Tears of Blood...................a 9/11 poem

I closed my eyes,

When I opened them

I couldn't close them again.

How could I?

Is humanity dead?

Is peace dead?

Is violence the way?

Lord, have pity on us.

We have let you down.

We have made you cry.

Fire, smoke everywhere.

What did they get?

Nothing but innocent lives

and tears of blood.


Bikki Gautam of Nepal

JOEL 2:12-18

12 'But now -- declares Yahweh- come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.'

13 Tear your hearts and not your clothes, and come back to Yahweh your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and he relents about inflicting disaster.

14 Who knows if he will not come back, relent and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a libation to be presented to Yahweh your God?

15 Blow the ram's-horn in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,

16 call the people together, summon the community, assemble the elders, gather the children, even infants at the breast! Call the bridegroom from his bedroom and the bride from her bower!

17 Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, stand weeping between portico and altar, saying, 'Spare your people, Yahweh! Do not expose your heritage to the contempt, to the sarcasm of the nations! Why give the peoples cause to say, "Where is their God?" '

18 Then, becoming jealous over his country, Yahweh took pity on his people.

early in the morning I cry to you.

O God,

early in the morning I cry to you.

.Help me to pray,

and to concentrate .my thoughts on you:

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,

 But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

'but you know the way for me ...

Restore me to liberty,

And enable me so to live now

that I may answer before you and before me,

Lord, whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.

Amen.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 - 1945)

- Isaiah 11:6-9

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox ... They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

- Isaiah 11:6-9

Oh, turn me, mold me, mellow me for use!

Oh, turn me, mold me, mellow me for use!


Pervade my being with Thy vital force,

That this else inexpressive life of mine

May become eloquent and full of power,

Impregnated with life and strength divine....

I cannot raise the dead, nor from this soil

'Pluck precious dust, nor bid the sleepers wake,

Nor still the storm, nor bend the lightning back,

Nor muffle up the thunder,

Nor bind the Evil One, nor bid the chain

Fall from creation's long-enfettered-limbs;

But I can live a life that tells on other lives, and makes

This world less full of evil and of pain-

A life, which like a pebble dropped at sea,

Sends its wide circles to a hundred shores.

Let such be mine! Creator of true life!

Thyself the life Thou givest, give Thyself,

That Thou mayst dwell in me, and I in Thee.

Amen.

Horatius Bonar n808 - 1887)

Your Law, 0 Lord,

Your Law, 0 Lord,


written on men's hearts,

inscribed and learned

by multitudes of men,

seeping through a thousand crevices

into the remote corners

of our world___

Your Law has reared

not only the huge symmetries of justice,

those marred majesties,

but even these little

complexities of discipline

that make the grit of life

less grinding,

the collision of will on will

less violent:

yellow lines on roads,

meters on the curb,

patrol boys at crossings,

lights that guide us with bright control

or blinking warn us in our hastiness.

.Teach us, 0 Lord,

to see in them a refraction from flashing Sinai,

to see Your moving finger in their work,

to give them our 'ready and quick assent,

to delight in them

as men made new

in Your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Through Him we pray.

Amen.

Martin H. Franzmann (1907 - 1976)

NIGHT PRAYER

Tired now, I go to rest,


Jesus, Savior, ever blest,

In Thy name I close mine eyes;

Watch Thou by me till I rise.

Thou my best and kindest friend

Thou wilt love me-till the end!

Let me love Thee more and more,

Always better than before.

Amen.

J. K. Wilhelm Loehe (1808 - 1872)

Jesus, You came not to be ministered unto

Jesus,

You came not to be ministered unto

but to minister.

Your ministry was your presence,

and it still is.

So we thank you for your presence

among us and within us.

Since we are most ourselves

when we are most attentive to you

and obey you,

Help us to go about our daily business

with your spirit

and to know that when we pray"

it is you praying within us.

So may we carry out our ministry

and yours.

Amen.

John B. Coburn (1914-

FATHER, FORGIVE

The hatred which divides nation

from nation, race from race,

class from class,

Father, forgive.

The covetous desires of men and

nations to possess what is not

their own,

Father, forgive.

The greed which exploits the

labors of men, and lays waste

the earth,

Father, forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and

happiness of others,

Father, forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of

the homeless and the refugee,

Father, forgive.

The lust which uses for ignoble

ends the bodies of men and

women,

Father, forgive.

The pride which leads us to trust

in ourselves and not in God,

Father, forgive.

Amen.

Coventry Cathedral (1962)

In me there is darkness,

In me there is darkness,


, But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace,

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

but you know the way for me...

Restore me to liberty,

And enable me so to live now

that I may answer before you and before me,

Lord; whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.

Amen.

