ואהבת את יהוה אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך
V'ahav'ta eit Adonai Elohekha b'khol l'vav'kha uv'khol naf'sh'kha uv'khol m'odekha.
V'ahav'ta eit Adonai Elohekha b'khol l'vav'kha uv'khol naf'sh'kha uv'khol m'odekha.
And you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your strength.
- Deuteronomy 6:5
I have a binder in which I collect and keep scriptures and prayers that come my way and touch my heart. Here are the wise words of Pedro Arrupe, SJ...
Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I wonder what I might have made of these words
when I was in the seminary,I wonder what I might have made of these words
preparing to become a priest...
I wonder what these words would have made of me...
I wonder how I might have prayed this prayer
on the night before I was ordained...
I wonder what these words might have meant to me in 1978
when I was certain I would leave ministry...
I wonder what these words would have meant to me in 1982
when I was certain again about my life and work in the Church...
I hope that in some way the spirit of these words
was guiding my life before I ever came to read them...
I know I need to remember and pray these words
when other desires seize my imagination
and draw me away from the love of God...
I sense that these words will become increasingly more important
as the years go by more quickly...
I know I need to pray these words
because my fidelity to the love of God does, indeed,
decide everything...
How do the words of the prayer above touch your heart?
How might you have prayed them at another time in your life?
How would you pray them today?
How might this prayer sustain you in the time ahead?
Image by luvablearez
-ConcordPastor
Thanks, I needed to be reminded of this prayer and all the rest, especially this week. Since you're moderating comments, I have this question.
ReplyDeleteOn Google Reader, an image popped up w/your post that looked like a tattoo which caused me to gasp because tattoos are against Jewish law but then when I clicked through the image is a lovely one of hands. If you changed the image, I'm glad you did! Or...cyberHolySpirit?!?
The words above- and YOUR words touched me very deeply.
ReplyDeleteWhen I woke up this morning, my head was heavy and aching and I lay there wondering how and what would get me up.
Then I looked out my window (still laying in bed) and thought of your 'Monday Morning Offering'.
I began to "write" my own- Wednesday Morning Offering- in my head-
I thought about the children that I work with-
I thought about the people in my life who have given me so much care and support and love-
slowly... I sat up and got up out of bed...
I am ready to leave now, to begin my day, a new day, with God right there with me the whole time, and those people who share my heart with God...
I think it's a choice we make: to find God, fall in love with Him, and trust he loves us. When we choose to have faith in this love, it has to affect everything in our lives. The hard part is holding on to our faith, especially when our lives are difficult. Thanks for sharing this thoughtful and wise prayer.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working on the post I originally had placed a photo of a man's back with Deut 6:5 tattooed on it in Hebrew. I've read before of the debate over tattoos and Jewish law but that didn't come to mind. The image seemed to small for the post and I liked the upraised hands better, so...
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, and enjoy reading just about every entry, but every so often, one comes along that hits me so hard it's like a bolt of lightening. It feels like you are writing specifically to me...this is one of those times. The words are beautiful, and the image of the upraised hands completes it perfectly.
ReplyDelete