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Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 8/2

 

This morning's prayer is very old!  We lift our hearts with the words of Saint Anselm who died in 1109.

 

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,

yet 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...

 

Amen. 

St. Anselm (1033-1109)

And here's a beautiful musical setting for Anselm's prayer... 

 

Teach My Heart by Jandi Arboleda

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 8/1

I'm grateful, Lord,

for all the ways 

you comfort your people

with kindness and care:

    open me up to all the ways

        you reach out to comfort me... 

 

When I need your help

you're there to hold me,

close and warm, 

in your outstretched arms:

    help me fall, freely, Lord,

        into your waiting  arms... 

 

Through the words of scripture

you give me hope

with just the right word,

at just the right time:

    open my ears and my heart, O Lord,

        to hear what you whisper to me...

 

I thank you, Lord,

for all the people 

who comfort and care for me 

in ways too many to count:

    help me, then, to comfort them,

        in return for the peace that's mine... 

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

    and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

You Comfort Me by Risen Tunes

 

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Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 8/1

The first of August - already? 

 

Really?

WAY.  Too.  Soon.   

 

(IMHO)

Summer's slipping away, Lord,

    or so it seems to me

and August's debut, too early, intrudes 
   on my favorite time of the year...

 

I know there's more summer yet to come,

    but what has passed is what I miss

and I'm wondering now just where it went

    - and how I let it go...

Still, this is the day that you've made, Lord:

   August 1, 2025...

 

And this day is unique, Lord,

   in all my life,

   and in the lives of my friends

   in the history of humankind

       - in the history of all creation!

This one day 

   has never dawned before,

and will never come again:

   August 1, 2025
      - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

So, what would you have me make of this day?

What would you have me do today? 

What would you have me embrace, Lord, 

   and what would you have me set free? 

Where would you have me go today  

   - and from what and whom

       would you have me keep my distance? 

 

And, Lord, 

    what are your plans for me, 

        the 1st day of this august month? 

 

How might I make this a better day

   for all the folks whose paths cross mine?

How will you move and act today
   in  my thoughts and words and deeds? 

 

How might I mend, this August 1,

   the mistakes I made

      a day, a month, a year ago? 

 

What might I do today, Lord,
   to prepare for a peaceful tomorrow? 

 
Open me up to all the ways  

   your Spirit will touch me today, Lord
      in my mind, in my heart,

      in my conscience, my soul
      and in all I say and all I do...

 

Open me, Lord, to all the ways

   you'll move in my life today...

This is the day that you've made, Lord,

   August 1, 2025:

      help me rejoice and be glad in this day,
      help me spend this day in your grace
         - and come to its end in your peace...

Amen. 

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Thursday 7/31

 

It's the feast of Saint Ignatius and this Night Prayer is drawn from his Suscipe prayer, "Take, Lord, receive..."

Lord, I come in prayer tonight
    with a heart that needs to be emptied,
        a heart that needs to be filled...

 
You showed us the way, Lord:
   you humbled yourself on the Cross,

      you emptied yourself out of love for us
    and now you invite us 

       to humble and empty ourselves
           in the same way...

I don't always find it easy, Lord, to empty myself 

    of things I cling to

          things I want to keep and hold on to...

 
Nor do I find it easy to let go:
   to let go the burdens I've befriended,

      that have become part of my identity,

         burdens I cling to for security...

 

But if I don't empty my heart, Lord,

    how will it open to receive the gifts

        of your mercy, healing, consolation and peace?

Teach my heart to know, Lord,
    what to keep and what to lose,
    what to hold on to and what to let go of,
    what to treasure and what to dismiss..

As I let go of what I don't need, Lord,
    fill my heart with a hunger and thirst

for what truly feeds and fills me,
    what deepens and strengthens my faith and hope...

Give me joy in the letting go, Lord,
    and peace in being filled with you,
       with your Word, your grace and your love...

 

Protect me, Lord, while I lie awake

    and watch over me, while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen.

 

 

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These Alone Are Enough by Dan Schutte

 

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Take my heart, O Lord, take my hopes and dreams.
Take my mind with all its plans and schemes.
Give me nothing more than your love and grace.
These alone, O God, are enough for me.