"Via Dolorosa"

Toyohiko Kagawa (1888 -1960)


With sorrowful heart,

Yet for the joy of atonement,

You went, 0 Christ, to Calvary.

o Christ,

That a thousand and a thousand years

Have passed since Golgotha you braved;

And still men gasp with fear

And grasp with greed-and suffer:

Let us swing into the orbit of your love.

If the stars ceased to twinkle

And the sun forgot to shine,

The ever-increasing rays of God's love

Would find an earthward passage

Through you.

Hasten the day

When we can forget the borders of countries.

The hues of the skin;

When we-all of us together-

Can praise in harmony your love.

0, let us see more vividly

Your blood of love from Calvary,

Streaming like ever-increasing rays...

Earthward.

.

O SACRED HEAD

.


O sacred head, now wounded,

With grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded

With thorns, your only crown.

O sacred head, what glory

And bliss did once combine;

Though now despised and gory,

I joy to call you mine!


How pale you are with anguish,

With sore abuse and scorn!

Your face, your eyes now languish,

Which once were bright as mom.

Now from your cheeks has vanished

Their color once so fair;

From loving lips is banished

The splendor that was there.

What language can I borrow

To thank you, dearest friend,

For this your dying sorrow,

Your mercy without end?


Bind me to you forever,

Give courage from above;

Let not my weakness sever

Your bond of lasting love.

Amen.

Paul Gerhardt (1607 - 1676)

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

: Anonymous


He was born in an obscure village,

the child of a peasant woman.

He grew up in still another village, where he worked

in a carpenter shop until he was thirty.

Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office.

He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't

go to college. Be never visited a big city.

He never traveled two hundred miles from the place

where he was born. He did none of the things

one usually associates with greatness.

He had no credentials but him elf. He was only

thirty-three when the tide of public opinion

turned against him. His friends ran away. He was

turned over to his enemies and went through

the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross

between two thieves. While he was dying,

his executioners gambled for his clothing,

the only property he had on earth.

When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave

through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today

he is the central figure of the human race

and the leader of mankind's progress.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies

that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat,

all the kings that ever reigned, put together,

have not affected the life of man

on this earth as much as that

Communion Hymn (Fifth Century)

Because for our sake you tasted gall, may the


Enemy's bitterness be killed in us.

Because for our sake you drank sour wine, may what

is weak in us be strengthened.

Because for our sake you Were spat upon, may we be

bathed in the dew of immortality.

Because for our sake you were struck with a rod, may

we receive shelter in the last.

Because for our sake you accepted a crown of thorns,

may we that love you be crowned with garlands

that never can fade.

Because for our sake you were wrapped in a shroud,

may we be clothed in your all-enfolding

strength.

Because you were laid in the new grave and the tomb,

may we receive renewal of soul and body.

Because you rose and returned to life, may we be

brought to life again...

Amen.

Communion Hymn (Fifth Century)

"The Touch Of The Master's Hand"

Anonymous


'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought-it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,



But he held it up with a smile;

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried

"Who'll start the bidding for me?"

"A dollar, a dollar, now two, only two

Two dollars, and who'll make it three?

"Three dollars once, three dollars twice

Going for three." But no-

From the room far back, a gray haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow.

Then wiping the dust from the old violin

And tightening up all the strings

He played a melody pure and sweet,

As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer

With a voice that was quiet and low

Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"

And he held it up with the bow.

"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?

Two thousand and who'll make it three?

Three thousand once, three thousand twice

And going, and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

"We do not quite understand-

What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply,

"The touch of the master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and tom with sin

Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.



A mess of pottage, a life of shame,

A game and be travels on.

He's going once, and going twice,

He's going and almost gone.

But the Master comes and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a •soul and the change that's wrought

By the touch of the Master's hand.

GRACE AT MEALS

Our table now with food is spread;

O God, who givest daily bread,

Bless these Thy gifts unto us so

That strength of body they bestow.

O feed the hungry, God of love,

Who sigh for bread to Heaven above;

Give to each land prosperity,

And bless the earth, the sky, the sea!

O may this day for Thee be spent,

And give us all a mind content;

O grant our souls the heavenly food

Which Jesus purchased with His blood.

Thomas Kingo (1634 - 1703)

A tender child of summers three

A tender child of summers three


Seeking her little bed at night,

Paused on the dark stair timidly.

"0 Mother, take my hand," said she,

"And then the dark will all be light."

We older children grope our way

From dark behind to dark before;

And only when our hands we lay

Dear Lord, in Thine, the night is day,

Reach downward to the sunless days

Wherein our guides are blind as we,

And faith is small, and hope delays;

Take Thou the hands of prayer we raise,

And let us feel the light of Thee.

