Prayers and Poems
for June |
|
I
Am the Great Sun (from a Norman crucifix of 1632)
I
am the great sun, but you do not see me.
I am your husband, but you turn away.
I am the captive, but you do not free me,
I am the captain you will not obey.
I
am the truth, but you will not believe me.
I am the city where you will not stay,
I am your wife, your child, but you will leave me,
I am that God to whom you will not pray.
I
am your counsel, but you do not hear me.
I am the lover whom you will betray.
I am the victor, but you do not cheer me.
I am the holy dove whom you will slay.
I
am your life, but if you will not name me,
Seal up your soul with tears, and never blame me.
June
Month
of leaves,
Month of roses;
Gardens full
Of dainty posies;
Skies of blue,
Hedgerows gay,
Meadows sweet
With the new-mown hay.
Flowery
banks
A-drone with bees,
Dreaming cattle
Under trees:
Song-birds pipe
A merry tune –
This is summer,
This is June.
- Irene F Pawsey
In
this month of Trinity Sunday, here is an old Celtic
prayer
The
Path of Right
My
walk this day with God,
My walk this day with Christ,
My walk this day with Spirit,
The Threefold all-kindly:
Ho! ho! ho! The Threeford all-kindly.
My
shielding this day from ill,
My shielding this night from harm,
Ho! ho! Both my soul and my body,
Be by Father, by Son, by Holy Spirit:
By Father, by Son, by Holy Spirit.
Be
the Father shielding me,
Be the Son shielding me,
Be the Spirit shielding me,
As Three and as One:
Ho! ho! ho! As Three and as One.
- From Carmina Gadelica
Short
prayers
Prayers
don't need to be long to be acceptable to God. For
instance, consider:
Peter
(Matt 14.30): Lord, save me.
A
Canaanite woman (Matt 15.25): Lord, help me.
Samuel
(1 Sam. 3:10): Speak, for your servant is listening.
Psalm
43.3
O send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
Christians
in later years have adopted the same form.
Michelangelo:
Lord, make me see your glory in every place.
Gladys
Aylward: O God, give me strength.
William
Barclay: O God, keep me from being difficult to live
with.
Francois
Fenelon: Teach me to pray. Pray yourself in me.
John
Wesley: O Lord, let us not live to be useless, for
Christ's sake.
Why
not practise saying a simple sentence prayer each day
– and simply mean what you say?
A
Grace
We
bless thee Lord for this our food
For life and health and every good
May we, more blest than we deserve
Live less for self and more to serve.
