Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to the quiet harbor,

   where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict.

Show me the course I should take.

Renew in me the gift of discernment,

   so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go;

   and give me the strength and courage to choose the right course,

   even when the sea is rough and the waves are high,

   knowing that through enduring hardship and danger

   we shall find comfort and peace.

St Basil of Caesarea, c. 330 – 379, Monastic leader and Nicene theologian

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