We come from You, from One Source, One Creator, we are one family. Bless us abundantly, O Lord, bless us here, bless our loved ones who have passed, bless especially those who may have no one to pray for them. Send them your Peace, send Your Light to the very depths of whatever we call hell, wake them, Lord, so they call out to You, leave no one behind, let no one be lost.

Lord, hear my prayer.



Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

At that day you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

John 14:20

Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

–Paramhansa Yogananda

Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

(A prayer popularly attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero)


It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.


Amen.

God, I offer myself to Thee--to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!

Prayer of Saint John Chrysostom
According to the Hours of the Day and Night

1. O Lord, deprive me not of Thy heavenly blessings;

2. O Lord, deliver me from eternal torment;

3. O Lord, if I have sinned in my mind or thought, in word deed, forgive me.

4. O Lord, deliver me from every ignorance and heedlessness, from pettiness of the soul and stony hardness of heart;

5. O Lord, deliver me from every temptation;

6. O Lord, enlighten my heart darkened by evil desires;

7. O Lord, I, being a human being, have sinned; do Thou, being God, forgive me in Thy lovingkindness, for Thou knowest the weakness of my soul.

8. O Lord, send down Thy grace to help me, that I may glorify Thy holy Name;

9. O Lord Jesus Christ, inscribe me, Thy servant, in the Book of Life, and grant me a blessed end;

10. O Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good in Thy sight, yet grant me, according to Thy grace, that I may make a start in doing good.

11. O Lord, sprinkle on my heart the dew of Thy grace;

12. O Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, cold of heart and impure, in Thy Kingdom.

13. O Lord, receive me in repentance;

14. O Lord, leave me not;

15. O Lord, save me from temptation;

16. O Lord, grant me pure thoughts;

17. O Lord, grant me tears of repentance, remembrance of death, and the sense of peace;

18. O Lord, grant me mindfulness to confess my sins;

19. O Lord, grant me humility, charity, and obedience;

20. O Lord, grant me tolerance, magnanimity, and gentleness;

21. O Lord, implant in me the root of all blessings: the fear of Thee in my heart;

22. O Lord, vouchsafe that I may love Thee with all my heart and soul, and that I may obey in all things Thy will;

23. O Lord, shield me from evil persons and devils and passions and all other lawless matters;

24. O Lord, Who knowest Thy creation and that which Thou hast willed for it; may Thy will also be fulfilled in me, a sinner, for Thou art blessed forevermore. Amen.




Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

A Psalm of Life


Tell me not in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou are, to dust thou returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, - act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sand of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solenm main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Good and gentle Jesus,
Whose loving Heart was ever troubled
by the sorrows of others,
look with pity upon the holy souls in Purgatory.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.


Almighty God, Father of goodness and love,
have mercy on the poor suffering souls, and grant Thine
aid:

To those who have suffered disadvantage or harm through me;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To those who have offended me;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To all those who are especially beloved by Thee;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To those who endure the greatest suffering;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To those whose release is most remote;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To those who are least remembered;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the rich, who now are the most destitute;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the poor, who did not seek the treasures of Heaven;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the mighty, who now are as lowly servants;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the blind, who now see their folly;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the frivolous, who spent their time in idleness;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the tepid, who devoted little time to prayer;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the indolent, who were negligent in performing good works;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To the souls of those who strove for hardly anything but riches and pleasures;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.
To those whose judgment is so severe because of the great things entrusted to them;
~~Lord, hear my prayer.

Amen

complete text of the Prayer to the Trinity

O my God, Trinity whom I adore; help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to Your creative Action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I wish to be a bride for Your Heart; I wish to cover You with glory; I wish to love You...even unto death! But I feel my weakness, and I ask You to "clothe me with Yourself," to identify my soul with all the movements of Your Soul, to overwhelm me, to possess me, to substitute yourself for me that my life may be but a radiance of Your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Restorer, as Savior.

O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. O my beloved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance.

O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, "come upon me," and create in my soul a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in which He can renew His whole Mystery. And You, O Father, bend lovingly over Your poor little creature; "cover her with Your shadow," seeing in her only the "Beloved in whom You are well pleased."

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself to You as Your prey. Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself in You until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness.

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

I pulled these off this website - I think today my favorite one is the 4th one.



This month my special intention is for the friends and family of our atheists (and everyone) who have already passed. I pray for our community, always. For peace, for hope, for Light. I pray for you pray-ers. God bless us all abundantly.

Lord, hear our prayers.




Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

This kind of sums up where I am right now. 6 more weeks of Grand Jury Duty and emotionally I am pretty much a wreck.

I hope this post is helpful to others as well.

Steve

"The Dark Room"

November 13, 2009

Sing to the LORD, you saints of His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. - Psalm 30:4-5

How brilliant is the dawn that follows the preceding darkness! With the rising of the sun, light from every direction fills the skies and casts off the cloak of night. Great mornings come from deep, dark nights, and great blessings come from the hand of God.

The coming light, however, can sometimes seem a long way off. Spiteful words, nasty attitudes, premeditated ill will toward others -- in a word, sin -- can blacken our journey along life's road, keeping us in "the dark room." Through our corrupt and sinful natures, we strew the path before us with sharp rocks, even as we sow thorns and thistles that hedge us in. As a result of our wrongdoing, God may discipline us. Yet, according to Scripture, "... His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime. ..."

