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The Prayer Bench

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The Prayer Bench

"When the heart has acquired stillness, it will look upon the heights and depths of knowledge , and the intellect, once quieted, will be given to hear wonderful things from God"
~ Hesychios

Prayer is a Listening

When we step into the circle of life in prayer, a Holy Presence moves through our lives in harmony, beauty, and abundance. It moves us into wholeness.

As we move with this Presence through Prayer, we become mindful of the holiness of each day and of all things. We become aware that prayer is God's work, God's gift. Present as our Creator, loving life into us, sustaining and working in us. The Breath within breath, in every heartbeat, every expanse of physical, sexual and psychic energy; every thought, hope and desire, every decision.

When we are conscious of this presence, of God being in and around us in all things, we are in prayer. When we are aware that we move and love in the breadth of this Being, we are in prayer. When we are conscious of God's energy and touch, we are in prayer. In prayer, we are not called to support or enrich God, but to listen, to be fed and strengthened by Holy Presence. Prayer is a deep listening, a deep awareness in the physical world, a journey beyond the five senses. Beyond our human concepts of God, it becomes an opening of our awareness of all that is, all beings, energies and things in the sacred circle of life - our connectedness to the Sacred Mystery.

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The Lord's Prayer

Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day,
our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

"The Lord's Prayer "is truly the summary of the whole gospel."
"Since the Lord...after handling over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, 'Ask and you will receive,' and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer (the Lord's Prayer) is said first, as the foundation of further desires."
- Tertullian, De orat.
from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 2761

Prayer of St. Francis

O Lord
Make me an instrument of your Peace.
Where there is hatred,
let me sow Love;
Where there is injury,
Pardon.
Where there is discord,
Unity.
Where there is doubt,
Faith.
Where there is error,
Truth.
Where there is despair,
Hope.
Where there is sadness,
Joy.
Where there is darkness,
Light;

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled, as to console,
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
it is in dying, that we are born to Eternal Life.

-St. Francis

Prayer of Abandonment

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you.
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you Lord,
and so need to give myself.
to surrender myself into your hands
without reserve
and with boundless confidence.
For you are my Father.
Amen .

- Charles de Foucauld

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right,
if I surrender to His will.
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.

- Reinhold Niebuhr

from The Egyptian Book of the Dead

God is one and alone, and none other exists with Him;
God is the One, the One who has made all things.
He is eternal and infinite;
He has endured for countless ages, and He shall endure to all eternity.
God is a spirit, a hidden spirit, the Spirit of spirits, the Divine Spirit.
He is a mystery to His creatures, and no man knows how to know Him.
His names are innumerable; they are manifold, and no one knows their number.
God has made the universe, and he has created all that is in it;
He has stretched out the heavens and founded the earth.
What his heart conceived came to pass straightway,
and when He had spoken His word came to pass,
and it shall endure forever.

"How do you know which of your intentions is likely to be fulfilled? The answer lies in paying attention to the clues provided by the nonlocal mind. Notice the coincidences in your life. Coincidences are messages. They are clues from God or spirit or nonlocal reality, urging you to break out of your karmic conditioning, your familiar patterns of thinking. They are offering you an opportunity to enter a domain of awareness where you feel loved and cared for by the infinite intelligence that is your source. Spiritual traditions call this the state of grace."--Deepak Chopra"

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand
of God the Father Almighty.
He will come again to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

"The Apostles' Creed is so called because it is rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles' faith.
It is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome. Its great authority arises from this fact: it is the Creed of the Roman Church, the See of Peter, the first of the apostles, to which he brought the common faith."

- from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 194.

"This Creed is the spiritual seal, our heart's meditation and an ever-present guardian;
it is, unquestionably, the treasure of our soul."

- Saint Ambrose

A Prayer of Surrender

I am nothing, I am no one ~
I surrender myself to you
wholly, completely
my nothingness, my darkness, my shadows, my shade
into You
All That Is

My soul knows your voice
My soul knows your light
Into You I rest
the essence of my being
I dance my dance of abandonment
before You
Releasing all that is within me ~

Your Divine Presence is my music
A symphony in my soul,
the beat of your drums
is my heartbeat,
the sweet melody of your flute
is my breath
And Every breath I take
is my Moment of Oneness in You.

Live each day to the fullest
Get the most from each hour,
each day,
and each age of your life.
Then you can look forward with confidence
and back without regrets...

Be yourself -
but be your best self.
Dare to be different and to follow your own star...
and don't be afraid to be happy...

Enjoy what is beautiful.
Love with all of your heart and soul.
Believe that those you love, love you.
When you are faced with a decision,
make that decision as wisely as possible -
then forget it.
The moment of absolute certainty never arrives...

Above all, remember that God
helps those who help themselves.
Act as if everything depended upon you,
and pray as if everything depended upon God.

- S. H. Payer

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace
there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant;
they, too, have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
But do not let this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

Whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its shame, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

- attributed to Max Ehrmann, 1927

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