Posted on 01/05/2005 8:51:52 AM PST by Knitting A Conundrum
O Lord,
on this day,
do not fault us for wallowing in the whys
that lead us down the roads
we should not go,
the whys which we use
to destroy our faith,
the whys we use
to show our anger at events,
the whys with which we blame you
for the pain,
the sorrow,
the suffering
the grief
the death.
O Lord,
like spoiled or strong-willed children,
Forgive us
as we turn our back
and choose not to see you
walking beside us,
weeping with us,
feeling our pain,
our anger,
our loss.
Forgive us
when we forget
that you come to us
in the eyes of the suffering,
in the hands of the needy,
in the heart of the bereft,
in the aching of the angry.
Lord,
remind us
that we are your hands
here on earth
to soothe the aching,
to build the home,
to rescue the suffering,
to heal the hurt.
Help us speak with your voice,
see with your eyes,
touch with your hand,
this day and always,
Amen.
I am inspired in this thought by a prayer of St. Teresa of Avila:
Lord Christ,
You have no body on earth but ours,
No hands but ours,
No feet but ours.
Ours are the eyes through which your compassion
Must look out on the world.
Ours are the feet by which you may still
Go about doing good.
Ours are the hands with which
You bless people now.
Bless our minds and bodies,
That we may be a blessing to others.
Prayer Ping!
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Amen
Thank you, Knitting a Conundrum. Beautiful.
And thanks for the Teresa of Avila prayer as well. I'm rereading the Mansions for the New Year and have someone to thank for the 4-DVD production of her life which arrived from Spain for Christmas.
Teresa of Avila is one of my personal hero-saints. One of the things that I like about her is that she was in her 40s before she started the Discaled Carmelites...gives hope to us older folks that we don't have to be young kittens to have an impact for the Lord!
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