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ОглавлениеThe Fearsome Blessing of Hard Times
The fearsome blessing of that hard time continues to work itself out in my life in the same way we’re told the universe is still hurtling through outer space under impact of the great cosmic explosion that brought it into being in the first place. I think grace sometimes explodes into our lives like that—sending out pain, terror, astonishment through inner space until by grace they become Orion, Cassiopeia, Polaris, to give us our bearings, to bring us into something like full being at last.
- Frederick Buechner
You Will Have Peace
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
—Numbers 6:24–26, The Bible, NIV
By the Awful Grace of God
And even in our sleep,
pain that cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart,
and in our own despite,
against our will,
comes wisdom to us
by the awful grace of God.
—Agamemnon, Aeschylus – 5th Century BC
Calling All Angels
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day,
be at my side
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
- Catholic Liturgy—A Prayer to Guardian Angels
Inspire Me to Kindness, Each and Every Day
Day by day,
Let me see the grace
Day by day,
Let me see the way
Day by day,
Let me see the beauty
Let me hear the music
day by day
Let me see the way
Day by day
let me see the goodness
Let me feel the love
Inspire me to kindness
Day by day,
let me see the way
Let me see the grace
Let me see the way
- Day by Day—Hans van Rostenberghe
Growing Old
I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill-health.
There is no way to escape having ill-health.
I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love
are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground on which I stand.
- Buddha
Give Us the Power To Heal
Hail to thee, day! Hail, ye day’s sons!
Hail, night and daughter of night!
With blithe eyes look on both of us:
send to those sitting here speed!
Hail to you, Gods! Hail, Goddesses!
Hail, earth that gives to all!
Goodly spells and speech bespeak we from you,
and healing hands, in this life.
- The Poetic Edda—the Lay of Sigrdrifa, 600 AD
Prayer to St. Joseph the Protector
O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong,
so prompt before the Throne of God,
I place in you all my interests and desires.
O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession
and obtain for me from your Divine Son
all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord;
so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power
I may offer my Thanksgiving and Homage
to the most Loving of Fathers.
O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you
and Jesus asleep in your arms.
I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart.
Press him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me,
and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls,
pray for us.
Amen.
- Prayer to St. Joseph, Patron of the Dying, 100 AD
Celtic Prayer for Protection
Give thou thine heart to the wild magic,
To the Lord and the Lady of Nature,
Beyond any consideration of this world.
Do not covet large or small,
Do not despise weakling or poor,
Semblance of evil allow not near thee,
Never give nor earn thou shame.
The Ancient Harmonies are given thee,
Understand them early and prove,
Be one with the power of the elements,
Put behind thee dishonor and lies.
Be loyal to the Lord of the Wild Wood,
Be true to the Lady of the Stars,
Be true to thine own self besides,
True to the magic of Nature above all else.
Do not thou curse anyone,
Lest thou threefold cursed shouldst be,
And shouldst thou travel ocean and earth,
Follow the very step of the ancient trackways.
- Celtic Oral Tradition, 800 AD
A Prayer for All Prisoners
Abba Father, Loving God, our hope and our salvation
—Calm us –
Give us the assurance of your presence
—Empty us –
Make us pure vessels of your love
—Polish us –
Shine each of us to be a reflection of your grace
—Equip us –
Arm all of us, Father, to be your strong warriors.
Right now, today,
We are yours and we are thankful.
Amen.
- C. Lee Davis of the Prison Ministry
Fare Thee Well
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rains fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
- Irish Blessing
Prayer for Acceptance
O! Thou God of all beings, of all worlds, and of all times,
We pray that the little differences in our clothes,
in our inadequate languages,
in our ridiculous customs,
in our imperfect laws,
in our illogical opinions,
in our ranks and conditions which
are so disproportionately important to us
and so meaningless to you,
that these small variations
that distinguish those atoms that we call men,
one from another,
may not be signals of hatred and persecution!
