sacred gesture
Our great daystar floods the earth with fire in this season of summer. The heart of the sun prays at 40 million degrees; grant me a heart of such fierce fire as I now begin this new day in an act of devotion and adoration. Wrap me in the silence of your Spirit and lead me into quiet prayer.
period of silent prayer or meditation
Like comets, various thoughts and concerns of my life have circled in my silent prayer. I consecrate these concerns which have been present without my permission in this time. By your presence, O God, you have touched them and made them the timeless fuel of my journey to you. Great is your love for me; may this prayer echo my deep affection for you, my Beloved.
a psalm, spiritual reading or personal prayer
This summer day is heated by the intense nuclear fires of the sun. May my day be alive with love and compassion for all, as it is fueled by this prayer and my communion with you, O God. Remind me frequently that I am a pilgrim. May I see all the events of this day as hidden lessons, directions for the unfolding map of my sacred journey. Grant me these graces this day:_______. And grant me assistance in these practical matters which are part of my task for this Monday:_______. I pray as well for the needs of:_______.
By thought, speech and deed, may I be concerned for the needs of the helpless. May justice for all be my will so that I may truly do your divine will on earth this day. As I prepare to begin the tasks of this summer day, let me never forget your presence within me. May all I do delight your heart.
I bow before you, Divine Father, Holy Mother,
Eternal Source of my existence.
Your heart is my home,
from you I have come
and to you I journey this day.
sacred gesture
sacred gesture
We have named the darkness of our planet's turning outward, "night." I enter into the mystery of this summer night, which is alive with the sound of my brothers and sisters, the insects. How short is their life. But let me not screen out the reality that my life is also brief. May I now be busy with the real business of my short life, as I enter into silent communion with you, O God.
period of silent prayer or meditation
In this prayer of mine now concluded, I have let go of words and ideas about you who are beyond all words and names. In my attempt to be still I have been naked before you, aware of my creaturehood. But my heart dances in the knowledge that you delight in my simplest attempts to be one with you. I now join my voice to the many sounds of praise this night as I pray.
a psalm, spiritual reading or personal prayer
Unlike the earth, which is traveling at over 66,000 miles an hour in its pilgrimage around the sun, I feel that I have covered little ground in my pilgrimage to you. I pause to reflect on how I may have been detoured this day because I forgot that I was a pilgrim, homeward bound to you.... I lift up my heart in a song of gratitude that you forgive me even as I ask. May I now do the same for all who have presented difficulties to me this day.
The chorus of insects, this summer night's concert, is nature's night prayer of praise. Brief is their song, but so is mine compared to the age of mountains. Grant me the gift, O God, to not take my life for granted, to live ready to depart this planet, homeward bound for you. I surrender to death's sister, sleep, at peace with others and one with you.
I bow before you, Divine Father, Holy Mother,
Eternal Source of my existence.
Your heart is my home,
from you I have come
and to you I journey this night.
sacred gesture
