Prayer to Seek God Continually

O Lord my God,

I believe in you,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Insofar as I can,

insofar as you have given me the power,

I have sought you.

I became weary and I labored. 

O Lord my God,

my sole hope,

help me to believe

and never to cease seeking you.

Grant that I may always and ardently

seek out your countenance.

Give me the strength to seek you,

for you help me to find you

and you have more and more

given me the hope of finding you.  

Here I am before you

with my firmness and my infirmity.

Preserve the first

and heal the second.

Here I am before you

with my strength and my ignorance.

Where you have opened the door to me,

welcome me at the entrance;

where you have closed the door to me,

open to my cry;

enable me to remember you,

to understand you,

and to love you.

Amen.

~ St. Augustine

A dimly burning wick he will not quench...

Abba Orsisius said, "It is my opinion that you must carefully watch your heart.  If you do not, you will absent-mindedly become careless with your speech.  A lamp produces light when it has oil and a trimmed wick.  One may light the wick without a supply of oil, but it will burn away and shadows will gradually come.  If a mouse attempts to eat the wick while it is still smoldering, the heat of the dying flame will turn it away.  When it knows fire is no longer in the wick, it knocks the lamp to the floor.  An earthenware lamp will be shattered, but a brass lamp you may repair.

"If a soul is careless, the Holy Spirit will gradually depart, until it grow cold.  Then the enemy chews on the soul, and wickedness breaks it apart.  If a good person who truly loves God stumbles into brief carelessness, our merciful God will caution him to watch more carefully in the future."

from By Way of the Desert

compiled and modernized

by Bernard Bangley

Prayer for Self Knowledge

O Lord Jesus, let me know myself, let me know You,

and desire nothing but You alone.

Let me hate myself and love You,

and do all things for the sake of You.

Let me humble myself and exalt You,

and think of nothing but You alone.

Let me die to myself and live in You,

and take whatever happens as coming from You.

Let me forsake myself and walk after You,

and ever desire to follow You.

Let me flee from myself and turn to You,

that thus I may merit to be defended by You.

Let me fear for myself, let me fear You,

and be among those who are chosen by You.

Let me distrust myself and trust in You,

and ever obey for love of You.

Let me cleave to nothing but only to You,

and ever be poor for the sake of You.

Look upon me that I may love You.

Call me that I may see You and forever possess You.

Amen.

~ St. Augustine

Lectio Nunning

Each day, our schedule provides time for each of us for lectio divina, that ancient practice of praying with scripture.  It's a time not to gain information, but to form the heart in an ever deepening relationship with God. 

Just as with The Divine Office and the daily celebration of the Eucharist, this time of prayer grounds us in Christ and helps enable us to be Christ-bearers to each other.

Some of you may remember reading our earlier posts on lectio divina.  If you haven't, we invite you to read them or if you have and haven't had a chance to try this prayer yourself, we invite you to read them to discover how to make lectio divina part of your own prayer life.

Prayer of Trust in God's Heavenly Promise

My God,

let me know and love you,

so that I may find my happiness in you.

Since I cannot fully achieve this on earth,

help me to improve daily

until I may do so to the full.

Enable me to know you ever more on earth,

so that I may know you perfectly in heaven.

Enable me to love you ever more on earth,

so that I may love you perfectly in heaven.

In that way my joy may be great on earth,

and perfect with you in heaven.

O God of truth,

grant me the happiness of heaven

so that my joy may be full in accord with your promise.

In the meantime

let my mind dwell on that happiness,

my tongue speak of it,

my heart pine for it,

my mouth pronounce it,

my soul hunger for it,

my flesh thirst for it,

and my entire being desire it

until I enter through death

in the joy of my Lord forever.

Amen.

Catholic Codes

This information is for Catholics only. It must not be divulged to
non-Catholics. The less they know about our rituals and code words, the better off they are.

Amen: The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.

Bulletin: Your receipt for attending Mass.

Choir: A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the Parish to lip-sync.

Holy Water: A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.

Hymn: A song of praise usually sung in a key three octaves higher than that of the congregation's range.

Recessional Hymn: The last song at Mass often sung a little more quietly, since most of the people have already left.

Incense: Holy Smoke!

Johan: The original "Jaws" story.

Justice: When kids have kids of their own.

Kyrie eleison: The only Greek words that most Catholics can recognize besides gyros and baklava.

Magi: The most famous trio to attend a baby shower.

Manger: Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph wasn't covered by an HMO (The Bible's way of showing us that holiday travel has always been rough.)

Pew: A medieval torture device still found in Catholic churches.

Procession: The ceremonial formation at the beginning of Mass consisting of altar servers, the celebrant, and late parishioners looking for seats.

Recessional: The ceremonial procession at the conclusion of Mass led by parishioners trying to beat the crowd to the parking lot.

Relics: People who have been going to Mass for so long, they actually know when to sit, kneel and stand.

Ten Commandments: The most important Top Ten list not given by David Letterman.

Ushers: The only people in the parish who don't know the seating capacity of a pew.

Author Unknown



To Our Lady of the Rosary

O Virgin Mary,

grant that the recitation of thy Rosary

may be for me each day,

in the midst of my manifold duties,

a bond of unity in my actions,

a tribute of filial piety,

a sweet refreshment,

an encouragement to walk joyfully along the path of duty.

Grant, above all, O Virgin Mary,

that the study of these mysteries may form in my soul,

little by little,

a luminous atmosphere,

pure, strengthening, and fragrant,

which may penetrate my understanding,

my will, my heart,

my memory, my imagination,

my whole being.

So shall I acquire the habit

of praying while I work,

without the aid of formal prayers,

by interior acts of admiration and of supplication,

or by aspirations of love.

I ask this of thee,

O Queen of the Holy Rosary,

through Saint Dominic,

thy son of predilection,

the renowned preacher of thy mysteries,

and the faithful imitator of thy virtues.

Amen.