From Psalm 42 from this morning's prayer of the Hours:
"Why are you so sad, my soul,
and anxious within me?
Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still,
my saviour and my God."
Sometimes my soul feels orphan-ish. or I forget about it all together. This psalm of today's morning prayer caught me. As I seek to be on more friendly terms with God (a name I can't find a better name for and btw: I have trouble with Lord) most of the time I am aware that I'm operating on another agenda altogether which I'm not finding to be very grounded. Lately, I've been turning to the Liturgy of the Hours, which I would liken to the way Muslims pray. Throughout the day, at intervals of every three hours, there is available to me a formula of prayers created by the Benedictines back in the 500's. The prayers are on-line. This practice connects me to a community of pray-ers all over the world. All over the world there are lay and religious gathering to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. I am tapping into a powerful web of seekers... and when I recall all of the religious sisters and brothers I have encountered in my life, I am reminded of what a motley crew we are. Sr. Reinhildus from Germany, Sr. Tarcissius in N. Little Rock, Fr. Heidt in Minot, the list goes on.. but, we are the Body of Christ. The only way we can function in a healthy way it seems to me, is if we acknowlege our connectedness and recall to whom we are beholden. Back to morning prayer and the down and dirty psalms. (this stained glass is in my mother's church in Colorado, and is a depiction of St. Frances Xavier Elizabeth Cabrini, who came from Italy in the late 1800's to minister to the Italian poor and to children. Her sisters carry on the work all over the world.)
"Why are you so sad, my soul,
and anxious within me?
Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still,
my saviour and my God."
Sometimes my soul feels orphan-ish. or I forget about it all together. This psalm of today's morning prayer caught me. As I seek to be on more friendly terms with God (a name I can't find a better name for and btw: I have trouble with Lord) most of the time I am aware that I'm operating on another agenda altogether which I'm not finding to be very grounded. Lately, I've been turning to the Liturgy of the Hours, which I would liken to the way Muslims pray. Throughout the day, at intervals of every three hours, there is available to me a formula of prayers created by the Benedictines back in the 500's. The prayers are on-line. This practice connects me to a community of pray-ers all over the world. All over the world there are lay and religious gathering to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. I am tapping into a powerful web of seekers... and when I recall all of the religious sisters and brothers I have encountered in my life, I am reminded of what a motley crew we are. Sr. Reinhildus from Germany, Sr. Tarcissius in N. Little Rock, Fr. Heidt in Minot, the list goes on.. but, we are the Body of Christ. The only way we can function in a healthy way it seems to me, is if we acknowlege our connectedness and recall to whom we are beholden. Back to morning prayer and the down and dirty psalms. (this stained glass is in my mother's church in Colorado, and is a depiction of St. Frances Xavier Elizabeth Cabrini, who came from Italy in the late 1800's to minister to the Italian poor and to children. Her sisters carry on the work all over the world.)
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