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Meditation

John Chrysostom (347-407) wrote the following about prayer:  “Prayer is a refuge for those who are shaken, an anchor for those tossed by waves, a walking stick for the infirmed, a treasure house for the poor, a stronghold for the rich, a destroyer of sicknesses, a preserver of health. Prayer keeps our virtues intact and quickly removes all evil.”  What a powerful statement about prayer! 

Prayer is how we connect with God, but sometimes we get so distracted by life that we hurry off and start our day without God, and then end up our day tired and still not in touch with God. Sometimes when we start to pray, we don’t quite know what to say. We get worried we need to have eloquent words for God to know what is inside our hearts and minds.  And at other times, we are driven to our knees seeking God’s love and peace when life gets a little too hard.  

Prayer reflects our faith and trust in God to influence our lives. It is our primary way of seeing God’s work in ourselves, as well as in others. Look at prayer not so much as a way of asking God to do our will, but rather as a means of understanding how God wants to use us to get His will done on earth.  Prioritize prayer.  Demonstrate your faith in God’s power in your life. 

Prayer

Written by The Beechgrove Benedictine community in Indiana. This monastic group focuses on training men and women, religious and lay, in spiritual direction.

O Lord, you know me.

You know when I sit and when I stand.

You have me always present in your mind.

For this, Lord, I thank you.,

You know the path for my life and what is best for me.

Lord, reveal to me the path I am to walk.

Bless me and guide me and be Lord to me

Bless me and guide me and be Lord to me

Bless me and guide me and be Lord to me so that whichever road I take I may do all for your glory.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Meditation

We are often reminded that it is important to stay rooted in Scripture through daily reading of the Bible and to take time to be quiet and contemplate and pray in order to be better aligned with our God.  Such spiritual disciplines are an important part of our walk with Jesus.  But we can get so caught up in the practicing of the disciplines that we forget why we are practicing them.  We don’t do spiritual disciplines just to “check a box” for God, or to “better ourselves.”  We practice spiritual disciplines to prepare ourselves for the work that Jesus would have us do.  Jesus calls us to a life of action – of making God known and praised for the good we can do as His hands and feet.  Our active love of God, exhibited in our actions toward all of our neighbors as we go about our normal lives, is what we are called to do.  It’s the kind words, the service to others, showing thanks, the service to those in physical or spiritual need and other such interactions that matter.  The disciplines of prayer, fasting, worship, solitude, and so on are not the goals in and of themselves. They are the means of giving us the confidence to live the life God wants us to live as we interact in life exactly where we were placed.  By all means, practice the disciplines – they help us let God align our hearts and minds and establish proper priorities; they provide us with God’s strength and remind us of who God is.  The result of practicing the disciplines is the ability to serve wholeheartedly as we go about our routine daily lives.

Prayer

Written by John Baillie (1886-1960), a Scottish theologian and  a Church of Scotland minister.

O God my Creator and Redeemer, I cannot go into this day unless you accompany me with your blessing. Do not let the vigor and freshness of the morning, or the glow of health, or the present success of my life deceive me into a false reliance upon my own strength. All these good gifts have come to me from you.  Let me then give back into your hands all that you have given me, rededicating to your service all I can do with my mind and body, all my possessions, and all my influence with others. All these are yours to use as you want Father.  O Lord, speak in my words today, think in my thoughts, and work in all my actions. Thank you that it is your gracious will to make use of me, even at my weakest, to fulfill your mighty purpose for the world. Le my life today be a channel through which at least a little of your love and compassion may reach the lives of those around me.  Amen. 

Meditation

Written by Louis Evely (1910-1985) was a Christian spiritual writer from Belgium. This is an excerpt from his book “In the Christian Spirit.”

Bad religion has always favored escape, passivity, irresponsibility. By dint of fixing one’s eyes on heaven above, one does not see what takes place on earth here below. The upward-looking must come to an understanding with the forward-looking.  We believe that our God calls us to go forward. Our faith in an absolute does not immobilize us in contemplation, but invites us to discover him according to our means of creating a world inspired by his love; a world where justice dwells and where people love one another.

Prayer

Written by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), a Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and Christian theologian. He served as the archbishop of Canterbury from 1093-1109.

O merciful God, fill our hearts with the graces of your Holy Spirit, with love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Teach us to love those who hate us, to pray for those who spitefully use us, that we may be the children of you, our Father.

You make your sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and send rain on the just and on the unjust. In adversity grant us grace to be patient. In prosperity keep us humble.

Help us guard the door of our lips, to give little regard for the pleasures of this world, to give little regard for the pleasures of this world, and to thirst after heavenly things; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation

Written by Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “Thomas Merton: Contemplative Critic.”

