today all these powers between me (and these evils):
against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose
my body and my soul,
against incantations of false prophets,
against black laws of heathenry,
against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry,
against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
against every knowledge that endangers my body and soul.
Christ to protect me today
against poison, against burning, against drowning,
against wounding, so that there may come abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right,
Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length,
Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the
Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the
Oneness of the Creator of creation.
Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of Christ. May Thy Salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

--St. Patrick of Ireland

Picture source.

Fall in love, stay in love, it will decide everything

2007-11-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

Nothing is more practical than
finding God, that is, than falling in love
in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you will spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.

--Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

There is no one but us

2007-11-14T00:00:00.000-06:00

A blur of romance clings to the notions of "publicans," "sinners," "the poor," the "people in the marketplace," "our neighbors," as though of course God should reveal himself, if at all, to these simple people, these Sunday school watercolor figures, who are so purely themselves in their tattered robes, who are single in themselves, while we now are various, complex, and full at heart. We are busy. So, I see now, were they.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? There is no one but us. There is no one to send, nor a clean hand, not a pure heart on the face of the earth, nor in the earth, but only us, a generation comforting ourselves with the option that we have come at an awkward time, that our innocent fathers are all dead...and our children busy and troubled, and we ourselves unfit, not yet ready... But there is no one but us. There never has been.

--Annie Dillard, "Holy The Firm"

Picture source.

Perhaps you are not able

2007-11-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Perhaps you are not able to pray silently. Many people are poor at this. Here is an easy way to get started. There are several ways in which you can place yourself in God's presence.

Consider how God is present in all things and in all places. Wherever the birds fly, they are constantly in the air; wherever we go, God is always there. Instead of merely assenting to this, it is necessary to make the realization of its truth live for us. Since we can't see God physically present, we need to activate our consciousness. Before praying we need to remind ourselves of God's actual presence. A good way to do this is with Bible verses. If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Remember that God is not only where you are, he is actually in your heart, in the core of your spirit. "For in him we live and move and have our being." ... When you know God is present, your soul will bow down before his majesty and ask for help. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

--St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

Picture source.

Prayer of Self-Abandonment

2007-11-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

Source.

Father,

I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do,
I thank you.

I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

--Charles de Foucauld

Morning Prayer

2007-11-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

When you dress yourself, pray: O Christ, clothe me with yourself. Be for me a warm garment that will protect me from catching the cold of this world.

If you are away from me, dear Lord, all things will be cold and lifeless. But if you are with me, all things will be warm, lively, and fresh.

As I cover my body with this article of clothing, please become the clothing of my soul. Put upon me mercy, meekness, love, and peace.

--John Bradford, Daily Meditations

Picture source.

Sacred Space

2007-11-11T16:04:00.000-06:00

Sacred Space is a daily lectio divina style website run by the Ireland Jesuits, with interactive pages (the idea is to pray at your computer for 10 minutes). It's truly exquisitely done, very poetic, and encourages slowing down and noticing God in all things, as Ignatius of Loyola advocated. Enjoy!

P.s. if you hate the idea of praying at the computer, you can also print out the pages: it's a simple six step process.

You are holy

2007-11-10T02:00:00.000-06:00

You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High.
You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true.
You are love.
You are wisdom.
You are humility.
You are endurance.
You are rest.
You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage.
You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty, Merciful Saviour. Amen.

--St. Francis of Assisi

All of creation

2007-11-09T02:00:00.000-06:00

All of creation teaches us some form of prayer.
--Thomas Merton

Picture source.

Who is behind the barbed wire?

2007-11-08T14:17:00.000-06:00

...Is it Christ, or is it you?

Icon: Christ of Maryknoll
HT: Luminous Miseries