- Voltaire, 1756
With a Strong Heart and a Cheerful Will
Almighty Father
whose way is in the sea
and whose paths are in the great waters
whose command is over all and whose love never faileth:
Let me be aware of Thy presence
and obedient to Thy will.
Keep me true to my best self
guarding me against dishonesty in purpose and in deed,
and helping me so to live
that I can stand unashamed and unafraid before my shipmates,
my loved ones, and Thee.
Protect those in whose love I live.
Give me the will to do the work of a man
and to accept my share of responsibilities
with a strong heart and a cheerful mind.
Make me considerate of those entrusted to my leadership and faithful to the duties my country has entrusted to me.
Let my uniform remind me daily
of the traditions of the Service of which I am a part.
If I am inclined to doubt, steady my faith;
if I am tempted, make me strong to resist;
if I should miss the mark, give me courage to try again.
Guide me with the light of truth, and keep before me the life of Him
by whose example and help I trust
to obtain the answer to my prayer,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
- World War II - Naval Serviceman
What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger
God does not send us despair in order to kill us; he
sends it in order to awaken us to new life.
- Reflections - Hermann Hesse
Start Your Day With Thankfulness
When you arise in the morning,
give thanks for the morning light,
for your life and strength.
Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.
- Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
Prayer to Start Every Day
Don’t worry,
be happy!
- Meher Baba, 1966
As You and I Are One
Father, may they all be one,
as you and I are one.
- John 17:11—The Final Prayer of Jesus
Prayer for Serenity
God, grant me
Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship
as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.
- Reinhold Niebuhr
Prayer for Health and Happiness
Om sarvetra sukhinah santu sarve santu niramayah.
Sarve bhadrani pasyantu ma kascid duhkhamapnuyat
Om shantih shantih shantih
Oh Almighty! May everybody be happy!
May all be free from ailments!
May we see what is auspicious!
May no one be subject to miseries!
Oh Almighty! May there be a Peace! Peace! Peace! Everywhere.
- The Rig-Veda, India, 3700 BC
Reverence for All Life
From childhood, I felt a compassion for animals. Even before I started
school, I found it impossible to understand why, in my evening prayers,
I should pray only for human beings. Consequently, after my mother
had prayed with me and had given me a good-night kiss, I secretly
recited another prayer, one I had composed myself. It went like this:
Dear God, protect and bless all living beings.
Keep them from evil and let them sleep in peace.
- Dr. Albert Schweitzer, 1964
My Religion Is Kindness
If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe, cause another to know that they are safe.
If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things,
help another to better understand.
If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another.
Those others are waiting for you now. They are looking to you for guidance,
for help, for courage, for strength, for understanding, and for assurance at this hour.
Most of all, they are looking to you for love.
My religion is very simple.
My religion is kindness.
- His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, 1981
Remain in the Light of Love
God, help me to be
a pure vehicle for your love
and light
and wisdom.
- Steven Sadleir
We Are All the Children of God
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek:
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they will be called the children of God.
- The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-9
Believe More Deeply
Believe more deeply.
Hold your face up to the light,
even though for the moment you do not see.
- Bill Wilson, Cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous
Rest in the Arms of Loving Providence
My God, I am yours for time and eternity.
Teach me to cast myself entirely
into the arms of your loving Providence
with a lively, unlimited confidence in your compassionate, tender pity.
Grant, O most merciful Redeemer,
That whatever you ordain or permit may be acceptable to me.
Take from my heart all painful anxiety;
let nothing sadden me but sin,
nothing delight me but the hope
of coming to the possession of You,
my God and my all,
in your everlasting kingdom.
Amen.
- Suscipe of Catherine McAuley - 1778–1841
Loving Your Enemies
Oh God, help us in our lives and in all of our attitudes,
to work out this controlling force of love,
this controlling power that can solve
every problem that we confront in all areas.
