Deacon's Prayer

I wrote this prayer for the deacons of the Diocese of Bridgeport and their wives (who share in their formation and often share in their ministry).  I wanted to pass it on so you can either share it with the deacons in your life (Hi, Dad!) or use it in your own ministry.  I did write it with deacons in mind but it can be prayed by anyone, of course.  Feel free to adapt this prayer for your own use!

* * * * *

Lord Jesus Christ, Servant of all,

Send your Spirit upon me as I serve your Church.

Give me eyes to see the needs of your people.

Give me a discerning mind to know your truth.

Give me a generous spirit when I am tired but needed.

Give me a humble heart when my work goes unnoticed.

Give me peace of mind in obedience and service.

Give me health of body so I may serve with strength.

Make me fertile ground for your inspiration and love.

Comfort me when I question myself and my ministry.

Grant me grace as I age so I may share your wisdom.

Make my heart like yours so I may love your people. 

Amen.

* * * * *

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Corpus Christi: 3 Prayers

In the rhythm and beauty of the Church’s liturgical year, Sunday brings the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ.  Here are three short prayers that I hope will enhance your preparation for and celebration of this life-giving feast. 

The first prayer is from the book of Psalms.  The psalmist is recalling one of God’s wondrous deeds – the feeding of the hungry Israelites with manna in the desert.  Exodus 16:35 says that the Israelites ate this manna for 40 years, until they came to the land God had promised them.  The manna, which they considered to be “bread from heaven” (Ex. 16:4), was their food for the journey, just as the Eucharist is ours.  We can read these ancient words in a “Eucharistic sense.”  (If you have time to reflect on Exodus 16 in the next few days, please do.  You will be amazed at the Eucharistic parallels!)

In the second prayer, Thomas Merton captures many truths of the Eucharist in a poetic way.

I especially love the last prayer from The Didache* – using the imagery of scattered wheat gathered into bread, it envisions the Eucharist as a source of unity for the Church, the Body of Christ.  In some ways our Church still appears to be scattered across the hills.  May the Eucharist heal our divisions and unify us in the love of Christ.

*****

God commanded the skies above,
    and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained down on them manna to eat,
    and gave them the grain of heaven.
Mortals ate of the bread of angels;
    he sent them food in abundance.

-- Psalm 78:23-25

O God, give peace to Your world.  Give strength to the hearts of men.  Raise us up from death in Christ.  Give us to eat His immortality and His glory.  Give us to drink the wine of His Kingdom.

-- Thomas Merton, Entering the Silence

We thank you, our Father, for the life and knowledge which you have made known to us through Jesus your Servant; to you be the glory forever. Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom; for yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ forever.

 -- The Didache 

*****

*The Didache is an early Christian “handbook” of sorts, likely written around the turn of the first century C.E.  It is a brief, fascinating document that gives a flavor of the early Church.  It can be read in its entirety at www.earlychristianwritings.com.

The Last Supper by Fra Angelico

Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lover of Solitude

I’ve been wanting to share this litany for a while now, and the intensely prayerful season of Lent is the perfect time to do so!  This is not the typical “Litany of the Sacred Heart” that you find in most prayer books or around on the internet.  This litany comes from the “Saint Augustine’s Prayer Book,” a remnant from my Episcopal days and still one of my favorite prayer resources.  You’ll understand why when you read this litany!

As you pray it, reflect on the meaning of solitude.  Solitude is withdrawal from the world – it is quiet and peace, being alone, or being alone with someone you love.  You can seek solitude by going to a quiet place – or you can find it anytime by withdrawing into yourself and seeking only Christ, who waits for you patiently.  As you pray this litany, solitude just falls around you, or you fall into solitude.  Here you spend time with Jesus who loves solitude, and who loves you.

Please click the link below for a pdf of the litany to view or print:

Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lover of Solitude

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter that house.  Revelation 3:20

Relationship Prayer

Relationships are really hard!  Have you noticed?  And yet our lives are meant to revolve around two basic commands, both requiring a great deal of love:  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself (cf. Mt. 22:34-40). 

We should never be without hope in our relationship with God – we know a lot about his unconditional love – how he eats with sinners and goes after even one straying sheep.  We may neglect God or even betray him, but he will always run out to greet us, place rings on our fingers and serve us meals of celebration to enjoy with our friends.

But what about our human relationships?  They seem to weaken and break so easily, and sometimes we lose hope.  We no longer know who is right or wrong, who is truly being stubborn, or whether the damage can ever be undone.  For those times, I want to share this beautiful prayer by Joyce Rupp.  It is called “Prayer for Peace in a Relationship”:

Dear Mender of Hearts, you are friend of all and foe of none.  Your goodness is seeded in everyone, including those with whom I struggle.  Enter into my heart and soften its hardness.  Erase any ill will and anger abiding there.  Help me to reach out with openness, to speak when I prefer hiding in silence.  Teach me how to listen with loving ears and to not cling tenaciously to my opinions.  Instill hope of reconciliation in our hearts and help us not give up on one another.  Be the Patience within us that resolves issues.  Be the Love among us that seeks forgiveness.  Be the Faith amid us that strengthens our bonds.  Be the Truce between us that brings us peace.

Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, ca. 1511

We Are Open Books

We don’t want to be “open books.”  We want to be in control of who knows what about us.  We try to hide the negative and the vulnerable.  We try to keep some events from our past hidden, some of our views to ourselves, and our deepest, darkest thoughts are tucked away in a place of our own making, never (we hope) to see the light of day, never to be judged by another, never to be held against us.  Even our spouses, our best friends, our parents, our children, do not know us fully.  We do not allow it.  We do not want it.

But is that true?  Or do we really want to be known?  After all, we can’t be fully loved unless we are fully known.  We may be loved by another – but what about our “secret selves” – the part they don’t know about, the part we hide?  Do they love that, too?  How can they, if they are unaware of it?

To be an open book can be frightening.  But ultimately it is what we want.  We want to be fully known because we want to be fully loved.  We fear rejection, but we want to be free of that fear.  In this life, we may never be completely free of the fear that others will reject us.  But could we possibly believe that God has seen all those hidden places, knows our “secret selves”?  And still loves us?

As a former Episcopalian, I still hear the echoes of the beautiful liturgies and prayers of that time in my life.  One of those prayers remains a personal favorite.  It is a prayer offered at the beginning of the Eucharistic liturgy, and it basically says, “God, I give up.  I’m not trying to hide anything from you.  You know things about me that I won’t even admit to myself.  You know everything about me and I’m glad, I’m relieved.  Now cleanse my heart and mind so I’m free of my blindness, burdens and dirt, free to worship and love you.”

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy Holy Name; through Christ our Lord.  Amen.