Alphabe-Thursday: The Letter P

The Path

Preoccupied with Pain

Poetically Portrayed...

She Patiently Processed

Its Potent Possessive Power
Penetrating the Psyche.

A Perplexing Predicament to Ponder.

Will she fall, as Passive Prey,
to Predatory Patriarchal Patterns of the Past?

Or in Protest

Will she be Prompted to Probe

A Purposeful Path:

One of Prayer, Praising, Peace?

Paradise.

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Connections

What is this force that

connects this sinner to You,

praying for Thy grace?

In life's quest are You

found between dreamer and dream?

Symbols leave Thy clues.

I call upon You

one faith filled prayer at a time.

Connecting to God.

For more haiku hijinks

Please visit Jenn over at You Know...That Blog?

Sacred Sunday: February 28, 2010

"Old Woman at Prayer" by Nicolaes Maes

(Dutch painter, 1634-1693)

Also known as "Prayer Without End"

As part of my Lenten journey, besides giving up red wine, I enrolled in a 6 week course on Prayer. This course is part of the Why Catholic? Journey Through the Catechism series. Last week was my 1st session and, as with everything I do, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I was pleasantly surprised. The small group I was assigned to had some very lovely people and I was pleased that the group leader was a woman I knew very well through previous Bible studies. There were some serious conversations and reflections and I walked away feeling I truly had learned something that I could apply to my prayer life.

For today's Sacred Sunday, I'd like to share with you a story, from my study guide, that helped open my eyes and heart more fully into understanding what prayer should be like. Enjoy.

A disciple has been calling on God for many years.
through prayer, fasting, and meditation.
One day she hears a voice within her ask:
"Who is there?"
"At last, at last," she thinks joyfully.
"God," she cries, "It is I. I is I"
But she is met by silence and the voice disappears.
Years pass and the woman goes on meditating
and calling on God with renewed passion.
Suddenly, without warning, she hears the voice again.
"Who is there?"
This time, without hesitation, she replies,
"Only you, only you."
And the door opens and she enters the heart of God.


I'm off to my 3rd 12 hour shift in a row so I probably will be too exhausted to reply to your comments but rest assured I appreciate them and will be looking forward to reading them when I return home from work. May God provide abundant blessings to you and your families this day and always!

Sacred Sunday: Holy Mother

I recently came across a blog called The Way of the Upright is a Highway  Jackie, the author, has the following video located along her sidebar. I fell in love with it! I had never heard this song before and thought it would make for a perfect Sacred Sunday post. 

Please enjoy Eric Clapton and Luciano Pavarotti singing "Holy Mother".

Hail Thou Star of Ocean

Hail thou star of ocean,

Portal of the sky,

Ever Virgin Mother

Of the Lord Most High.

O! by Gabriel’s Ave

Uttered long ago,

Eva’s name reversing,

Established peace below.

Break the captives’ fetters,

Light on blindness pour,

All our ills expelling,

Every bliss implore.

Show thyself a Mother,

Offer Him our sighs,

Who for us incarnate

Did not thee despise.

Virgin of all virgins

To thy shelter take us,

Gentlest of the gentle

Chaste and gentle make us.

Still, as on we journey,

Help our weak endeavor,

Till with thee and Jesus

We rejoice forever.

Through the highest heaven,

To the almighty Three

Father, Son, and Spirit,

One same Glory Be.

Amen.

Favorite Prayer

My work gives me the opportunity to be there, for my patients, from their moment of birth, to their dying breath and all points in between. When there is a particular struggle, this is my go to prayer (optional prayer from the Divine Mercy Chaplet):

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible,

look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us,

that in difficult moments we might not despair

nor become despondent,

but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will,

which is Love and Mercy itself.

What a powerful prayer. Jesus said to St. Faustina, a young Polish nun whose visions led to the Divine Mercy devotion: "....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior".