Prayers in Easter: Twistin' and Turnin'

     The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these are a few of the paradoxes we must hold as human beings. If we refuse to hold them in the hopes of living without doubt, despair, and pain, we also find ourselves living without faith, hope, and love. 
                                      ― Parker J. Palmer* [1939- ]


Dear God - It seems counter-intuitive to me that the deeper my faith and hope and love becomes the crazier life can get.  But that has been my experience. Things can get all tangled up so that the dark nights can burn through the bright sunlight but then the bright sunlight can also shine through the darkness. I've tried to hide in a quiet space away from fear, and pain, and hopelessness and then discovered my quiet space was just empty. Guide me, my Lord, with all of my trepidation.  When I remember that You are always here, I can handle the twists and the turns, the light and the dark, the highs and the lows of all that the life You have given me has to offer. amen.



*Parker J. Palmer is an educator, activist, poet, and prolific author on issues in education, community, social change, and spirituality.  A member of the Religious Society of Friends, he has said that doubt is not the opposite of faith, but it is fear; we are afraid to be disillusioned.  He also says that "before you can have a spiritual life, you must have a life."  It is in a blending of our active and contemplative life that our sense of spirituality finds a balance.  The recipient of many distinguished awards, Dr. Palmer lives with his wife in Madison, Wisconsin.






Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: If only

   It is the very
pursuit 

of happiness 

that 

   thwarts happiness. 

― Viktor E. Frankl* [1905-1997]

Well, God,

        where did some of us get the idea that happiness is our birthright? We spend so very much of our lives chasing after it and even worrying about how to get it. How many of us have said: If I can just have that car, if we can live in that neighborhood, if that promotion comes through, if I can win the big lottery, then I'll be happy. We waste life looking back crying about "if only ___ had been different" and looking ahead thinking "if only ___ that can happen" that we completely miss today. I want to stop missing now by spending my time trying to change the past and imagine the future.  Please, Lord, help me see the moment I'm in as the place to fully be and live with whatever is happening. 

         As the child who finds magic in blowing the seeds of a dandelion into the breeze, let me experience the present as the fruit of the past and the seeds of the future, completely grounded in You and completely in right now. amen.    

*Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, was interned in the Nazi Holocaust of concentration camps for three years losing his wife, his mother, and his brother.  His seminal work, Man's Search for Meaning, chronicles his imprisonment.  The translated German title is Saying Yes to Life in Spite of Everything: A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp. It was through this unimaginable time he realized the importance of finding meaning in all forms of existence even under the most difficult and even horrible experiences and find reasons to continue to live.  His work has inspired the psychological community from that time forward and just everyday people.




Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: Hand out?

       Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain.
          ― Helen Keller* [1880-1968]




Dear God ~ Straight up, I need Your help! I do my best to be a helpful person to family, friends, and even strangers (unless their driving is driving me nuts - I'll keep working on that). But the part that is hard is remembering to remember others when I'm feeling down and sometimes even when I'm on top of the world.  Please help me find a way to look outside of myself regardless of what is happening in my life. In the ordinary moments of life, reaching out my hand to another is easy.  It is in the difficult times that I want to be thoughtlessly thoughtful, to hold my hand out to someone who needs me more than I need to think about myself.  How can You help?  Well, maybe if You just take me by the hand...  amen.
    

*Helen Keller was born a healthy girl in Tuscumbria, Alabama and at 19 months old she contracted an illness that left her deaf and blind.  The story of her extraordinary journey and that of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, has been depicted in the play and film "The Miracle Worker." An internationally known author, political activist, and lecturer, she was  the recipient of numerous honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon Johnson, elections to the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame.  She was the first deaf/blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree upon graduation from Radcliffe.  Her life and work are iconic in framing the concept of overcoming obstacles and as an ardent advocate on behalf of others. 









Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: Looking Through My Mind

― Gibran Khalil Gibran* [1883-1931]


Dear Creator of Darkness and Light:
              A positive spin on life has never come easily to me.  It's so much easier to feel victimized, to wallow in the drama, to point the finger of blame and fault at others when life has failed to meet my desires.  I've lived in the THEY-can't-possibly-understand-or-take-the-time-to-care-about-what-I'VE-endured- self-involvement. And it wasn't until I was so depleted emotionally, that with nowhere else to go, I finally and desperately turned to YOU. When that happened I heard the Voice that had always been there.  I felt the Touch that reached for me. And as I came into the Love that never leaves, I started to feel the warmth fill my heart and my eyes opened to see all that has been there all along, for me. The dark days became suddenly brighter, the clouds lifted, and all that I need for life itself in good moments and terrible, in the ordinary and the amazing, from the depths of despair to the heights of heaven is an open heart to You. Thank You for being here for all the time it has taken for me to turn my mind around.  Thank You for the Free Will that allows me to choose my own path.  And although I may slip again, I now know the gift and glory of  being lifted up into the light and no longer will I want to drown in the darkness of my own making.  amen.




*Gibran Kahlil Gibran, the third best-selling poet of all time after Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu, was born in Lebanon and emigrated to the US as a young man settling in Boston's South End.  Also an artist and a writer - most famous is his fictional but inspiring The Prophet written in 1923 and which gained a tremendous resurgence of popularity during the 1960s counterculture turbulence and took new root within the New Age movement.  Raised a Maronite Catholic, Gibran was also influenced by Islam, particularly Sufi mysticism and had strong connections with the Baha'i faith. His request to be buried in his native Lebanon was fulfilled by his close friend and his sister.

Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers of the People: Milking the Stones of Life, 5th Sunday in Easter

for Sunday, May 18, Readings:  Acts 7:55-60; Ps 31:1-5,15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14

          In one of the closing prayers for the Episcopal Sunday Liturgy (service/worship) we say to our Eternal God: ...you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood... and here, in the readings for this Sunday we are given a clear message that, with intention, we can crave, desire, and need the spiritual milk that we are offered to nourish and develop our souls and deepen our understanding of the Salvation we are offered. And, as it takes many stones to create a stable foundation, we are called as Living Stones for the spiritual temple of Christ and to build up the many dwelling places in the House of God. Our faith in Jesus is the starting point, let's milk it for all it's worth!

Let Us, God’s People, Pray

Leader:  ~ Jesus, Purest Milk for our Spirits, Your Way, Your Truth, and Your Life lead us to the fullness of God, our Creator. Grant us sureness of footing and steadfastness of faith as we follow You to everlasting salvation.

                         O Lord our Refuge and our Foundation

Response:   Shine Your loving Face upon us                                                                    

~ Jesus, Purest Milk for our spirits, the people of our world cry out in so many ways and places because of the effects of war, hatred, poverty, and violence. Give us courage to act in Your name in ways large, small, and intentional, to strengthen the causes of peace, tolerance, and equality among all political leaders. We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

                         O Lord our Refuge and our Foundation

                      Shine Your loving Face upon us

~ Jesus, Purest Milk for our spirits, deliver those who are seriously ill and those who see to their care and comfort.  Walk with them as they seek shelter in the strong tower of Your love.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                         O Lord our Refuge and our Foundation

                      Shine Your loving Face upon us

~ Jesus, Purest Milk for our spirits, You promise us the gift of all Eternity with our belief in You. Help us to find peace in the knowing that those we hold dearest, who have left this life, now dwell in all the glory of God’s House forever. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                         O Lord our Refuge and our Foundation

                      Shine Your loving Face upon us

~ Jesus, Purest Milk for our spirits, as we walk together with those who lead Your Church, we will commit ourselves to be as Living Stones with them in Your spiritual temple. Grant our leaders the fortitude, the patience, and the desire to help us all convert our lives to Your purpose, to be obedient to the Word, and to foster stability of values in our community of faith. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                         O Lord our Refuge and our Foundation

                      Shine Your loving Face upon us

The Celebrant adds:  O God our Creator, while most of us will never be martyrs for our faith in You, keep us from injuring our faith by inattention and inaction. In times when we feel most rejected, point our Way to the Cornerstone of all that is, seen and unseen, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and Your Most Holy Spirit who sanctifies our souls who reign together with You, one God, forever and for eternity. Amen.

Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: Praying Inside Out

         Prayer of the heart is prayer of the total person, body, soul, and spirit.  But since the heart is the place of the Divine indwelling, prayer of the heart is praying in which it is not only I that speak, but it is the prayers which Christ and the Holy Spirit are saying within me.  Those who attain prayer of the heart have the experience of being prayed in. 
                              [emphasis added]                      ~ Kallistos Ware* [1934- ]

Lord and Spirit of my Heart ~
       It's true, then. I have felt You here, within me, but I was afraid to recognize You, to acknowledge You, and I have also denied to myself that I have felt You. It hasn't happened often but I would like it to happen again, and, more often. 
      The times of my life when I have needed the most comfort have sometimes been the most difficult to enter into prayer. And sometimes the happiest times distract me from praying my thanksgivings. I'm working on all of that and I ask You ~ I invite You ~ to come into my heart, my soul, and all of me and help me to discover again all that deep prayer can do with and for me. Pray in me, please, and let my heart feel full of You.  amen.
         

*Timothy Ware of Bath, England was raised in the Anglican Church and read classics and theology at Magdalen College, Oxford.  In 1958 at age 24 he affiliated with the Eastern Orthodox Church. After much travel in Greece and a significant amount of time at the Monastery of St. John of Patmos and other travels, he was ordained to the priesthood and tonsured as a monk in 1966.  At that time he received the name "Kallistos."  He was later consecrated bishop and his career path led him to be a Lecturer in Eastern Orthodox Studies at Oxford University, a position he held for 35 years before retirement.  He is the author of many books and articles on the Orthodox Christian faith.





Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: From SON Up to Sundown

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
        ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson* [1803-1882]




Holy Creator of Dawn, Noonday, Sunset, and Night,
           I often go through each day with a particular agenda of things to do, places to go, and people to see without taking a moment to recognize the blessings of my life.  I'm always quick to complain, whine, or moan to You and yet while I might remember an exclamation of  "Thank God!" when something dramatic occurs (such as the birth of a child, an improvement in health, or a disaster averted), I'm less likely to remember to breathe a small prayer of thankfulness for waking, for the light of the day, and for the stars of the night.              
         Whatever the circumstances of my daily life, I always have small moments for which I can be thankful. All I have to do is remember. It's easy enough on Sundays to remember to be thankful for the Resurrection or the Nativity of Your Son, but please help me, Lord, to add thankfulness into my daily life even if only in small ways. While I'm not suggesting that You are the Do-er of everything, I do want to acknowledge the parts of Creation that impact me in positive ways as a thanksgiving for the miracle of life itself. Lord of Heaven, Lord of Life, Lord of All, thank You for this moment, right now. amen.

*Ralph Waldo Emerson was a noted lecturer and leader of the Transcendentalist Movement of the mid-19th century. With a Unitarian background and Harvard Divinity School education, he came to champion the belief in the inherent goodness of people and nature, and, particularly, that only from truly self-reliant and independent people can genuine community be formed. A well-traveled and well-written life, Emerson forms the backdrop of American intellectual pursuits and long collegial relationships with contemporaries such as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Henry James and other literary luminaries such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and Thomas Carlyle. His work resonates to this day and speaks to much of our current experience and dilemmas.



Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com All compositions and personal photos remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. Requestors will remain anonymous.