If you are going through a dark time in your life right now, know that God is present and ready to help. He has shown us a love unending in sending His own Son, Jesus, to the cross to bear the weight of our sins.

But the story doesn't end with a crucified body in a tomb. Rather, "God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death. ...", the apostle Peter writes, (Acts 2:24a) and so, through faith in Christ's ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, believers have newness of life, too.

God's Word is steadfast and sure, and through His Spirit He is at work -- even in the dark room -- developing you into the image of Christ.

THE PRAYER: Lord, by Your Spirit remind me to read Your Word and seek Your light. Without You, darkness is all around. Guide my steps and renew me through the power of Jesus' death and the glory of His resurrection. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.

I don't recall that shorn is Catholic, but this is still might be useful in his time of spiritual need:

On Sunday April 24th 1994, Pope John Paul II recommended this prayer when he said:

'"May prayer strengthen us for the spiritual battle we are told about in the Letter to the Ephesians: 'Draw strength from the Lord and from His mighty power' (Ephesians 6:10). The Book of Revelation refers to this same battle, recalling before our eyes the image of St. Michael the Archangel (Revelation 12:7). Pope Leo XIII certainly had a very vivid recollection of this scene when, at the end of the last century, he introduced a special prayer to St. Michael throughout the Church. Although this prayer is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone not to forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world."'

The Light of the Holy Spirit descend upon you, shorn, and protect you in the months to come.

: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dge57...rom=PL&index=5

Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

Call me to prayer O Lord. Inspire me, nag me, drag me, please. Let me always pray for those among us who are lost, for peace to be with us, for the souls of the departed. Bless this forum abundantly, Father, every person who reads or posts, every person they touch, bless us all to Your will.




Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

I saw on my very secular calendar today that it is "Bible Sunday." It is? I wonder who decides these things? But I thought because of that, I'd post a Scripture quote:

Not even death. I pray for all those, the friends and family of our atheists and others on our forum, who have passed. Peace be with you, Light surround you, strength on your journey Home. Bless them abundantly, O my Jesus, and call them to You.




Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Be patient toward all unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then, gradually, without knowing it, live along some distant day into the answers.

-Rainer Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet

Love your Augustine prayer quote, it's new to me.

A Prayer Composed by
His HOLINESS TENZIN GYATSO THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA OF TIBET
Honoring and Invoking the Great Compassion
of the Three Jewels; the Buddha, the Teachings, and the Spiritual Community


O Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and disciples
of the past, present, and future:
Having remarkable qualities
Immeasurably vast as the ocean,
Who regard all helpless sentient beings
as your only child;
Please consider the truth of my anguished pleas.

Buddha's full teachings dispel the pain of worldly
existence and self-oriented peace;
May they flourish, spreading prosperity and happiness through-
out this spacious world.
O holders of the Dharma: scholars
and realized practitioners;
May your ten fold virtuous practice prevail.

Humble sentient beings, tormented
by sufferings without cease,
Completely suppressed by seemingly endless
and terribly intense, negative deeds,
May all their fears from unbearable war, famine, and disease be pacified,
To freely breathe an ocean of happiness and well-being.
And particularly the pious people
of the Land of Snows who, through various means,
Are mercilessly destroyed by barbaric hordes
on the side of darkness,
Kindly let the power of your compassion arise,
To quickly stem the flow of blood and tears.

Those unrelentingly cruel ones, objects of compassion,
Maddened by delusion's evils,
wantonly destroy themselves and others;
May they achieve the eye of wisdom,
knowing what must be done and undone,
And abide in the glory of friendship and love.

May this heartfelt wish of total freedom for all Tibet,
Which has been awaited for a long time,
be spontaneously fulfilled;
Please grant soon the good fortune to enjoy
The happy celebration of spiritual with temporal rule.

O protector Chenrezig, compassionately care for
Those who have undergone myriad hardships,
Completely sacrificing their most cherished lives,
bodies, and wealth,
For the sake of the teachings, practitioners,
people, and nation.

Thus, the protector Chenrezig made vast prayers
Before the Buddhas and Bodhisativas
To fully embrace the Land of Snows;
May the good results of these prayers now quickly appear.
By the profound interdependence of emptiness
and relative forms,
Together with the force of great compassion
in the Three Jewels and their Words of Truth,
And through the power
of the infallible law of actions and their fruits,
May this truthful prayer be unhindered
and quickly fulfilled.


This prayer, Words of Truth, was composed by His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, on 29 September 1960 at his temporary headquarters in the Swarg Ashram at Dharamsala, Kangra District, Himachal State, India. This prayer for restoring peace, the Buddhist teachings, and the culture and self-determination of the Tibetan people in their homeland was written after repeated requests by Tibetan government officials along with the unanimous consensus of the monastic and lay communities.

- Dalai Lama





Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.

Also, I'd like to offer a prayer for Daniel Negreanu's mom who passed and a prayer for comfort and peace for him and his family and all her friends. If she's half as wonderful as he describes her, we have a new saint, I'm sure.


Peace of Christ be with her and all her family.

Our daily reminder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJyW55AXJAk

Love the light play on the end.

Father, Light the Way for every soul in the Universe.