Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday Reflection: The Prayer
I'll confess that I am uncomfortable with public prayer. I understand the importance of communal worship, certainly, it's just that my talents don't include leading prayer. It feels deeply personal to me, the practice of prayer, and I really struggle with doing that before others. I'm glad that many other people have that strength.
That said, when Rob Vischer asked me this week to say the prayer before Friday's lunch for admitted students at St. Thomas, I said "yes" immediately. Pretty much, I take on any reasonable task at St. Thomas, since I believe in the place so much.
Here is the prayer I offered:
Dear Lord, thank you for this meal and these people. As we come together as a community, let us remember those ambitions that you urge on us:
To have a blessed impatience with injustice.
To show humility in our work.
To have a passion for our vocations, and
To live out a transcendent patience within this place, one to the other.
With love for you and our neighbor,
Amen
That said, when Rob Vischer asked me this week to say the prayer before Friday's lunch for admitted students at St. Thomas, I said "yes" immediately. Pretty much, I take on any reasonable task at St. Thomas, since I believe in the place so much.
Here is the prayer I offered:
Dear Lord, thank you for this meal and these people. As we come together as a community, let us remember those ambitions that you urge on us:
To have a blessed impatience with injustice.
To show humility in our work.
To have a passion for our vocations, and
To live out a transcendent patience within this place, one to the other.
With love for you and our neighbor,
Amen
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This is a very beautiful prayer,particularly beautiful because it works for all of us and not just law students.These are the words and phrases I loved:"ambitions that you urge on us." "blessed impatience with injustice,transcendent patience within this place one to the other." You get any better at this NAW will be inviting you to pray at St.Stephen's! I like it that you said "yes" to praying,even though you were uncomfortable. Thanks be to God!
The blessings of inclusion are richer when hearts joined ring out in song or word – the courage of expression often nurtured through listening and deeply personal prayer born from message, encounter or inspiration. “ ‘Yes’ immediately,” a response that brings a smile to His face.
Your prayer, worthy of many smiles; a message of thanksgiving resonating with gentle reminders – urgings to take ownership of our impatience and our thoughts or acts of injustice, courage to stand resolute in humility while igniting embers of our oft smoldering gifts and talents, called to embrace self and others in community(s) along our journey we call life, awash in a love that exposes denial and offers the blessings of new tomorrows.
Susan Stabile in Inclusion, not Coercion, Creo en Dios! 3-16-12, speaks of community,
“…It is not hard to see the difference between human communities that revolve around a center of attraction, where love grows and draws, and those that rely on fences and demarcations that keep the flock within the prescribed boundaries. Where the spirit of love is the center of attraction, many will find their way to that center, drawn like iron filings to a powerful magnet.
Deeply personal prayer and reflection initiating response to urgings manifested gently through faith and works sustains the powerful magnets of His faith community(s) that encourage our acceptance of His outstretched hand when He urges us to, “Come.”
During an afternoon of sharing scripture verses and forms of prayer with the ladies of Sabatina Jame’s foundation in Germany, (www.sabatinajames.com) Sanah responded, “There is wisdom in that scripture.” The reflection she received in reply mentioned; “The most precious scripture is live scripture, that which comes from our heart, our eyes, our embrace and our words.”
"With love of self and for our neighbor," we are called to live humble and gentle lives as live scripture, as magnets for Christ.
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Your prayer, worthy of many smiles; a message of thanksgiving resonating with gentle reminders – urgings to take ownership of our impatience and our thoughts or acts of injustice, courage to stand resolute in humility while igniting embers of our oft smoldering gifts and talents, called to embrace self and others in community(s) along our journey we call life, awash in a love that exposes denial and offers the blessings of new tomorrows.
Susan Stabile in Inclusion, not Coercion, Creo en Dios! 3-16-12, speaks of community,
“…It is not hard to see the difference between human communities that revolve around a center of attraction, where love grows and draws, and those that rely on fences and demarcations that keep the flock within the prescribed boundaries. Where the spirit of love is the center of attraction, many will find their way to that center, drawn like iron filings to a powerful magnet.
Deeply personal prayer and reflection initiating response to urgings manifested gently through faith and works sustains the powerful magnets of His faith community(s) that encourage our acceptance of His outstretched hand when He urges us to, “Come.”
During an afternoon of sharing scripture verses and forms of prayer with the ladies of Sabatina Jame’s foundation in Germany, (www.sabatinajames.com) Sanah responded, “There is wisdom in that scripture.” The reflection she received in reply mentioned; “The most precious scripture is live scripture, that which comes from our heart, our eyes, our embrace and our words.”
"With love of self and for our neighbor," we are called to live humble and gentle lives as live scripture, as magnets for Christ.
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