Belief

“People must believe what they can, and those who believe more must not be hard upon those who believe less. I doubt if you would have believed it all yourself if you hadn't seen some of it.” 
― George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin

February thanksgiving prayer

Thank you God

for the noticeably lengthening days

the lighter mornings and evenings

and the sense of expectation

from the sense of edging slowly towards the cusp of spring.

As the dark days of winter recede

we see the promise of spring

in the budding bulbs

popping up in the still cold earth.

For your faithfulness

shown in the rolling round of the seasons

we give you thanks.

Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Enfolding

God to enfold me

God to surround me

God in my speaking 

God in my thinking 

God in my sleeping

God in my waking

God in my watching

God in my hoping

God in my life

God in my lips

God in my hands

God in my heart

God in my sufficing

God in my slumber

God in mine ever living soul

God in mine eternity

- Ancient Celtic Prayer

Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Glory

Glory to you for flowing air.
Glory for light beyond compare.
Glory for water as it flows.
Glory for soil and all that grows.
Glory for life and love and birth.
Glory to you, Lord of the Earth. 

- David Adam,' The Open Gate: Celtic Prayers for Growing Spiritually'

Image courtesy of dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Alone with God

"Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore,
Make me an island, set apart,
alone with you, God, holy to you.
Then with the turning of the tide
prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond,
the world that rushes in on me
till the waters come again and fold me back to you." 
- Prayer of St. Aidan of Lindisfarne


Photo by me - a beach on Iona

Richard Rohr - butterfly

You do not catch a butterfly by chasing it: 

you sit still and it alights on your shoulder. 

Then it chooses you. 

That is true happiness. 

- Richard Rohr

 Image "Butterfly On Flower" courtesy of Patou /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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.

- Celtic prayer

 Image "Eye"  courtesy of  graur codrin /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Humour - G K Chesterton and Karl Barth

“It is the test of a good religion 

whether you can joke about it." 

G.K. Chesterton


And on the same theme:


“Laughter is the closest thing

 to the grace of God.” - (Karl Barth)

Image "Clown" courtesy of  Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Richard Rohr wisdom

God does not love us if we change,

God loves us so that we can change

- Richard Rohr

 Image courtesy of  Master isolated images /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

God is so close - prayer

"Be the eye of God betwixt me and each eye,
The purpose of God betwixt me and each purpose,
The hand of God betwixt me and each hand,
The shield of God betwixt me and each shield,
The desire of God betwixt me and each desire,
The bridle of God betwixt me and each bridle,
And no mouth can curse me."
- Ancient Celtic prayer

 

 

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Literalism...

"It is interesting how some modern readers simply assume that ancient individuals and authors shared their supposed literalism, and their focus on facts and history and science, all of which are thoroughly modern concerns." - James McGrath

 

Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

The dance with God...

"I cannot dance, o Lord, unless you lead me. If it is your will, I can leap with joy. But you must show me how to dance and sing by dancing and singing yourself! With you I will leap towards love, and from love I will leap to truth, and from truth I will leap to joy, and then I shall leap beyond all human senses. There I will remain and dance forevermore." 

- Mechtild of Magdeburg

 

Image courtesy of  sattva  / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Iona prayer praising God for the new day

O Sun behind all suns,
I give you greeting this new day.
Let all Creation praise you,
Let the daylight
and the shadows praise you.
Let the fertile earth
and the swelling sea praise you.
Let the winds and the rain,
the lightening and the thunder
praise you.
Let all that breathes,
both male and female, praise you.
And I shall praise you.
O God of all life
I give you greeting this day.

- From 'Celtic Prayers From Iona'

Seeking the voice of God

 

"I sought to hear the voice of God and climbed the topmost steeple, but God declared: 'Go down again - I dwell among the people.'" 

- John Henry Newman 

(February 21, 1801 - August 11, 1890)

 

Photo by me....

Almond blossom

"I said to the almond tree, 'Sister, speak to me of God.' And the almond tree blossomed.” 

 

- Nikos Kazantzakis (February 18, 1883 - October 26, 1957)

 

Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The great "I am" by Amergin

According to the Celtic oral tradition this poem was written by Amergin, a Milesian poet who came to Ireland hundreds of years before Christ:

I am the wind that breathes upon the sea

I am the wave of the ocean

I am the murmur of the billows

I am the ox of the seven combats

I am the vulture upon the rocks

I am a beam of the sun

I am the fairest of plants

I am a wild boar in valour

I am a salmon in the water

I am a lake in the plain

I am a word of science

I am the point of the lance of battle

I am the God who created in the head the fire

Who is it who throws light into the meeting on the mountain?

Who announces the ages of the moon?

Who teaches the place where couches the sun? (If not I?)

 

 

Image courtesy of dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net )

A celtic poem about the new moon...

New Moon - In Celtic culture, the new moon was greeted in this fashion:

May thy light be fair to me!

May thy course be smooth to me!

If good to me is thy beginning,

Seven times better be thine end,

Thou fair moon of the seasons,

Thou great lamp of grace!

He Who created thee

Created me likewise;

He Who gave thee weight and light

Gave to me life and death,

And the joy of the seven satisfactions,

Thou great lamp of grace,

Thou fair moon of the seasons


 Image courtesy of Exsodus / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

St Anselm's prayer...

"O Lord my God,
teach my heart this day
where and how to see You,
where and how to find You.

You have made me and remade me,
and You have bestowed on me
all the good things I possess,
and still I do not know You.
I have not yet done that
for which I was made.

Teach me to seek You,
for I cannot seek You
unless You teach me,
or find You
unless You show Yourself to me.

Let me seek You in my desire,
Let me desire You in my seeking.
Let me find You by loving You,
Let me love You when I find You."

- A prayer of St Anselm

Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

God be in me...

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at my end, and at my departing...

~ Sarum Primer, 1538

Image courtesy of  photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The divine guide...

“My life is a mystery which I do not attempt to really understand, as though I were led by the hand in a night where I see nothing, but can fully depend on the love and protection of Him who guides me.” 

– Thomas Merton ( January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968)

 

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net