Amen.

J. G. Whittier (1807 -.1892)

"You Are Needed!"

Anonymous


Someone has imagined the Carpenter's tools holding a conference.

Brother Hammer presided. Several suggested he leave the

meeting because he was too noisy. Replied the Hammer, "If 1

have to leave this shop, Brother Screw must go also. You have

to turn him around again and again to get him to accomplish

anything."

Brother Screw then spoke up. "If you wish, I'll leave. But

Brother Plane must leave too. All his work is on the surface. Hi

efforts have no depth."



To this Brother Plane responded, "Brother Rule will also have

to withdraw, for he is always measuring folks as though he were

the only one who is right."

Brother Rule then complained against Brother Sandpaper: "You

ought to leave too 'because you're so rough and always rubbing

people the wrong way."

In the midst of all this discussion, in walked the Carpenter of

Nazareth. He had arrived to start His day's work. Putting on His

apron, He went to the bench to make a pulpit from which to

proclaim the Gospel. He employed the hammer, screw, plane,

rule, sandpaper, and all the other tools. After the day's work

when the pulpit, was finished, Brother Saw arose and remarked:

"Brethren, I observe that all of us are workers together with the

Lord."

God is a God of variety. In nature, what a diversity of animals!

Every snowflake is different, every fingerprint, every face, Likewise,

God is a God of variety in His church. What a diversity of

gifts He has bestowed on believers to equip them for service!
.

O Christ, you take upon yourself

O Christ,


you take upon yourself all our burdens so that,

freed of all that weighs us down,

we can constantly begin anew to walk,

with lightened step,

from worry towards trusting,

from the shadows towards the clear flowing waters,

from our own will

towards the vision of the coming Kingdom.

And then we know,

though we hardly dared hope so,

that you offer to make every human being

a reflection of your face. Amen.

Roger Schutz (1915-

God's Trombones

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)


And now, 0 Lord, this man of God,

Who breaks the bread of life this morning -

Shadow him in the hollow of thy hand,

And keep him out of the gunshot of the devil.

Take him Lord - this morning -

Wash him with hyssop inside and out,

Hang him up and drain him dry of sin.

Pin his ear to the wisdom-post,

And make his words sledge hammers of truth -

Beating on the iron heart of sin.

Lord God, this morning -

Put his eye to the telescope of eternity,

And let him look upon the paper walls of time.

Lord, turpentine his imagination,

Put perpetual motion in his arms,

Fill him full of the dynamite of thy power,

Anoint him all over with the oil of thy salvation,

And set ills tongue on fire.

And now, 0 Lord-

When I've done drunk my last cup of sorrow -

When I've been called everything but a child of God -

When I'm done traveling up the rough side of the

mountain -

0 Mary's Baby-

When I start down the steep and slippery steps of

death -

When tills old world begins to rock beneath my feet -



Lower me to my dusty grave in peace

To wait for that great gittin' up morning-

Amen.

Byzantine Vespers

The Lord my Creator took me as dust from the earth,

and formed me into a living being, I

breathing into me the breath of life. . ) ,.

God honored me,

setting me as ruler upon earth over all things visible,

and made me companion of the angels.

But Satan the deceiver,

using the serpent as instrument,

enticed me by food- ,

patted me from the glory of God,

and gave me over to the earth and to the lowest depths

of the earth.

But in compassion, 0 Savior, call me back again!



o paradise, garden of delight and beauty,

dwelling-place made perfect by God,

unending gladness and eternal joy,

the hope of the prophets and the home of the saints:

By the music of your rustling leaves

beseech the-Creator of all to open to me the gates

which my sins have closed,

that I may partake of the Tree of Life

which was given me in the beginning. Amen.

Civil War Soldier

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve...

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.



I asked for health, that I might do great things...

I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.


I asked for riches, that I might be happy...

I was given poverty, that I might be wise.


I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men...

I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of

God.


I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life...

I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.


I got nothing that I asked for...

But everything that I hoped for.


Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were

answered...


I am among all men most richly blessed. Amen.



Found in the clothing of an unknown dead Civil War soldier

Lord, let me hunger enough

Lord, let me hunger enough that I not forget the world's hunger.

Lord, let me hunger enough that I may have bread to share.

Lord let me hunger enough that I may long for Bread of Heaven.

Lord, let me hunger enough that I may be filled.

But, 0 Lord, let me not hunger so much that I seek after that

which is not bread, nor try to live by bread alone. Amen.

Banquet of Praise

Unknown Child (1940's)

O Lord, remember not only the men and women of

good will,

but also those of ill will.

But, do not remember all of the suffering they have

inflicted upon us:

Instead remember the fruits we have borne because

of this suffering-

Our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our

humility,

our courage, our generosity,

the greatness of heart that has grown from this

trouble.

