Prayer for calm

 

May God grant you and yours
the peace of all things calm,
the place to hide from harm,
the light that shines in dark,
the heart's eternal spark.

A door that's open wide to
the guest who waits outside.
Hospitality, warmth and cheer
by your hearth, no matter where.
O, oft and oft and oft, goes Christ
in the stranger's guise.
He is the light, the truth, the way
May He be with you this very day.
- Prayer from the 1st millennium Celtic Oral Tradition

Being right

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"The desire to be right, the need to be right are very important in the lives of most adults. This is no less true of religious adults..... The need to be right carries with it the fear of being wrong. In the lives of many Christian adults this factor prevents learning. To be ready to learn is to be ready to admit that there is much one does not know, that one may not be entirely right. There is even the risk that one may be proved wrong."

John Hull in "What Prevents"

St Columba's prayer

The path I walk, Christ walks it.
May the Land in which I am in be without sorrow.
May the Trinity protect me wherever I stay;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Bright angels walk with me.
Dear presence – in every dealing…
May every path before me be smooth;
May man, woman and child welcome me.
- St. Columba

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Journey prayer

Father, bless to me this day,
And Jesus, bless to me this night,
Spirit, bless each hour of life,
Bless me, God of grace we pray.

Bless the path on which I go,
Bless the earth beneath my sole,
Bless me God and give Your love,
Bless my rest and my repose.

Father, keep me in Your eyes,
Jesus, keep me in Your love,
Spirit, keep me in Your Truth,
Bless me, God of grace I pray.

- Journey prayer (Celtic tradition)

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Morning prayer

Thanks to Thee, O God, that I have risen today,
To the rising of this life itself;
May it be to Thine own glory, O God of every gift,
And to the glory of my soul likewise.

O great God, aid Thou my soul
With the aiding of Thine own mercy;
Even as I clothe my body with wool,
Cover Thou my soul with the shadow of Thy wing.

Help me to avoid every sin,
And the source of every sin to forsake;
And as the mist scatters on the crest of the hills,
May each ill haze clear from my soul, O God.

- Celtic morning prayer

(Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

My book on wholeness and the fruits of the spirit

In the letter to the Galatians in the New Testament St Paul outlines the fruits that can be expected to be present in the lives of believers as a gift from the Holy Spirit.

In this book I look at what each of the gifts of the spirit involves and how together they indicate what to be fully human means.

Wholeness is a word often used today and I explains that wholeness is the result of these spiritual gifts becoming our normal way of life. Jesus came to bring fullness of life and in this book this special life that is open to all is explained.

This book has been described as a spiritual treasure, and though it is a short book ( just under 16,000 words) it is full of practical wisdom that comes from my long experience of ministry in the church.

To purchase for your kindle in the UK click here

To purchase this book for your Kindle in the USA click here

The book is now available on Amazon in paperback as well as a Kindle download.

To see the amazon page in the USA click here

or to see the Amazon page in the UK click here.

The kindling prayer

 

I will kindle my fire this morning
In the presence of the holy angels of heaven
Without malice, without jealousy, without envy,
But the Holy Son of God to shield me.
God, kindle Thou in my heart within

A flame of love to my neighbour,
To my foe, to my friend, to my kindred all.

- Celtic prayer from 'Carmina Gadelica'

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Celtic benediction

For the might of your wind on the waters
for the swelling of the open sea
and the rushing of crested waves
thanks be to you, O God.

For the strength of desire in my body
for the sap of life that flows
and the yearnings for birth and abundance
thanks be to you.

Restore me in the image of your love this day
that the longings of my heart may be true.
Restore me in the image of your love this day
that my passions for life may be full.

- From "Celtic Benediction: Morning and Night Prayer"

Celtic prayer

I am bending my knee
In the eye of the Father who created me,
In the eye of the Son who purchased me,
In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me,
In friendship and affection.
Through Thine own Anointed One, O God,
Bestow upon us fullness in our need,
Love towards God,
The affection of God,
The smile of God,

The wisdom of God.
The grace of God,
The fear of God,
And the will of God
To do on the world of the Three,
As angels and saints
Do in heaven;
Each shade and light,
Each day and night,
Each time in kindness,
Give Thou us Thy Spirit.
- A Celtic prayer from 'Carmina Gadelica'

   (Image courtesy of ahmet guler / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Northumbrian celtic prayer

May the Father of Life pour out His grace on you;
may you feel His hand in everything you do
and be strengthened by the things He brings you through:
this is my prayer for you.

May the Son of God be Lord in all your ways;
may He shepherd you the length of all your days,
and in your heart may He receive the praise:
this is my prayer for you.

And despite how simple it may sound,
I pray that His grace will abound
and motivate everything you do;
and may the fullness of His love be shared through you.

May His Spirit comfort you, and make you strong,
may He discipline you gently when you are wrong,
and in your heart may he give you a song:
this is my prayer for you.

May Jesus be Lord in all your ways;
may He shepherd you the length of all your days,
and in your heart may He receive the praise:
this is my prayer for you.
- A prayer from the Northumbria Community’s 'Celtic Daily Prayer Book'