T.S. Eliot: 'Forgive us, O Lord, we acknowledge ourselves'

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Forgive us, O Lord, we acknowledge ourselves as type of the
                 common man,

Of the men and women who shut the door and sit by the fire;

Who fear the blessing of God, the loneliness of the night of God,

         the surrender required, the deprivation inflicted;

Who fear the injustice of men less than the justice of God;

Who fear the hand at the window, the fire in the thatch, 
         the fist in

         the tavern, the push into the canal,

Less than we fear the love of God.

We acknowledge our trespass, our weakness, our fault; we

        acknowledge

That the sin of the world is upon our heads; that the blood of the

        martyrs and the agony of the saints

Is upon our heads.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Blessed Thomas, pray for us.

Conclusion: Murder in the Cathedral

T. S. Eliot

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Prayer No. 3 "For the Human Family"

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O God, you made us in your own image

and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: 

Look with compassion on the whole human family; 

take away the arrogance and hatred 

which infect our hearts; 

break down the walls that separate us; 

unite us in bonds of love; 

and work through our struggle and confusion

to accomplish your purposes on earth; 

that, in your good time, 

all nations and races may serve you 

in harmony around your heavenly throne; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Book of Common Prayer

USA 1979

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At Evening

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That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat thee, O Lord.

That thy holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat thee, O Lord.

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offences,
We entreat thee, O Lord.

That there may be peace to thy Church and to the whole world,
We entreat thee, O Lord.

That we may depart this life in thy faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgement seat of Christ,
We entreat thee, O Lord.

That we may be bound together by thy Holy Spirit in the communion of Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all thy saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat thee, O Lord.


Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give thine angels charge over those who sleep.  Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for thy love's sake.  Amen.

from The Book of Common Prayer

USA  1979

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Of Missionaries

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For Missionaries. 

O Most merciful Saviour and Redeemer, who wouldest not that any should perish, but that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth; Fulfil Thy gracious promise to be present with those who are gone forth in Thy Name to preach the Gospel of salvation (in distant lands). Be with them in all perils by land or by water, in sickness and distress, in weariness and painfulness, in disappointment and persecution. Bless them, we beseech Thee, with Thy continual favour, and send Thy Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth. O Lord, let Thy ministers be clothed with righteousness, and grant that Thy Word, spoken by their mouths, may never be spoken in vain. Endue them with power from on high, and so prosper Thy work in their hands that the fulness of the Gentiles may be gathered in, and all Israel be saved. Hear us, O Lord, for Thy mercy’s sake, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

 For Missionaries Journeying. 

O God, who didst bring Abraham Thy servant out of Ur of the Chaldees, and didst preserve him unhurt through all his pilgrimage; We beseech Thee, that Thou wouldest vouchsafe to keep these Thy servants: be unto them, O Lord, a Support in setting out, a Solace by the way, a Shadow in the heat, a Covering in the cold, a Shelter from the storm, Rest in weariness, their Guardian in adversity, their Staff in slippery places, and a Haven in shipwreck, that Thou being their Ruler and Guide, they may in safety reach their journey’s end. Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, to these Thy servants a way of safety, that they following the doctrine of the blessed Forerunner Saint John, may, without let or hindrance, attain to Him whom he foretold, Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost for ever and ever. Amen.

A Book of Offices, 1914

Confidence in God

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A Prayer of Saint Claude de la Colombière

My God, I’m so persuaded that You watch over all who hope in You and nothing can be lacking to those who await from You all things, that I have determined to live from now on without any concern, letting go and giving You all of my anxieties. I will sleep and rest in peace because You, O Lord, and only You, have secured my hope.

Men can deprive me of possessions and reputation; illnesses can take away my strength and means to serve You; I myself can lose Your grace because of sin; but I will not lose my hope; I will conserve it until the last instant of my life and all the efforts from demons trying to take it away from me will be useless. I will sleep and rest in peace.