When our persecutors come to be judged by you,

let all of these fruits that we have borne

be their forgiveness.

Found in the clothing of a dead child at Ravensbruck Concentration

Of Him who did salvation bring,

Of Him who did salvation bring,

I could forever think and sing:

Arise, ye needy, He'll relieve,

Arise, ye guilty, He'll forgive.

Ask but His grace, and lo, 'tis given!

Ask, and He turns your hell to heaven:

Though sin and sorrow wound my soul,

Jesus, Thy balm will make it whole.

Amen.

Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

The groves were God's first temples.

J. C. F. Rupp (1856 -1933)

It is true that

"The groves were God's first temples. Ere man

learned

To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave,

And spread the roof above them-ere he framed

The lofty vault, to gather and roll back

The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood

Amid the cool and silence, he knelt down,•

And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks and

supplication. "

Star of. the Nativity

. W. H. Auden (1907 - 1973).





I am that star most dreaded by the wise,

For they are drawn against their will to me .

... I shall deprive them of their minor tasks.



The First Wise Man

... To discover how to be truthful now

Is the reason I follow this star.



The Second Wise Man:

... To discover how to be living now

Is the reason I follow this star.



The Third Wise Man:

… To discover how to be loving now

Is the reason I follow this star.

I have invited you, Lord, to a wedding feast of song,

I have invited you, Lord, to a wedding feast of song,

but the wine-the utterance of praise-at our feast

has failed.

You are the guest who filled the jars with good wine,

fill my mouth with your praise.





You who are so just, if at a wedding feast not your own

you filled six jars with good wine,

do you, at this wedding feast, fill, not stone jars,

but the Church's ten thousand ears with its sweetness.







Jesus, you were invited to the wedding feast of others,

here is your own pure and fair wedding feast: gladden

your reborn people,

for your guests too, 0 Lord, need

your songs; let your harp resound!



The soul is your bridal chamber,

your guests are our senses and our thoughts,

And if a single person is a wedding feast for you,

how great is your banquet for the whole Church!

Amen.



Ephraem (306 - 373)

You are love,

You are love,

and you see. all the suffering,

injustice, and misery,

which reign in this -world.

Have pity, we implore you,

on the work of your hands.

Look mercifully on the poor,

the oppressed, and all who are heavy laden

with error, labour and sorrow,

Fill our hearts with deep compassion

for those who suffer,

and hasten the corning of your kingdom

of justice and truth.

Amen.



Eugene Bersier (1831 - 1889)

Lenten Prayers

From Saint Ephraim of Syria (4th century):



O Lord and Master of my life,

take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk,

but grant rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King,

grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother,

for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen

Liberation Theology

What is Liberation Theology?


With all the upset over Jeremiah Wright and his so-called Liberation Theology, many have been asking what Liberation Theology is all about. Well, it is not very complicated! It is the simple belief that in the struggles of poor and oppressed people against their powerful and rich oppressors, God sides with the oppressed against the oppressors.

Those who adhere to Liberation Theology point out that all through the Bible we find that God always champions the cause of those who are poor and beaten down as they struggle for dignity, freedom and economic justice. When the children of Israel cry out for help as they suffer the agonies of their enslavement under Pharaoh, God hears their cry and joins them in their fight for freedom. God sides with the Jews as they seek deliverance from Egyptian domination.

Later on, when the Israelites are settled in the Holy Land, there emerge rich and powerful Jews who live lives of affluence without regard for the sufferings of the poor. In response to their indifference, God raises up prophets to decry the plight of the poor and call the rich to repent. The prophets of ancient Israel challenged, in the name of God, what was happening to those who were victimized in an unjustly stratified society.

When we come to the New Testament, we find that Jesus also comes as a liberator. Mary, the mother of Jesus, responds to the annunciation that she will give birth to the Messiah by claiming that it will one day be said of her soon-to-be-born son:

…He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent away empty.—Luke 1:51-53

Jesus himself, in his initial sermon, declares that He has come to bring “good news for the poor” and to “preach deliverance to the captives” (Luke 4:18-19).

The social implications of this biblical theme of liberation have been taken up by a variety of oppressed groups over the past fifty years. Christian feminists have claimed that Jesus came to liberate women from oppression—especially as oppression of women manifests itself in certain Islamic countries, as well as in the male domination encouraged by some forms of Christianity.

Gays who are Christians also have made Jesus their liberator as they have fought for dignity and acceptance in what they believe to be a homophobic society.

And of course, Jeremiah Wright has declared for the African-American community that, in their struggle to overcome the oppression they have had to endure at the hands of what he believes is a racist society, the God revealed in scripture will fight for them.

