Jesus | The Contemplative Writer

WEEKLY PRAYER

Posted on November 7, 2017November 5, 2017 by Lisa Deam

A prayer from St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906):

O Jesus, even though I fall at every moment, in trustful faith I shall pray to You to raise me up, and I know that You will forgive me, and will blot out everything with care. More than that: You will deliver me from my miseries, from everything that is an obstacle to Your divine action;and will draw all my powers to Yourself, and make them Your captive…Then I shall have passed completely into You and shall be able to say: It is no longer I that live; my Master lives in me.

St. Elizabeth’s feast day is this Wednesday, November 8.

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WEEKLY PRAYER

Posted on October 24, 2017June 26, 2017 by Lisa Deam

A prayer from the Sarum Breviary:

Thou, who art the eternal protection and salvation of our souls, arm us, we entreat Thee, with the helmet of hope, and the shield of Thy invincible defence; that so, helped by Thee in the straits of our necessities, we may be filled with joy and gladness with those who love Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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WEEKLY PRAYER

Posted on September 20, 2017September 7, 2017 by Lisa Deam

A prayer from the Old Sarum Breviary:

Almighty God,
who has planted the Day-star in the heavens,
and, scattering the night,
dost restore morning to the world,
fill us, we beseech Thee, with Thy mercy,
so that, Thou being our Enlightener,
all the darkness of our sins may be dispersed,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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WEEKLY PRAYER

Posted on August 29, 2017June 18, 2017 by Lisa Deam

A prayer from Saint Augustine (354-430), whose feast day was yesterday (Aug. 28):

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
That my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
That my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
That I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
To defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,
That I always may be holy.

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WEEKLY PRAYER

Posted on August 22, 2017August 22, 2017 by Lisa Deam

A prayer for generosity from St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556):

Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.
Amen.

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WEEKLY PRAYER

Posted on August 8, 2017August 8, 2017 by Lisa Deam

A prayer from St. Thomas Aquinas:

With heads bowed let us now worship a sacrament so great;
And let the old teaching give way to the new;
Let faith reinforce our belief where the senses cannot.

To the Father and the Son let there be praise and jubilation,
Salvation, honor, virtue, and also blessing;
To the Holy Spirit let there be equal praise.

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WEEKLY PRAYER

Posted on August 1, 2017August 1, 2017 by Lisa Deam

A prayer from St. Ambrose:

O God, creation’s secret force,
Thyself unmoved, all motion’s source,
Who from the morn til evening ray,
Through all its changes guidest the day.

Come, Holy Ghost, with God the Son,
And God the Father, ever one;
Shed forth Thy grace within our breast,
And dwell with us a ready guest.

By every power, by heart and tongue,
By act and deed, Thy praise be sung;
Inflame with perfect love each sense,
That others’ souls may kindle thence.

O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son.
Who, with the Holy Ghost, and Thee
Still live and reign eternally.

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BOOK OF THE MONTH: THE ILLUMINED HEART

Posted on July 24, 2017July 23, 2017 by Lisa Deam

Week Four: The Jesus Prayer

This month we’ve been reading The Illumined Heart: Capture the Vibrant Faith of Ancient Christians. In this short book, Frederica Mathewes-Green explores the wisdom and practices of the early Church to guide us on our walk of faith today. Our previous posts looked at repentance and fasting. Today, we’ll examine the Jesus Prayer.

The Jesus Prayer arose in the early centuries of eastern Christianity. The prayer involves repeating a single phrase: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

Mathewes-Green explains the rationale behind this prayer:

The Jesus Prayer arose as a way to practice unceasing prayer. It offered a short and simple form that can be repeated in an unhurried way no matter what else a person is doing. Since the prayer is silent and interior, it can be kept going in all situations.

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Why ask Jesus for mercy?

We keep lapsing into ideas of self-sufficiency, or get impressed with our niceness, and so we lose our humility. Asking for mercy reminds us that we are still poor and needy, and fall short of the glory of God. Those who do not ask do not receive, because they don’t know their own need.

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What about when we just can’t do it?

Do not cease praying when prayer comes hard, for fear of doing it imperfectly. If you cease praying when you can’t do it right, the devil gets a victory. So keep offering a broken prayer, and remember that you are only an unworthy servant, and yet Jesus wants you.

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For Reflection:

CONTEMPLATIVE PROFILE: ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ON PRAYER

Posted on July 20, 2017July 15, 2017 by Lisa Deam

In last week’s contemplative profile, we looked at two sources on the Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner. Historically, this prayer has been thought to be a response to Paul’s instructions to “pray continually.”

St. John Chrysostom also advises the Christian to pray constantly because prayer vanquishes our enemy. The Jesus Prayer sounds so gentle; yet many of the Church Fathers speak of prayer as a weapon. In fact, they often use a violent imagery that has mostly fallen out of favor today. If nothing else, this imagery impresses on us the efficacy of prayer in our lives. Chrysostom says:

Prayer is the cause of salvation, the source of immortality, the indestructible wall of the Church, the unassailable fortress, which terrifies the demons and protects us in the work of righteousness… Prayer is a great weapon, a great protection. Zealous prayer is the light of mind and soul, a constant, inextinguishable light. Therefore during prayer our bitter enemy floods our mind and drenches our soul with a measureless filth of thoughts and collects together qualities of things which had never entered our heads…

And:

By this remembrance (the Jesus Prayer) a soul forcing itself to this practice can discover everything which is within, both good and bad. First it will see within, in the heart, what is bad — and later — what is good. This remembrance is for rousing the serpent, and this remembrance is for subduing it. This remembrance can reveal the sin living is us, and this remembrance can destroy it. This remembrance can arouse all the enemy hosts in the heart, and little by little this remembrance can conquer and uproot them. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ, descending into the depths of the heart, will subdue the serpent holding sway over the pastures of the heart, and will save our soul and bring it to life. Thus abide constantly with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that the heart swallows the Lord and the Lord the heart, and the two become one.

WEEKLY PRAYER

Posted on July 18, 2017July 17, 2017 by Lisa Deam

Today’s prayer is from the Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi (1181/1182 – 1226):

Be praised, my Lord,
For all your creatures,
And first for brother sun,
Who makes the day bright and luminous.
He is beautiful and radiant
With great splendor,
He is the image of You,
Most high.

Be praised, my Lord,
For sister moon and the stars.
You placed them in the sky,
So bright and twinkling.

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