May others expect happiness in their richness and talents; some may lean on the innocence of their lives, or the rigor of their penitence, or above all on the amount of their good works, or the fervor of their prayers. As for myself Lord, all my confidence is my confidence itself. Because You Lord, only You have secured my hope.

No one has been deceived by this confidence. No one who has waited in the Lord has been frustrated in their confidence. Therefore, I am sure that I will be eternally happy because I firmly hope to be; and because You, Oh, My God, are in Whom I expect all. In You I hope Lord, and never will I be confused.

I know very well . . . too well that I am fragile and inconstant, I know well the power of temptations against the most firm virtue; I have seen thestars fall from heaven and columns from the firmament; but none of this can frighten me. As long as I maintain firm my hope, I will be conserved from all calamities; and I am sure to hope always, because I hope the same in this unchanging hope.

In conclusion, I am sure that I cannot hope in excess in You and that I will receive all that I would have hoped for in You. Therefore, I know You will sustain me on the most rapid and slippery slopes, that You will strengthen me against the assaults and make my weakness triumph over the most tremendous enemies.

I hope You will always love me and I will love you without interruption; to take once and for all my hope as far as it can reach. I hope in You and only in You! Oh, My Creator! In time and for all eternity.

Amen.

Saint Claude de la Colombière, pray for us.

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Michel Lorenc: Ave Maria

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Ave Maria

Setting by Michel Lorenc (1995)

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Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus

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A video portrait of the Benedictine Nuns of Our Lady of Ephesus Priory:

Our Lady of Ephesus, pray for us.

Sts. Benedict and Scholastica, pray for us.

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Deathbed Prayer of Saint Macrina

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S. Macrina, pray for us.

Although it is not yet her feast day, Saint Macrina's final prayer before dying has come to my attention again and believing I and others need to read and pray it righ now, I post it at this time.  I sincerely pray that through the grace of the Spirit of Holiness that it will be a blessing to those who read it.

Saint Macrina said: 'O Lord, You have freed us from the fear of death; You have made the end of life here the beginning of a true life for us. 

For a time, You give rest to our bodies in sleep and You awaken us again with the last trumpet. The dust from which You fashioned us with Your hands You give back to the dust of the earth for safekeeping, and You who have relinquished it will recall it after reshaping with incorruptibility and grace our mortal and graceless substance. 

You redeemed us from the curse and from sin, having taken both upon Yourself; You crushed the heads of the serpent who had seized us with his jaws in the abyss of disobedience. Breaking down the gates of hell and overcoming the one who had the empire of death, You opened up for us a path to the resurrection. 

For those who fear You, You gave as a token the sign of the Holy Cross for the destruction of the Adversary and the salvation of our life. 

O God everlasting, towards whom I have directed myself from my mother's womb, whom my soul has loved with all its strength, to whom I have dedicated my body and my soul from my infancy up to now, prepare for me a shining angel to lead me to the place of refreshment where is the water of relaxation near the bosom of the holy Fathers. 

You who broke the flaming sword and compassionately gave Paradise back to the man crucified with You, remember me also in Your kingdom, for I, too, have been crucified with You, having nailed my flesh through fear of You and having feared your judgments. 

Let the terrible abyss not separate me from Your chosen ones; let the Slanderer not stand in my way or my sins be discovered before Your eyes if I have fallen and sinned in word or deed or thought because of the weakness of our nature. 

Do You who have power on earth to forgive sins forgive me so that I may be refreshed and may be found before You once I have put off my body, having no fault in the form of my soul, but blameless and spotless may my soul be taken into Your hands as an offering before Your face.'... 

When she had completed the thanksgiving and indicated that the [later nocturnal] prayer was over by making the sign of the cross, she breathed a deep breath and with the prayer her life came to an end."

Saint Gregory of Nyssa, "The Life of St Macrina." 

In Saint Gregory of Nyssa - Ascetical Works.