It is impressive to see how prayer opens one’s eyes to nature. Prayer makes men contemplative and attentive. In place of manipulating, the man who prays stands receptive before the world. He no longer examines but admires. To this man, as for Merton, nature can show itself completely renewed. Instead of an obstacle, it becomes a way; instead of an invulnerable shield, it becomes a veil which gives a preview of unknown horizons.

Prayer

Written by Peter Marshall (1902-1949). a Scots-American preacher, pastor of the New York Presbyterian Church in Washington DC, and chaplain of the US Senate.

Father, I am beginning to know how much I miss when I fail to talk to you in prayer, and through prayer to receive into my life the strength and the guidance which only you can give. Forgive me for the pride and the presumption that make me continue to struggle to manage my own affairs to the exhaustion of my body, the weariness of my mind, the trial of my faith. In a moment like this, I know that you could have worked your good in me with so little strain, with so little effort. And then to you would have been given the praise and the glory. When I neglect to pray, mine is the loss. Forgive me, Lord. Amen.

Meditation

Written by Hans Kung, a contemporary Swiss priest, theologian, and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Church.”

The essential part of the Christian message is the idea of salvation for the whole community of people, of which the individual is a member. Closely linked to the idea of the Christian’s message is the outward sign which is at once a sign of grace and vocation for the individual and of his reception into the community of the people of God: baptism.  Since God’s call precedes any action and any faith on the part of the individual, and since this call is addressed to the whole people of God, the individual never stands alone, but within the community, just as the individual communities are part of the one community, the Church. The Church begins, not with a pious individual, but with God.

Prayer

Written by Meg Bucher, a contemporary Christian author.

Father, praise You for guiding us faithfully through this life. Fish live under the water, and though the wind chases the surface into a fury, schools of them swim peacefully under the surface. As the fish peacefully wait out the waves swimming under the water, we seek shelter under Your arms of pure love. Praise Jesus, who came to earth as a living reflection of Your love, to take us in His arms and show us how to weather the stormy seas of life.

Our great God, You are our rock. When our ship is tossed, we can throw anchor to the bottom and know that You will steady us. You will keep us from running aground as the storm passes through our lives without regard for the destruction left in the wake. 

Christ came to earth and followed Your will wholeheartedly, never doubting and never straying. He knew what His purpose was in life. It’s not as obvious for us, Father, and we struggle to find our trajectory on the surface of this globe. The earth shifts rapidly and we race to keep up. Forgive us, Father, for chasing after our own ambitions, goals, and fortunes. We confess the motives of our heart that steer us off of the path You have planned for us… the purpose You have placed in us. Each of us has been blessed with a gift that lights us up. Whether it’s being kind, good at math, stringing words together, running fast, starting businesses, or building airplanes, the number of talents that You have knit into the body of Your church is as endless as the personality traits that harbor them.

Meditation

Written by Martin de Porres (1579-1639), a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order. He founded orphanages for homeless children and cared for African slaves.

One day an aged beggar, covered with ulcers and almost naked, stretched out his hand, and Saint Martin, seeing the Divine Mendicant in him, took him to his own bed, paying no heed to the fact that he was not perfectly neat and clean. One of his brethren, considering he had gone too far in his charity, reproved him. Saint Martin replied: ‘Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create.’

Prayer

A prayer from the PC-USA Book of Common Worship.

Holy God, your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world and brought humanity the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death he endured. Teach those who bear his name to follow the example he gave us. May our faith, hope, and charity turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, and death to eternal life; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation

Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher known for his writings on Christian spiritual formation. This is an excerpt from his book “Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge.”

The most important thing about our fellowship with other disciples is that Jesus, the Trinitarian presence, should be in our midst. For that, we must meet “in his name”; that is, we meet for his purposes, with his resources, and in his presence. This will no doubt require some serious readjustments, given how “church” is generally practiced today. But it can be done if you and I are willing to walk with Jesus in doing it and not get caught up in superiority and in condemnatory comparisons as we look upon those around us—and especially upon those who do not agree with us or even attack us. If we come together in this way, Jesus’s idea of evangelism and “mission” will fall into place.  As Frank Laubach says: “The simple program of Christ for winning the whole world is to make each person he touches magnetic enough with love to draw others.” If we grow our fellowship in this direction, it will naturally affect those around us, whether in the fellowship or not. This kind of love and the “Presence” go with us wherever we go. They cannot be hidden. A “missional church,” in a wording often used today, is actually one that cannot be stopped from increasing, because it grows by contiguity—skin on skin.

Prayer

Written by Thomas Merton (1915-1968), an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist, and scholar of comparative religion.

O God, we are one with you. You have made us one with you. You have taught us that if we are open to one another, you dwell in us. Help us to preserve this openness and to fight for it with all our hearts. Help us to realize that there can be no understanding where there is mutual rejection.

