Your prescient eyes saw me

September 16, 2022September 15, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

There was a time when I did not exist,

and you have created me;

I did not implore you for a wish,

and you have fulfilled it;

I had not come into the light,

and you have seen me;

I had not yet appeared,

and you have taken pity on me;

I had not called for you,

and you have taken care of me;

I did not raise my hand,

and you have looked at me;

I had not prayed to you,

and you were merciful to me;

I had not uttered a sound,

and you have heard me;

I had not groaned,

and you have lent an ear;

With prescient eyes you saw

the crimes of my guilty self,

and yet, you have formed me.

And now, I who have been created by you,

and saved by you,

and have been tended with such care,

Let me not completely perish by the blow of sin –

that is but the slanderer’s invention;

Let not the fog of my stubbornness

triumph over the light of your forgiveness;

Nor the hardness of my heart

over your forbearing goodness;

Nor my mortal carnal being

over your most perfect fullness;

Nor my material weakness

over your unconquerable grandeur.

Gregory of Narek, c.950 – c.1003, Armenian mystic and theologian

The Westminster Collection of Christian Prayers slightly modernized

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Ephesians 1:3-6

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms

with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world

to be holy and blameless in his sight.

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ,

in accordance with his pleasure and will

to the praise of his glorious grace,

which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

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The Lord is my pace-setter, I shall not rush

September 7, 2022September 6, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{The Good Shepherd, Sadao Watanabe, via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0}

The Lord is my pace-setter, I shall not rush,

He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals,

He provides me with images of stillness,

which restore my serenity.

He leads me in the ways of efficiency;

through calmness of mind,

and his guidance is peace.

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,

I will not fret for his presence is here.

His timelessness, his all-importance will keep me in balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity

by anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility,

my cup of joyous energy overflows.

Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours,

for I shall walk in the pace of my Lord,

and dwell in his house for ever.

Toki Miyashina, Japanese poet

The Complete Book of Christian Prayer

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The Lord is my shepherd

I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1

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have mercy on me, O God

September 2, 2022September 2, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{image / Graham C99 from London, UK, CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons}

O Lord our God, how excellent is your name in all the World!

Your glorious majesty is excellent, but that brings me nothing;

your justice is excellent, but that brings me nothing.

It is your mercy that must do me good,

and therefore your other excellencies I adore,

but this I invocate.

To invoke your justice, I dare not;

your glory, I cannot,

but your mercy, I both dare and can.

For why should I not dare, when fear gives me boldness?

How should I not be able when weakness gives me strength?

Why should I not dare, when you invite me to it?

How should I not be able when you draw me to it?

Do you invite me, and I shall not come?

Do you draw me, and I shall draw back?

Can there be a patron so powerful as you?

Can there be a beggar so dejected as myself?

Whom, then, is it more fit to ask for mercy than you, O God,

who are the God of mercy?

And for whom is it more fit to ask for mercy than for me

who am a creature of misery?

Richard Baxter, 1615 – 1691, English Puritan

Reformation Commentary on Scripture Psalms 1-72

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Psalm 51:1-2

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

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wise as serpents, innocent as doves

August 26, 2022August 25, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{dove surrounded by snake, Lichfield Cathedral, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0}

Dear Lord, you have sent me into this world to preach your word.

So often the problems of this world seem so complex and intricate

that your word strikes me as embarrassingly simple.

Many times I feel tongue-tied in the company of people

who are dealing with the world’s social and economic problems.

But you, O Lord, said, “Be clever as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Let me retain innocence and simplicity in the midst of this complex world.

I realize that I have to be informed,

that I have to study the many aspects of the problems facing the world,

and that I have to try to understand as well as possible

the dynamics of our contemporary society.

But what really counts in that all this information, knowledge, and insight

allows me to speak more clearly and unambiguously

your truthful word.

Do not allow evil powers to seduce me with the complexities of the world’s problems,

but give me the strength to think clearly, speak freely, and act boldly in your service.

Give me the courage to show the dove in a world so full of serpents.

Henri J.M. Nouwen, 1932 – 1996, Dutch-born Catholic priest and author

The HarperCollins Book of Prayers

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Matthew 10:16-20

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,

so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,

and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake,

to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say,

for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

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how do I worship in spirit?

August 18, 2022August 17, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

O God, what is Spirit?

How do I worship in spirit and in truth?

I am such a solid, earthly creature,

my feet planted firmly on the ground,

my life based upon material things.

I like to touch and feel and see before I believe.

I am accustomed to dealing with houses, land, and money,

with bread, meat and potatoes,

with objects handled, weighed, and valued

by my own standards.

I am uncomfortable with what cannot be analyzed

or dissected or given a market value.

What is Spirit?

Yet, O Lord, the very things I handle and see

lose meaning when they become ends in themselves.

