I DEEPLY LONG FOR YOU, MY GOD!

GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH, A LOVING PRESENCE IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

The Beloved is our refuge and strength,

a Loving Presence in times of trouble.

Therefore we shall not fear though

the earth should change,

though the mountains shake 

in the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Psalm 46 (Psalm for the Praying, Invitation to Wholeness)

Nan Merril

May Faith, Hope and Courage
be our Guiding Light
today and always!
May God be praised!

I cannot cause light!

"You are the light of the world....
Your light must shine before others
so that they may see your good acts
and give praise to your Abba in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16

"I cannot cause light.

The most I can do is

to put myself

in the path of its beam."

-Anne Dillard-

LITANY FOR SEEKING AND FINDING

by Sister Joyce Rupp

RESPONSE: WE SEEK YOU, GOD

• Deep within our being where truth and peace yearn over chaos and confusion...
• In the midst of our daily activities and the many things-to-do that haunt our calendars...
• Among the people who come into our lives - our loved ones, our friends, our colleagues and companions, even our enemies...
• As we move into the heart of prayer and hear the call to be more in union with you...
• When we feel empty, distraught, frustrated, and lost; when we wonder what direction we are to go...

RESPONSE:  THANK YOU FOR FINDING US

• When we have sensed your nearness and felt your beauty fill our consciousness...
• When the power of goodness moved through our beings and made a difference in someone else's life...
• When we have been drawn to conversion, when we knew we had to change our hearts, to give ourselves over to you...
• When we have looked at our world, so full of pain and injustice, and felt a bonding with all who know pain and sorrow...
• When we have known the truth of being created in your image and likeness, and have believed in our own goodness...

RESPONSE: YOU ARE OUR TREASURE

• You are worth the constant search in the fields of life for a glimpse of your truth and a touch of your love...
• You are our strength in times of sorrow, hope in times of unhappiness, comfort in times of confusion, safe harbor in the storms of life...
• You are worth whatever we need to leave behind or let go of in order to grow to wholeness...
• You are our home where our true self resides. You urge us to believe in this sacred place of goodness...
• You seek us, you yearn for us, believe in us, love us unconditionally. You wait for us and welcome us home when we have been away...

CLOSING PRAYER

God of all Seekers, bless our yearnings for home.

Keep us on the path that leads to you.

Fill us with courage to do what is best

for the healing our our hearts and the heart of the world.

Accept our gratitude for the many times

when you have sought us and have invited us 

to recognize you in the home of our true self.

Amen.

Longing

ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX,
ABBEY OF GETHSEMANI

Our longing is an echo 

of the divine longing for us. 

Our longing is the living imprint of divine desire.

- John O'Donohue in Eternal Echoes  -