O God, in accepting one another wholeheartedly, fully, completely, we accept you, and we thank you, and we adore you, and we love you with our whole being, because our being is your being, our spirit is rooted in your spirit. Fill us then with love, and let us be bound together with love as we go our diverse ways, united in this one spirit which makes you present in the world, and which makes you witness to the ultimate reality that is love. Love has overcome. Love is victorious. Amen.

Meditation

Written by Elton Trueblook (1900-1994), an author, theologian, and chaplain to both Harvard and Stanford universities.

When we begin to ask what the conditions of inner renewal are, we receive essentially the same answers from nearly all of those whom we have most reason to respect. Only one major answer is the emphasis upon discipline. In the conduct of one’s own life it is soon obvious, as many have learned the hard way, that empty freedom is a snare and a delusion. In following what comes naturally or easily, life simply ends in confusion, and in consequent disaster. Without the discipline of time, we spoil the next day the night before, and without the discipline of prayer, we are likely to end by having practically no experience of the divine-human encounter. However compassionate we may be with others, we dare not be soft or indulgent with ourselves. Excellence comes at a price, and one of the major prices is inner control. We are most free when we are bound. But not just any way of being bound will suffice; what matters is the character of our binding.  The one who would like to be an athlete, but who is unwilling to discipline his body is not free to excel on the field or the track. With one concerted voice the giants of the devotional life apply the same principle to the whole of life with the dictum: Discipline is the price of freedom.

Prayer

Written by Clement of Rome (35-99), Bishop of Rome and considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church.

May God, who sees all things, and who is the Ruler of all spirits and the Lord of all flesh – who chose our Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him to be a peculiar people – grant to every soul that calls upon His glorious and holy Name, faith, peace, patience, long-suffering, self-control, purity, and sobriety, to the well-pleasing of His Name, through our High Priest and Protector, Jesus Christ, by whom be to Him glory, and majesty, and power, and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen.

Meditation

Written by Carlo Carretto (1910-1988), an Italian religious author of the congregation of the Little Brothers of the Gospel. Excerpted from his book “I, Francis.”

And so, when we had a decision to make, we would open the Gospel at random, after having said a little prayer, and then we did whatever was written, without adding anything. This manner of action gave us a boundless liberty, and nurtured simplicity of heart with some solid food. Another important element taking shape in the community we were forming was the primacy of faith instead of structures. We felt ourselves to be a community in search of God, not a seminary for the priesthood. What made us one was Christ, and the imitation of him gave meaning to the manner of living of each one of us. There was the whole expression around us of the life of a simple Christian.

Prayer

Written by Angela of Foligno (1248-1309), an Italian Franciscan tertiary who became known as a mystic from her extensive writings about her mystical revelations. She also founded a religious community that cares for those in need.  It is still active today.

O Lord Jesus Christ, make me worthy to understand the profound mystery of your holy incarnation, which you have worked for our sake and for our salvation. Truly there is nothing so great and wonderful as this, that you, my God, who are the creator of all things, should become a creature, so that we should become like God. You have humbled yourself and made yourself small that we might be made mighty. You have taken the form of a servant, so that you might confer upon us a royal and divine beauty. You, who are beyond our understanding, have made yourself understandable to us in Jesus Christ. You, who are the uncreated God, have made yourself a creature for us. You, who are the untouchable One, have made yourself touchable to us. You, who are most high, make us capable of understanding your amazing love and the wonderful things you have done for us. Make us able to understand the mystery of your incarnation, the mystery of your life, example, and doctrine, the mystery of your cross and passion, the mystery of your resurrection and ascension. Blessed are you, O Lord, for coming to earth as a man. Amen.

Meditation

Written by Michael Youssef, a contemporary American pastor.

Nearly every day, it seems people invent a new way to shake their fists at God and His Word. As believers living in this sin-sick world, we must take care to keep ourselves “from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).  We do not isolate ourselves from the world, however, for then how could we bear witness? Rather, we are to live differently—but that’s often easier said than done.

God gives us hope through Paul’s letter to believers living in one of the most spiritually sick cities of the ancient world: Corinth. Some of the Corinthian believers were trying to keep one foot in the church and the other in the world, but that’s impossible to do. So, Paul earnestly writes to help the church confront this temptation—to bring them into wholeness in Christ by reminding them who they already are.  Paul calls the believers in Corinth—messed up as they are—saints.

Every time we deliberately sin, every time we fall into ungodly behavior, it is because we have forgotten who we are—and whose we are. We are children of God, made righteous by the blood of Christ. Armed with the Truth that God will remain faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him—we are empowered to live holy lives as He is holy. You are saints; now live like it.

Prayer

Written by Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226), an Italian friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Claire, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land.

Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me Lord, a correct faith, a certain hope, a perfect charity, sense, and knowledge, so that I may carry out Your holy and true command. Amen.