(Washington: Catholic University of America Press, 1967).

Troparion - Tone 8 

The image of God was truly preserved in you, O Mother, For you took up the Cross and followed Christ. By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away, But to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal. Therefore your spirit, O Holy Mother Macrina, rejoices with the Angels! 

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

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Christaraksha: Powerful Prayer of the Cross

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I know that this prayer is known by many of the baptised and the religious of the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.  Perhaps, dear reader, it is unfamiliar to you, or perhaps you have read it before in a previous post of mine - one may even wonder why I post it again.

The answer is simple: we need this prayer.  We need to pray it. I need to pray it or something like it every single day together with Paternoster, Ave Maria, and Gloria Patri. 

Pray it over your children and loved ones before they leave for the day. Pray it for yourself by day or by night. Pray it as part of your family prayers or rosary and simply change the "you" to me or us as is appropriate for your situation.

Although this is my personal opinion, I pray you will make daily use of this prayer or something like it.  I entreat you to take this as seriously as if "when the bridge is out, I told you the bridge is out, so you would not come to frustration or harm."  

So then, let us pray,

May the Cross of the Son of God,

which is mightier than all the hosts of satan

and more glorious than all the hosts of heaven,

abide with you in your going out and your coming in.

By day and night, at morning and at evening,

at all times and in all places may it protect and defend you.

From the wrath of evildoers,

from the assaults of evil spirits

from foes visible and invisible

from the snares of the devil,

from all passions that beguile the soul and body:

May the Cross of Christ guard, protect and deliver you. 
Amen.

from India

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The Stripped and Humiliated Attorney in China

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http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160610-the-man-who-had-his-clothes-torn-off

Saint Isidore's Prayer

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I cannot stress how important it is to pray this prayer daily during this time, this present darkness.  No one sees what tomorrow brings or what will come in the next hour, but for each step we take, minute by minute by minute, we need the Holy Spirit who is the Lord and Giver of Life to inhabit the whole of our life, our prayer, our thoughts, and our actions.  

The Prayer of Saint Isidore of Sevilla

        Here we are before thee, O Holy Ghost. 

        We feel the burden of our infirmities, 

        but we are united all together in Thy name: 

        come to us, help us, enter into our hearts: 

        teach us what we should do, 

        the path to follow, 

        do for us what Thou askest us to do. 

        Be the only one to propose and guide our decisions, 

        because only Thou, with the Father and the Son, 

        hast a name that is glorious and holy. 

        Do not allow us to offend justice, 

        Thou, who lovest order and peace, 

        Let not ignorance lead us astray, 

        Let not human sympathy bias us, 

        Do not let people or office influence us. 

        Keep us intimately close to Thee 

        with the gift of Thy Grace, 

        so that we may be only one thing with Thee, 

        and nothing may separate us from the Truth. 

        Gathered in Thy Holy Name, 

        may we be good and firm, 

        so that all we do may be in one accord with Thee, 

        awaiting that the faithful fulfillment of our duty 

        may lead us to the eternal good. Amen.

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Segatashya's First Message from Jesus to All of Us

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This is the first message that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to Segatashya to share with the world while he was still a young boy in his native Rwanda in Africa:

“Jesus Christ sent me here today to tell you, 

and all men to renew your hearts. 

The day is coming 

when things will really get hard for humanity. 

You must change your heart while there is still time. 

Soon those who have refused to repent 

will not be able to do so. 

Let those who know that I set foot on earth, 

know that I am on my way back 

to take those who have worked well for Me 

to heaven for their eternal reward.”

Messages from Segatashya:

Jesus Speaks to the Boy from Kibeho

Neither Segatashya nor his parents had ever been in a school or a church. While not yet approved by the Catholic Church, I am a firm believer in the veracity of Emmanuel Segatashya and all that he said and did in his too short life.

Emmanuel Segatashya, pray for us.

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