Take my thoughts, Oh Lord, and my memory.
Take my tears, my joys, my liberty.
Give me nothing more than your love and grace.
These alone, O God, are enough for me.

I surrender, Lord, all I have and hold.
I return to you your gifts untold.
Give me nothing more than your love and grace.
These alone, O God, are enough for me.

When the darkness falls on my final days,

take the very breath that sang your praise.

Give me nothing more than your love and grace.

These alone, O God, are enough for me.

  

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Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 7/31

July 31 is the Feast of Saint Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Ignatius' influence on Christian prayer and spirituality cannot be underestimated. In my own life, I've had a Jesuit priest as a spiritual director for over 30 years and for the same period of time I've always made my annual retreat at Jesuit retreat houses.  This morning's prayer begins with a selection from Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises (paraphrased by David L. Fleming, S.J.).  I encourage you to take your time with these words - just the very first line offers enough food for thought and prayer to last a week! 

 

The Goal of our life is to live with God forever.
God, who loves us, gave us life.
Our own response of love allows God's life
    to flow into us without limit.

All the things in this world are gifts from God,

presented to us so that we can know God more easily
and make a return of love more readily.

As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God

insofar as they help us to develop as loving persons.

But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives,

they displace God
and so hinder our growth toward our goal.

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance

before all of these created gifts
insofar as we have a choice
and are not bound by some obligation.

We should not fix our desires on health or sickness,

wealth or poverty, success or failure,
a long life or a short one.

For everything has the potential of calling forth in us

a deeper response to our life in God.

Our only desire and our one choice should be this:
I want and I choose what better leads

to God's deepening his life in me.

Pause for Prayer

Lord, help me accept everything in my life

    as your gift to me...

 

And here, Lord, is the one thing

    I find most difficult to accept...

 

Give me the grace, Lord,

   to accept this as your gift to me,

      as part of my journey to you... 

    

Grant me the wisdom

    to hold all things in balance, in perspective...

 

And here, Lord, is the one thing

    that most easily upsets my balance... 

 

Give me the grace, Lord,

    to see how this is but part of my life

        and to treat it accordingly...

Let none of your gifts overshadow

    the gift of your grace in my life...

 

And here, Lord, is the one thing

    that most often distracts me from you...

 

Give me the grace, Lord,

    to see how nothing is greater

        my relationship with you... 

     

Help me see how everything in my life

    has potential for drawing me closer to you:

        everything, Lord!

Let this be my one desire:

    to choose, always, what leads me to you

        and deepens your life within me...

 

Give me the grace to desire Lord,

   that in all things

        you are my first desire...

   

Amen.

 

This song is based on a prayer written by Saint Ignatius called the Suscipe,

which is Latin for, receive. 

Take, Lord, Receive by John Foley, SJ 

 

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Take, Lord, receive all my liberty,
My memory, understanding, my entire will.

Give me only Your love and Your grace, 

   that’s enough for me.
Your love and Your grace, are enough for me.

Take, Lord, receive all I have and possess.
You have given all to me, now I return it. 

Give me only Your love and Your grace, 

   that’s enough for me.
Your love and Your grace, are enough for me.

Take, Lord, receive, all is Yours now.
Dispose of it, wholly according to Your will 

Give me only Your love and Your grace, 

   that’s enough for me.
Your love and Your grace, are enough for me.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Wednesday 7/30

Lord, you are:
    the friend who never forgets me,
    the teacher whose word instructs me,
    the trainer who strengthens my will,
    the doctor who heals my soul,
    the coach who brings out the best in me,
    the mentor whose wisdom guides me,
    the chef who feeds my deepest hunger,
    the lover whose passion saves me,
    the mother who tenderly holds me,
    the companion who walks beside me,
    the brother who watches my back,
    the ruler whose law protects me,

    the pilot who prudently charts my course,
    the father who gives me his blessing,
    the nurse whose attention calms me,
    the counselor who understands me,
    the guide who faithfully leads me home,
    the prophet who speaks to my heart, 
    the judge whose mercy spares me, 
    the sister whose care is enduring, 
    the word whose truth enlightens me, 
    the harbor whose shelter secures me, 
    the fort whose walls defend me
    the path whose peace preserves me,
    the servant who humbly attends me, 

    the shepherd who calls me by name,
    the master who gently reproves me, 
    the light that’s never extinguished, 
    the Spirit who lives within me,
    the Savior who lays down his life for me 
    the God who loves me so faithfully 
        and who dwells in my heart and soul…

