Keep it simple...

"Franciscanism is sometimes called an alternative orthodoxy because it invites us all to sit at God's One Abundant Table, while much of the Christian tradition has set a scarce table for very few. The Church too often assumed that people were very simple and so we had to make the laws complex to protect them from themselves. Jesus and Francis recognized that people are endlessly diverse, complex and mysterious, and we had best make the law very simple. Just love your neighbor exactly as you love yourself."

from Gateway to Silence by Richard Rohr

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / 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

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Summer prayer

Father, Creator of all, thank You for summer!
Thank you for the warmth of the sun and the increased daylight.
Thank You for the beauty I see all around me
and for the opportunity to be outside and enjoy Your creation.
Thank You for the increased time I have to be with my friends and family,
and for the more casual pace of the summer season.
Draw me closer to You this summer.
Teach me how I can pray no matter where I am or what I am doing.
Warm my soul with the awareness of Your presence
and light my path with Your Word and Counsel.
As I enjoy Your creation,
create in me a pure heart and a hunger and a thirst for You.
Amen

- Summer prayer from ‘Ignatian spirituality’

 Image "Yellow Cosmos Flower And Blue Sky" courtesy of Sura Nualpradid / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A summer prayer

Father, Creator of all, thank You for summer!
Thank you for the warmth of the sun and the increased daylight.
Thank You for the beauty I see all around me
and for the opportunity to be outside and enjoy Your creation.
Thank You for the increased time I have to be with my friends and family,
and for the more casual pace of the summer season.
Draw me closer to You this summer.
Teach me how I can pray no matter where I am or what I am doing.
Warm my soul with the awareness of Your presence
and light my path with Your Word and Counsel.
As I enjoy Your creation,
create in me a pure heart and a hunger and a thirst for You.
- Summer prayer from ‘Ignatian spirituality’

(Photo by me.)

Celtic morning prayer

Guiding God

be with us 

in our going out

and coming home

in our journeying

and returning

in our decision making

and organising

Guarding God

be with us

through the calm

and through the storm

be our comfort

when we’re hurting

be our helper

when we’re falling

Gracious God

walk with us

every moment

of this new day.

- Celtic morning prayer from 'Faith and Worship'

(Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Morning prayer

Christ our healer

Christ our teacher

Our inspiration and purpose.

Christ our defender

Christ our redeemer

Our liberation and precious.

Bless both day and night.

Bless our travelling and arriving.

Bless our service and our sleeping.

Christ, our all in all,

into your presence I come, Lord;

a few moments of quietness,

closeness

in a busy world

that demands my attention.

Breathe on me now,

that I might know your power

to see this day though 

- Morning prayer from Faith and Worship

 Image courtesy of Photokanok / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Jesuit wisdom

After I heard that the new pope was a member of the Jesuit order I looked up the internet to find a succinct summary of Jesuit wisdom. I found the following...

Fr James Martin SJ suggests the following five points to summerise Jesuit wisdom...

“Allow yourself to be human.  You’re a human being with a body, after all, and sometimes bodies get sick.  So why not just allow yourself to be human?”

“You don’t have to be someone else to be holy. Just be yourself.  That’s the person God called into the Jesuits, after all.” 

“You’re not married to everyone. There’s no need to please everyone.  Plus, you couldn’t if you tried.  Just be kind and generous and the rest will take care of itself.” 

“Don’t let anyone prevent you from becoming the person you want to be. God desires you to become loving and charitable.  Don’t let the way anyone else is distract you.” 

“You’re not Jesus. No one person can do everything.  And even Jesus didn’t heal everyone in Palestine.  Accepting your limitations helps you to do your best and leave the rest up to God.”

This was written by American priest James Martin, SJ, who is a contributing editor to America magazine and author of "Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life," and "The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything." 

 Image courtesy of  xedos4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sharing

“I am struck by how sharing our weakness and difficulties is more nourishing to others than sharing our qualities and successes.”
― Jean Vanier, 'Community And Growth'

 

 Image courtesy of Vlado / 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

Hospitality

"I pray that none will be offended if I seek to make the Christian religion an inn where all are received joyously, rather than a cottage where some few friends of the family are to be received.” - Attributed to Richard Hooker

 

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Skin

“Human skin is porous; the world flows through you. Your senses are large pores that let the world in. By being attuned to the wisdom of your senses, you will never become an exile in your own life, an outsider lost in an external spiritual place that your will and intellect, have constructed.”
― John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

Image courtesy of Ambro/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

St Patrick's Breastplate prayer

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgement of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In prediction of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me.
God's host to save me

From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and souls,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
so that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation

Photo of Celtic Cross from Iona

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

Poem - on the simple life

I Taught Myself to Live Simply

I taught myself to live simply and wisely,
to look at the sky and pray to God,
and to wander long before evening
to tire my superfluous worries.
When the burdocks rustle in the ravine
and the yellow-red rowanberry cluster droops
I compose happy verses
about life's decay, decay and beauty.
I come back. The fluffy cat
licks my palm, purrs so sweetly
and the fire flares bright
on the saw-mill turret by the lake.
Only the cry of a stork landing on the roof
occasionally breaks the silence.
If you knock on my door
I may not even hear.

 Anna Akhmatova (1889–1966)

Image courtesy of dan    / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Celtic circling prayer

"Circle us Lord,
Keep love within, keep hatred out.
Keep joy within, keep fear out.
Keep peace within, keep worry out.
Keep light within, keep darkness out.
May you stand in the circle with us, today and always."
- Celtic prayer

(Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net )

Honesty and God's love...

"We can't know God's love if we overlook parts of ourselves we'd rather weren't true. Sooner or later that trips us up."

Anon

Irish blessing for a journey

"The love and affection of the angels be to you,
The love and affection of the saints be to you,
The love and affection of heaven be to you,
To guard and to cherish you.
May God shield you on every step,

May He aid you on every path,
And may He hold you safe on every slope,
On every hill and on every plain;
On earth and on sea until you are home again."
- Irish blessings for those taking a journey

 

   Image courtesy of chanpipat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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

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.