Oh, we talk about politics;
we talk about the problems facing our atomic civilization.
Grant that all men will come together and discover
that as we solve the crisis and solve these problems,
the international problems,
the problems of atomic energy,
the problems of nuclear energy,
and yes, even the race problem;
let us join together in a great fellowship of love
and bow down at the feet of Jesus.
Give us this strong determination.
In the name and spirit of this Christ, we pray.
Amen.
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pray to the Heavens Above
God exists.
His place is very cool.
Look at how it is where God is.
- Mesoamerican Indian Blessing
The Good Road and the Road of Difficulties
Hey-a-a-hey! Hey-a-a-hey! Hey-a-a-hey! Hey-a-a-hey!
Grandfather, Great Spirit, once more behold me on earth
and lean to hear my feeble voice.
You lived first, and you are older than all need, older than all prayer.
All things belong to you—the two-leggeds,
the four-leggeds, the wings of the air
and all green things that live.
You have set the powers of the four quarters
to cross each other.
The good road and road of difficulties
you have made to cross;
and where they cross, the place is holy.
Day in and day out, forever, you are the life of things.
Therefore I am sending a voice, Great Spirit,
my Grandfather, forgetting nothing you have made, the stars of the universe
and the grasses of the earth.
You have said to me,
when I was still young and could hope,
that in difficulty I should send a voice four times,
once for each quarter of the earth,
and you would hear me.
Today I send a voice for a people in despair.
You have given me a sacred pipe,
and through this I should make my offering.
You see it now.
From the west, you have given me the cup
of living water and the sacred bow, the power to make life and to destroy.
You have given me a sacred wind and the herb
from where the white giant lives –
the cleansing power and the healing.
The daybreak star and the pipe,
you have given from the east;
and from the south, the nation’s sacred hoop
and the tree that was to bloom.
To the center of the world you have taken me
and showed the goodness and the beauty
and the strangeness of the greening earth, the only mother –
and there the spirit shapes of things,
as they should be,
you have shown to me and I have seen.
At the center of this sacred hoop you have said
that I should make the tree to bloom.
With tears running, O Great Spirit, Great Spirit, my Grandfather -
with running tears I must say now that
the tree has never bloomed.
A pitiful old man, you see me here,
and I have fallen away and have done nothing.
Here at the center of the world,
where you took me when I was young and taught me;
here, old, I stand, and the tree is withered,
Grandfather, my Grandfather!
Again, and maybe the last time on this earth,
I recall the great vision you sent me.
It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives.
Nourish it then, that it may leaf and bloom
and fill with singing birds.
Hear me, not for myself, but for my people; I am old.
Hear me that they may once more go back into the sacred hoop
and find the good red road, the shielding tree!
In sorrow I am sending a feeble voice,
O Six Powers of the World.
Hear me in my sorrow, for I may never call again.
O make my people live!
- Black Elk, 1930
Give Us This Day
Which art in heaven,
Hallowed be
Your holy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Just let your will be done
On earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day
Our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not
Into all temptation,
But deliver us He said,
I am Safe
Safe
I am Safe
Safe
Safe
Safe
Safe
Safe
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
I’m safe.
- Ruth Baxter, with passage adapted from Luke 11:2-4
May We Always Be Ready for the Long Journey
O, our Father the Sky, hear us
and make us strong.
O, our Mother the Earth, hear us
and give us support.
O Spirit of the East,
send us your Wisdom.
O Spirit of the South,
may we tread your path.
O Spirit of the West,
may we always be ready for the long journey.
O Spirit of the North, purify us
with your cleansing winds.
- Oglala Sioux Tribal Chant
Be With Us and Hear Us
Fire of the Spirit
Life of the lives of creatures
Spiral of sanctity
Bond of all natures
Glow of charity
Lights of clarity
Taste of sweetness to the fallen
Be with us and hear us.
- Hildegarde of Bingen, 1169 AD