 

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

    and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

 

You Are My All in All 

    by Dennis Jernigan

 

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Pause for Prayer: WEDNESDAY 7/29

 

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 7/29

 

July 29 used to be the Feast of Saint Martha but 4 years ago Pope Francis expanded the feast to include Martha's siblings: Mary and Lazarus. The gospels indicate that the members of this family trio were special friends of Jesus.  You'll remember Jesus stopping in for dinner in the gospel a few weeks back.  And when Lazarus died, his sisters sent for Jesus who came - and raised Lazarus from the dead!  

 

It's good for us to remember that Jesus who loved all, also had especially close friends, including: the twelve apostles, his closest collaborators; John, often referred to as "the disciple whom Jesus loved; and Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Our prayer tonight (which I've enjoyed updating) celebrates the gift of friendship...

How fine the gift of friendship, Lord!

    Good friends, old friends,

    new friends, work friends,

    wise friends, fun friends, 

    casual friends, life-long friends,

    childhood friends, college friends,

    soul friends, cousin friends, 

    family friends, loyal friends, 

    mentor friends, group friends, 

    friends next door and virtual friends,

    true friends, honest friends, 

    school friends, social friends,

    best friends, long-distance friends,

    friends in faith, FaceBook friends

    and the we-should-get-together

        -but-never-do-friends...

How fine the gift of friendship, Lord! 

 

I'm grateful, Lord, for all my friends:

    friends who have my back,

    friends who always remember me,

    friends who never let me down,

    friends who always have time for me,

    generous friends

        who never count the cost, 

    friends who tell me the truth,

    friends I rely on,

    friends I depend,

    friends I count on... 

 

And thank you, Lord, for friends:    

    who pardon and forgive me,

    who praise me and critique me,

    who pray for me and stay with me,

    who always save a place for me,

    who wait for me when I am late,    

    who comfort me in sad times,

    who share my every joy,

    who live within my heart of hearts,

    whose patience with me knows no end, 

    whose very hearts are home to me...

 

I thank you for my closest friends,

    friends as fine as purest gold,

whose love and prayer and sacrifice

    draw me to you, 

the very best of all my friends:

    my Savior and my Lord...

 

Take some time here

    to lift in prayer, by name

the friends for whom

    you pray tonight...

 

Lead me to befriend the friendless, Lord,

    and make me a friend to others 

        as you're a friend to me...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

    and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

 

Two songs for our prayer this evening... The first was released 14 years ago but it's lyrics fit our own times very well, reminding us of our friendship with Jesus.  The second is a well known piece from Carole King, reminding us of how precious and sacred is the gift of friendship.

Jesus, Friend of Sinners by Casting Crowns

   cover by Chinedu Gboof, 

        featuring Johnny Drille

 

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Jesus, friend of sinners, we've strayed so far away
We've cut down people in Your name
But the sword was never ours to swing
Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners
The truth's become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You
But they are trippin' over me

 

Always lookin' around, but never lookin' up
I'm so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands
And a heart divided

 

Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world
At the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners
Break our hearts for what breaks Yours

 

Yeah, (yeah), yeah

Jesus, friend of sinners
The one who's writing in the sand
Made the righteous turn away
And the stones fall from their hands

Help us to remember we are all the least of these
Let the memory of Your mercy
Bring Your people to their knees

 

Nobody knows what we're for
Only what we're against 

When we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs
Crossed over the lines and love like You did?

 

Chorus

 

You love every lost cause
You reach for the outcast
For the leper and the lame
They're the reason that You came

Lord, I was that lost cause 
And I was the outcast
But You died for sinners just like me
A grateful leper at Your feet

 

'Cause You are good, oh, You are good
And Your love endures forever...

 

You've Got A Friend by Carole King

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