There will be those who will claim that Liberation Theology is nothing more than a baptized version of a Marxist revolutionary ideology. There is good reason for this because some prominent Latin American theologians have integrated Marxism with a theology of liberation and offered it up as justification for the violent overthrow of what they considered to be evil dictatorships. But it must be noted that most forms of Liberation Theology have nothing to do with Marxism and violent revolutions.

Certainly, Jeremiah Wright is advocating neither Marxism nor violent revolution. What Rev. Wright does say is that, as the African-American community endeavors to establish itself as a people who are both equal with whites and deserving of the dignity that God wills for all human beings, they have God on their side.

Rev. Wright’s words may seem harsh and his style may be strident, but that just may be the way that those of us in the white establishment react. For his African-American brothers and sisters, there may be a different reaction. Many of them will hear him as an angry prophet in the tradition of ancient Israel.

To we white folks, Jeremiah Wright sounds threatening. But we might ask ourselves if we deserve to be threatened.


Tony Campolo

Evening Prayer

Be off, Satan, from this door and from these four walls.

This is no place for you;

there is nothing for you to do here.

This is the place for Peter and Paul and the holy

gospel;

and this is where I mean to sleep, now that my

worship is done,

in the name of the father and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

Anonymous

Little lamb; who made thee?

William Blake (1757 -1827)


Little lamb; who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee,

Gave thee life and bade thee feed

By the stream and o'er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing, woolly, bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice?

Little lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, 'I'll tell thee;

Little lamb, I'll tell thee,

He is called by thy name,

For He calls Himself a Lamb;

Be is meek' and He is mild,

He became a little child,

I a child and thou a lamb,

We are called by His name.

Little lamb, God bless thee!

Little lamb, God bless thee!



Songs of Innocence.

The hatred which divides nation from nation

The hatred which divides nation from nation,

race from race, class from class,

Father forgive.

The covetous desires of men and nations

to possess what is not their own,

Father, forgive.

The greed which exploits the labours of men,

and lays waste the earth,

Father, forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,

Father, forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of the homeless

and the refugee,

Father, forgive.

The pride which leads to trust in ourselves

and not in God,

Father, forgive. Amen...

Coventry Cathedral Prayer (1962)

I owned a little boat a while ago

James A. Richards (1878 -?)


I owned a little boat a while ago

And sailed a Morning Sea without a fear,

And whither any breeze might fairly blow

I'd steer the little craft afar or near.

Mine was the boat, and mine the air, and mine the Sea,

not mine, a care...

One day there passed along the silent shore,

While I my net was casting in the Sea,

A man, who spoke as never man before;

I followed Him,-new life begun in me.

Mine was the boat, but His the voice, and His the call,

yet mine, the choice...

Once from His boat He taught the curious throng,

Then bade me let down nets out in the Sea;

l murmured, but obeyed, nor was it long

Before the catch amazed and humbled me.

His was the boat, and His the skill, and His the catch

and His, my will.

Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)


The word of Christ most truly did he preach,

.And his parishioners devoutly teach.

Benign was he, in labors diligent,

And in adversity was still content-

As proved full oft ....

Wide was his parish, scattered far asunder,

Yet none did he neglect, in rain, or thunder.

Sorrow and sickness won his kindly care;

With staff in hand he travelled everywhere.

This good example to his sheep he brought

That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught.

This parable he joined the Word unto-

That, "If gold rust, what shall iron do?"

For if a priest be foul in whom we trust,

'No wonder if a common man should rust!

Though holy in himself and virtuous

He still to sinful men was piteous,

Not sparing of his ,speech, in vain conceit,

But in his teaching kindly and discreet.

To draw his flock to heaven with noble, art,

By good example, was his holy art.

No less did he rebuke the obstinate,

Whether they were of high or low estate.

For pomp and worldly show he did not care; ,

No morbid conscience made his rule severe.

The lore of Christ and his apostles twelve

He taught, but first followed it himself.

Holy Week is a call to follow Christ's austerities

Holy Week is a call to follow Christ's austerities,

the only legitimate violence,

the violence that he does to himself

and that he invites us to do to ourselves:

"Let those who would follow me deny themselves,"

be violent to themselves,

repress in themselves the outbursts of pride,

kill in their heart the outbursts of greed,

of avarice, of conceit, of arrogance.

Let them kill it in their heart.

This is what must be killed,

this is the violence that must be done,

so that out of it a new person may arise,

the only one who can build

a new civilization: .

a civilization of love.

Oscar Romero

March 19, 1978



The Violence of Love

Thou who guidedst Noah over the flood waves

Thou who guidedst Noah over the flood waves:

Hear us.

