PRAYER OF KING ALFRED
Grant now, O Lord, to our minds,
that they may ascend to You from the difficulties of this world.
With the opened eyes of our mind may we behold You,
the Noble Fountain of all good.
Drive away the mist that now hangs before our mental vision,
and enlighten our eyes with Your light,
for You are the brightness of the True Light.
You are the soft rest of the just.
You are the beginning of all things, and their end.
You are the path and the leader,
and the place to which the path conducts us.
PRAYER MY FINEST WORK
My God and Father, help me to pray as my first work, mine unremitting work, my highest, finest, and dearest work: as the work I do for thee, and by thee, and with thee, for thy children and for the whole world.
Infuse and influence it with thy blessed Spirit, that it be not unwilling, nor unworthy, nor in vain; that it be not occupied with my own concerns, nor dwell in the interests dear to myself, but seek thy purposes, thy glory only; that it be holy and more holy unto the Holiest, and ever and all through thy Son, my Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Eric Milner-White (1884-1963)
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Lord, I commit my failures
as well as my successes
into your hands,
and I bring for your healing
the people and the situations,
the wrongs and the hurts
of the past.
Give me courage, strength and generosity
to let go and move on,
leaving the past behind me,
and living the present to the full.
Lead me always to be positive
as I ‘entrust the past to your mercy,
the present to your love,
and the future to your providence’. St Augustine
THE GRASP OF YOUR HAND
Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,
but for the heart to conquer it.
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved,
but hope for the patience to win my freedom.
Grant me that I may not be a coward,
feeling your mercy in my success alone,
but let me find the grasp of your hand
in my failure.
(Rabindranath Tagore)
O God, the Father of all, you ask every one of us to spread Love where the poor are humiliated, Joy where the Church is brought low, And reconciliation where people are divided. . . Father against son, mother against daughter, Husband against wife, Believers against those who cannot believe, Christians against their unloved fellow Christians.
A prayer jointly written by Mother Teresa and Brother Roger of Taize.
AN EMPTY VESSEL THAT NEEDS TO BE FILLED.
Look, Lord,
on an empty vessel that needs to be filled.
In faith I am weak - strengthen me.
In love I am cold - warm me and make me fervent
so that my love may go out to my neighbour.
I doubt and am unable to trust you completely.
Lord, strengthen my faith and trust in you.
You are all the treasure I possess.
I am poor, you are rich,
and you came to have mercy on the poor.
I am a sinner, you are goodness.
From you I can receive goodness,
but I can give you nothing.
Therefore I shall stay with you.
(Martin Luther)
AN EVENING PRAYER
O Lord my God,
thank you for bringing this day to a close.
Thank you for giving me rest
in body and soul.
Your hand has been over me
and has guarded and preserved me.
Forgive my lack of faith
and any wrong that I have done today,
and help me to forgive all who have wronged us.
Let me sleep in peace under your protection,
and keep me from all the temptations of darkness.
Into your hands I commend my loved ones.
I commend to you my body and soul.
O God, your holy name be praised.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
THE DAY IS FAR SPENT.
Abide with us, O most blessed and merciful Saviour, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent. As long as thou art present with us, we are in the light. When thou art present all is brightness, all is sweetness. We discourse with thee, watch with thee, live with thee, and lie down with thee. Abide then with us, O thou whom our soul loveth, thou Sun of righteousness with healing under thy wings arise in our hearts; make thy light then to shine in darkness as a perfect day in the dead of night. Amen.
Henry Vaughan
