The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long and emotionally draining day, Lord
Walking through so many Valleys of the Shadows
Watching those you love slip into darkness
Walking with parishioners and friends
Walking with family
Remembering those who have escaped this physical sphere
Yet also celebrating friendships
Celebrating relationships
Celebrating the light of Your Love
In your mercy, Lord, hear this humble prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long day of traveling
It has also been an emotional day
As we walk through the Valley of the Shadows
As we wonder and pray and seek your guidance
Lord, in your mercy, hear this humble prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“Poetry has a way of expressing things of the heart so beautifully, of holding the paradox of life and inviting us into a contemplation of the mysteries. When discerning how your own soul is unfolding, keep an ear attuned to poetry or other words that seem to call you to a deepened sense of yourself and of the divine presence in the midst of your listening.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A long day of travel
Yet also a wonderful time of fellowship
Thankful for safe arrival
Thankful for those who sadly work without pay
Thankful for their great spirits
Thankful for a night’s lodging and peace
Now, as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you, Lord
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“One of the great elements of wisdom we have inherited from St. Ignatius of Loyola, that sixteenth-century Spanish soldier-turned-mystic, is the fundamental belief that our deepest desires have been planted there by God. Sounds simple, right? We just follow those deep desires, and we follow our call in the world. Except that, as human beings, we seem to have all kinds of ingrained mechanisms to get in our own way.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD The Wisdom of the Body: A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Even though the temperatures are bitterly cold
The warmth of your love shines like the sun
You call us to love and to serve you
We do so by loving and serving ALL of your children
Where some scream about walls and hatred
We are called to tear down walls and build bridges
Where some declare they are superior
We are called to humbly serve
Where some condemn with self-righteous indignation
We are called to love and to forgive
Where some beat the war drums of bigotry and false nationalism
We are called to be instruments of your peace
For this nation and this world, we lift this humble prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem et in Terra
Grant Us Peace on Earth
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Well said, Ronnie!
There is a long honored Zen story about a man riding a speeding horse. As horse and rider gallop dangerous close to a small group of travelers along the same road, a man nearly trampled calls out to the rider, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” The man on horseback desperately answers over his shoulder, “I don’t know! You will have to ask the horse!”
The state of affairs for that rider is exactly as it is for most of us. While in the saddle, we have no command over our direction or destination. “We are riding horses we cannot control,” Buddhist teacher Thích Nhất Hanh observed about this story.
But the truth of the matter is, there is little control to be had – over horses – over anything. It is a false notion to think that we can exert our will over our circumstances. Oh…
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