Thou who with thy word recalled Jonah from the deep:

Deliver us.

Thou who stretched forth thy hand to Peter as he sank:

Help us, 0 Christ.

Son of God, who didst marvellous things of old:

Be favourable in our day also. Amen.

Scottish Celtic Prayer

The seed is Christ's

The seed is Christ's,

The harvest is Christ's;

In the granary of God

May we be gathered.

The sea is Christ's,

The fishes are Christ's;

In the nets of God

May we all meet.

Celtic Prayers (c.450 - c.700)

O God-when I have food

O God-when I have food,

Help me to remember the hungry;

When I have work,

Help me to remember the jobless;

When I have a warm home,

Help me to remember the homeless;

When I am without pain,

Help me to remember those who suffer;

And remembering,

Help me to destroy my complacency,

And bestir my compassion.

Make me 'concerned enough to help,

By word and deed, those who cry out-

For what we take for granted. Amen.

Anonymous

Forgive us, 0 Lord,

Forgive us, 0 Lord,

For lives unadjusted to the order of Thy love

And the familiarity of Thy counsel.

Forgive us also:

For living too seldom cognizant of Thy Word;

For hearts too seldom in rhythm with Thy compassion;

For hands too seldom content with their portion;

For ambitions too seldom in line with Thy Will;

For attitudes too seldom shaped by Thy love;

For morals so seldom obedient to Thy law;

For tongues so seldom accustomed to confession.

o Thou who freest us in pardon

And givest us a new chance,

Cleanse us, we pray, and align us again

With the familiarity of Thy instruction.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

E. Lee Phillips

Letters and Papers from Prison

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 - 1945).


Who am I? They often tell me

I would step from my cell's confinement

calmly, cheerfully, firmly,

like a squire from his country-house.



Who am I? They often tell me

I would talk to my warders

freely and friendly and clearly,

as though it were mine to command.



Who am I? They also tell me

I would bear the days of misfortune

equably, smilingly, proudly,

like one accustomed to win.



Am I then really all that which other men tell of?

Or am I only what I know of myself,

restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,

struggling for breath, as though hands were

compressing my throat,

yearning for colours, for flowers, for the voices of birds,

thirsting for words of kindness, for neighbourliness,

trembling with anger at despotisms and petty

humiliation,

tossing in expectation of great events,

powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,

weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,

faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?

Am lone person today, and tomorrow another?

Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,

and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?

Or is something within me still like a beaten army,

fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions

of mine.

Whoever I am, thou knowest, 0 God, I am thine.

Letters and Papers from Prison

Lord, we beseech you to help and defend us,

Lord, we beseech you to help and defend us,

Deliver the oppressed, pity the .poor,

uplift. those who have fallen,

be the portion of those in need,

return to your care those who have gone astray,

feed the hungry, strengthen the weak,

and break the chains of the prisoners. 11 , ' J '

May all people come to know that you only are God,

that Jesus Christ is your child,

and that we are your people and

the sheep of your pasture: Amen.



Clement of Rome (c.96)

As thou wast before

As thou wast before

At my life's beginning,

Be thou so again

At my journey's end.

As thou wast besides

At my' soul's shaping,

Father, be thou too

At my journey's close.

Amen.



Celtic Prayer

My dear, dear God! I do not know

My dear, dear God! I do not know

What lodged thee then, nor where, nor how;'

But I am sure thou now dost come.

Oft to a narrow, homely room,

Where thou too hast but the least part,

My God: I mean my sinful heart. Amen.

Henry Vaughan (1621 - 1695)

If any person is devout

 John Chrysostom (344 - 407)


If any person is devout and loves God, let him come

to this radiant triumphant feast.

If any person is a wise follower, let him enter

into the joy of his Lord, rejoicing.

If any have fasted long, let him now receive refreshment.

If any have labored from the first hour, let him today

receive his just reward.

If any came at the third hour, let him keep the feast

with thankfulness.

If any arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no

misgivings for he shall not be deprived.

If any delayed to the ninth hour, let him draw near,

fearing nothing.

If any have waited even until the eleventh hour,

let him not be alarmed at this tardiness.

For the Lord will accept the last even as the first.

Therefore, all of you, enter into the joy of your Lord.

Rich and poor together. hold high festival.

Diligent and heedless, honor this day.

Both you who have fasted, and you who did not fast,

, rejoice together today.

The table is full; all of you, feast sumptuously.

The calf is fatted; let no one go away hungry.

Enjoy the feast of faith; receive the riches of God’s mercy.

Let no one bewail his poverty, for the fullness

of the kingdom is revealed.

Let no one weep for his iniquities, for forgiveness

shines forth from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the savior's death has set us free.