They are all given meaning by the things of the spirit,

by love and hope and faith.

I know when I come down to it,

if I have all kinds of earthly goods

and have not love,

I have nothing.

I need the mystery beyond the tangible.

I need the things of the spirit

to give meaning to the material things I prize.

I cannot divide life up,

you have made it whole.

If I avoid love, diminish hope, deny faith,

my appreciation of my house and land,

my meat and potatoes, shrinks,

And I become a little man

with little aims and little power.

Kenneth Phifer

A Book of Uncommon Prayer

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John 4:23-24

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—

when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

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How we need your compassion!

August 12, 2022August 11, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{Jesus and the woman taken in adultery}_{/ public domain}

God, why do I call impossible what You call possible?

Why do I call unforgivable what You call forgiven?

Why do I compromise with what You call sin?

How I need to know Your heart,

and reach out in Your love and wisdom to others.

It’s easy to love the people who are standing hard and fast,

pressing on to meet that higher calling.

But the ones who might be struggling,

we tend to judge too harshly

and refuse to try to catch them when they’re falling.

We put people into boxes and we draw our hard conclusions

when they do things we know they should not do.

We sometimes write them off as hopeless

and we throw them to the dogs.

Our compassion and forgiveness sometimes seem in short supply.

We can love them and forgive them when their sin does not exceed our own,

for we too have been down bumpy roads before.

But when they commit offences outside the boundaries we have set,

we judge them in a word and we turn them out,

and we close the door.

Chuck Girard, Celtic author

Prayers for Today

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Romans 2:1-4

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else,

for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself,

because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.

So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things,

do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience,

not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

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Your way laid open before me

July 22, 2022July 21, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{Image, Ion Chibzii from Chisinau. , Moldova., CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons}

The way You have laid open before me is an easy way,

compared with the hard way of my own will

which leads back to Egypt and to bricks without straw.

If You allow people to praise me, I shall not worry.

If You let them blame me, I shall worry even less.

If You send me work, I shall embrace it with joy.

It will be rest to me because it is Your will.

Only save me from myself.

Save me from my own, private, poisonous urge

to change everything, to act without reason,

to move for movement’s sake,

to unsettle everything that You have ordained.

Let me rest in Your will and be silent.

Then the light of Your joy will warm my life.

Its fire will burn in my heart and shine for Your glory.

This is what I live for. Amen, amen.

Thomas Merton, 1915 – 1968, American Catholic writer and Trappist monk

Dialogues with Silence

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Psalm 16:5-11

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

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for those involved with the law

July 14, 2022July 13, 2022 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{Jesus Before Pilate, James Tissot, Wikipedia Commons}

Lord Jesus,

You were in prison, found guilty when you were innocent,

You were executed as traitor when in fact you were Savior.

To you who died to set all free we pray for:

All makers of the laws of the land,

that they do so with reason and compassion.

All interpreters of the law – judges, lawyers –

that they be fair, honest and impartial.

All administrators of the law – prison guards and superintendents –

that they be merciful in their firmness.

All prisoners – that they may know that you are in prison with them,

in their homes with their loved ones,

and that in you is their hope.

Though bound, may they be perfectly free in you and in your service.

John B. Coburn, 1914- 2009, Bishop of Massachusetts

The Communion of Saints

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Psalm 146:5-8

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.

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I pray for the children

June 28, 2022June 27, 2022 / Eric Mathews / 2 Comments

This morning, Lord, I’m praying for many people,

just a day after Dobbs v. Jackson…

I’m praying for those

disappointed and angry,

who believe their rights have been trampled and crushed:

their choice and autonomy wrenched from their grasp…

And I’m praying for those

now claiming a victory,

who believe that justice has finally prevailed:

the right to life, refreshed and reclaimed…

I pray for our country,

torn apart and embittered,

where the battle for rights will continue to rage,

dividing our nation, body and soul…

I pray for the Church

to preach with compassion

the gospel of life as the wisdom for choosing

what’s loving and true, what’s generous and good…

And I pray for the Church

to faithfully serve

with shelter, support, understanding and help

people and life in all shapes and all forms…

And last, but not least, Lord,

I pray for the children conceived every day:

planned or unplanned, welcome or not,

impaired or healthy, ill-timed or convenient,

each one made in your image divine,

each one named by your love and your grace,

each one, your own, entrusted to us…

Many to pray for, many to hold

in our arms, in our care, in our love.

Help us to welcome the gift of new life

with its challenges, burdens and blessings,

with the strength and help of your grace…

Amen.

Fr. Austin Fleming, Roman Catholic Priest serving near Boston, MA
Concord Pastor

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Zechariah 7:8-10

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying,

“Thus says the Lord of hosts,

Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another,

do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor,

and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

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