A True and Lasting Peace: Prayer-Meditation April 27, 2015

Most high, omnipotent, good Lord,
Praise, glory and honor

 and benediction all, are Thine.
To Thee alone do they belong, most High,
And there is no man fit to mention Thee. 
 Praise be to Thee, my Lord, 
with all Thy creatures,
Especially to my worshipful brother sun,
The which lights up the day, 
and through him dost Thou brightness give;
And beautiful is he and radiant with splendor great;
Of Thee, most High, signification gives.
Praised be my Lord, 
for sister moon and for the stars,
In heaven Thou hast formed them
 clear and precious and fair. 
Praised be my Lord for brother wind
And for the air and clouds and fair 
and every kind of weather,
By the which Thou givest 
to Thy creatures nourishment.
Praised be my Lord for sister water,
The which is greatly helpful
 and humble and precious and pure.
Praised be my Lord for brother fire,
By the which Thou lightest up the dark.
And fair is he and gay and mighty and strong.
Praised be my Lord
 for our sister, mother earth,
  Who sustains and keeps us
And brings forth diverse fruits
 with grass and flowers bright.
Praised be my Lord 
for those who for Thy love forgive
And weakness bear and tribulation.
Blessed those who shall in peace endure,
For by Thee, most High,
 shall they be crowned.
Praised be my Lord
 for our sister, the bodily death,
From the which no living man can flee.
Woe to them who die in mortal sin;
Blessed those who shall find themselves
 in Thy most holy will,
For the second death shall do them no ill.
Praise ye and bless ye my Lord,
 and give Him thanks,
And be subject unto Him
 with great humility.

"The Canticle of the Sun"
Saint Francis of Assisi 

Countryside near

Assisi, Italy

Lord, make me an instrument 

of Your peace.

 Where there is hatred,

 let me sow love;

 where there is injury, pardon;

 where there is doubt, faith; 

 where there is despair, hope;

 where there is darkness, light;

 where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master,

 grant that I may not so much seek

 to be consoled as to console;

 to be understood as to understand; 

to be loved as to love;

 For it is in giving that we receive;

 it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

 it is in dying that we are born again

 to eternal life.

 "Prayer of Saint Francis" 

 "Prayer of Saint Francis" 

How little we know

 what God has in store

As daily He blesses

our lives more and more.

I've lived many years

and learned many things,

But today I have grown

"new spiritual wings",

For pain has a way

of broadening our view,

And bringing us closer

in sympathy, too, 

To those who are living

in constant pain

And trying somehow

to bravely sustain

The faith and endurance

to keep on trying

When they'd almost welcome

the peace of dying.

And without this experience

I would have lived and died

Without fathoming

the pain of Christ crucified,

For none of us know

what pain's all about

Until our

"spiritual wings"

start to sprout.

So, thank You, God,

for the "gift"

You sent

To teach me that pain

is heaven-sent.

"Eagles Wings"

Helen Steiner Rice

"But they who wait 

upon the Lord

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up

with wings like eagles,

they shall run

and not grow weary,

and they shall walk,

and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

"Therefore then,

since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud of witnesses,

who have borne testimony

to the Truth,

let us strip off

and throw aside

every encumbrance,

and that sin which

so readily clings to

and entangles us,

and let us run with

patient endurance

and steady and active persistence

the appointed course

of the race

that is set before us.

Looking away

from all that will distract

to Jesus

Who is the Leader

and the Source

of our faith

and is also

it's Finisher

bringing it to maturity

and perfection.

He, for the joy

of obtaining the prize

that was set before Him,

endured the cross,

despising and ignoring

the shame,

and is now seated

at the right hand of

the throne of

God.

Just think of

 Him Who

endured from sinners

such grievous opposition

 and bitter hostility 

 against Himself,

so that you may

not grow weary

or exhausted,

losing heart,

and relaxing 

and fainting

in your minds."

 Hebrews 12:1-3

Rocca Maggiore 
Assisi Italy

Lord,

I am overwhelmed

by the extravagance

of Your love!

For like the sower

in Your parable,

You never looked back

to see where the seed

of Your ministry

was falling.

You knew

that where it 

was received,

it would bear fruit

of its own kind.

Thank You, 

Holy Spirit,

for preparing my heart

to receive the seeds

of such a lavish

love.

A prayer by

Catherine Marshall