He who was held prisoner by death has annihilated it.

By descending into death, he made death captive.

He angered it when it tasted of his flesh.

Isaiah saw this, and he cried:

Death was angered when it encountered you

in the lower regions.

It was angered, for it was defeated.

It was angered, for it was mocked.

It was angered, for it was abolished.

It was angered, for it was overthrown.

It was angered, for it was bound in chains.

It received a body and it met God face to face.

It took earth and encountered heaven.

It took that which is seen and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting?

O Grave, where is your victory?

Christ is risen and you are overthrown.

Christ is risen and the devils have fallen.

Christ is risen and the angels rejoice.

Christ is risen and life reigns.

Christ is risen and not one dead remains in the grave.

For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits

of those who have fallen asleep, and to him be glory and honor,

even to eternity. Amen.

Lord, we beseech you to help and defend us,

Lord, we beseech you to help and defend us,

Deliver the oppressed, pity the poor,

uplift those who have fallen,

be the portion of those in need,

return to your care those who have gone astray,

feed the hungry, strengthen the weak,

and break the chains of the prisoners. J '. '

May all people come to know that you only are God,

that Jesus Christ is your child,

and that we are your people and

the sheep of your pasture. Amen.

Clement of Rome (c.96)

, ,

Scottish Celtic Prayer

God guide me with thy wisdom,

God chastise me with thy justice,

God help me with thy mercy,

God protect me with thy strength,

God shield me with thy shade:

God fill me with thy grace,

For the sake of thine anointed Son

.

Amen.

Our table now with food is spread;

Our table now with food is spread;

O God, who givest daily bread,

Bless these Thy gifts unto us so

That strength of body they bestow.

O feed the hungry, God of love,

Who sigh for bread to Heaven above;

Give to each land prosperity,

And bless the earth, the sky, the sea!

O may this day for Thee be spent,

And give us all mind content;

O grant our souls the heavenly food. '

Which Jesus purchased with His blood.

Amen

Thomas Kingo (1634 - 1703)

Prayer before a Five-Pound Note

Prayer before a Five-Pound Note

Lord, see this note, it frightens me.

You know its secrets, you know its history.

How heavy it is!

It scares me, for it cannot speak.

It will never tell all it hides in its creases.

It will never reveal all the struggles and efforts it

represents, all the disillusionment and slighted dignity.

It is stained with sweat and blood.

Iris laden with all the weight of the human toil which

makes its worth.

It is heavy, heavy, Lord.

It fills me with awe, it frightens me.

For it has death' on its conscience,

.All the poor fellows who killed' themselves for it...

To possess it for a few hours,

To have through it a little pleasure, a little joy, a little

life...

Through how many hands has it passed, Lord?

It has offered white roses to the radiant fiancée.

It has paid for the baptismal party, and fed the growing

baby.

It has provided bread for the family table.

Because of it there was laughter among the young;

and joy among the adults.

It has paid for the saving visit of the doctor,

It has bought the book that taught the youngster,

It has clothed the young girl.

But it has sent the letter breaking the engagement.

It has paid for the death of a child in its mother's

womb.

It has bought the liquor that made the drunkard.

It has produced the film unfit for children.

And has recorded the indecent song.

It has broken the morals of the adolescent and made

of the adult a thief.

It has bought for a few hours the body of a woman.

It has paid for the weapons of the crime and for the

wood of the coffin.

O Lord, I offer you this note with its joyous mysteries,

its sorrowful mysteries.

I thank you for all the life and joy it has given.

I ask your forgiveness for the harm it has done.

But above all, Lord, I offer it to you as a symbol of

all the labours of men, indestructible money, which

tomorrow will be changed into your eternal life.

Amen.

Michel Quoist (1921 - )

Lord of the sea and land

Lord of the sea and land,

Creator of the boisterous flood,

Master of wind and wave,

Into Thy keeping we commend those who are at sea,

All who pass and traffic over the expanse of great waters.

We bless Thee for the skill Thou hast entrusted to the

hands of men;

For honesty of sun and star,

For man's genius which speaks from ship to shore

And keeps touch with loved ones across wastes where

eyes no longer see.

Lord, Thou Who gayest to Thy Son the power to

subdue angry tides at Gennesaret

.Bringing peace to angry waters,

Grant journeying mercies to those who ride this day

in stormy latitudes.

Thou only art everywhere,

In Thee there is no East or West,

No North or South,

Nor any distance.

Thou plantest the fountains of the deep

And ordainest the dry land,

Only in Thee do our hearts find rest,

For in Thee we trust our all

In near and far flung voyagings;

Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.


George Stewart (1862 - 19)3)

Inscription in Lubeck Cathedral

Thus speaketh Christ our Lord to us:

Ye call Me Master, and obey Me not;

Ye call Me light, and see Me not;

Ye call Me Way, and walk Me not;

Ye call Me Life, and desire Me not;

, Ye call-Me Wise and follow Me not;

Ye call Me fair and love Me not;

Ye-call Me Rich and ask Me not;

Ye call Me Eternal, and seek Me not;

Ye call Me Gracious; and trust Me not;

Ye call Me Noble, and serve Me not.

Ye call Me Mighty, and honor Me not;

Ye Call Me Just, and fear Me not;

If I condemn you, blame Me not.



Lubeck, Germany

When Lazarus left his charnel-cave,

Alfred Tennyson (1809 - 1892)


When Lazarus left his charnel-cave,

And home to Mary's house return'd,

Was this demanded-if he yearn’d

To hear her weeping by his grave.



"Where wert thou, brother, those four days?"

There lives no record of reply,

Which telling what it is to die

Had surely added praise to praise.



From every house the neighbors met,

The streets were fill’d with joyful sound,

A solemn gladness even crown'd

The purple brows of Olivet.



Behold a man raised up by Christ!

The rest remaineth unreveal'd;

He told it not; or something seal'd

The lips of that Evangelist

I feel the winds of God today:

I feel the winds of God today:

Today my sail I lift,

Though heavy oft with drenching spray,

And tom with many a rift:

If hope but light the waters' crest,

And Christ my bark will use,

I'll seek the seas at His behest

And brave another cruise.



It is the wind of God that dries

My vain, regretful tears,

Until with braver thoughts shall rise

The purer brighter years:

If cast on shores of selfish ease

Or pleasure I should be,

Lord, let me feel Thy freshening breeze

And I'll put back to sea.



If ever I forget Thy love

And how that love was shown,

Lift high the blood-red flag above:

It bears Thy name alone.

Great Pilot of my onward way,

Thou wilt not let me drift:

I feel the winds of God today,

Today my soul I lift.



Amen.

Jessie Adams (19th century)

Where I have been, you have been before.

Lord Jesus

It is my great comfort to know

that, where I have been,

you have been before.

You had a day's work to do

just as I have a day's work to do.

You were tempted

just as I am tempted.

You were distressed in mind in Gethsemane

just as I am distressed in mind.

You had to suffer pain

just as I have to suffer pain

and your pain was far worse than mine.

You are the Resurrection and the Life,

because you died and rose again,

and you are alive always and for ever,

and once and for all you conquered death.

So I am quite sure that whatever happens to me,

you have been there;

you are there;

you will be there,

to the end of time and beyond.

Amen.

William Barclay (1907 - 1978)

When I sit in the darkness

When I sit in the darkness of meditation,

Even the darkness and coldness of prison

Quietly…

My life communicates with God.

He whispers within when other forms

Of communication are lost.

"I see him within

When outerness is darkness.

Creator, create anew love within me,

Broken am I; begin thy repairing.

The triumph is this:

God, through my consciousness"

Begins a new world-reformation.

Amen:



Toyohiko Kagawa  (1888 – 1960)

The Journey Prayer

St. Brendan the Voyager (484–577)


Irish monk






God, bless to me this day,

God bless to me this night;

Bless, O bless, Thou God of grace,

Each day and hour of my life;

Bless, O bless, Thou God of grace,

Each day and hour of my life.



God, bless the pathway on which I go;

God, bless the earth that is beneath my sole;

Bless, O God, and give to me Thy love,

O God of gods, bless my rest and my repose;

Bless, O God, and give to me Thy love,

And bless, O God of gods, my repose.

Resurrection

Long, long, long ago;

Way before this winter’s snow

First fell upon these weathered fields;

I used to sit and watch and feel

And dream of how the spring would be,

When through the winter’s stormy sea

She’d raise her green and growing head,

Her warmth would resurrect the dead.



Long before this winter’s snow

I dreamt of this day’s sunny glow

And thought somehow my pain would pass

With winter’s pain, and peace like grass

Would simply grow. (But) The pain’s not gone.

It’s still as cold and hard and long

As lonely pain has ever been,

It cuts so deep and fear within.




Long before this winter’s snow

I ran from pain, looked high and low

For some fast way to get around

Its hurt and cold. I’d have found,

If I had looked at what was there,

That things don’t follow fast or fair.

That life goes on, and times do change,

And grass does grow despite life’s pains.



Long before this winter’s snow

I thought that this day’s sunny glow,

The smiling children and growing things

And flowers bright were brought by spring.

Now, I know the sun does shine,

That children smile, and from the dark, cold, grime

A flower comes. It groans, yet sings,

And through its pain, its peace begins



Mary Ann Bernard