Find a quiet time and place to pray... take a few deep breaths...
be still... and know that God is near...
A word to reflect on:
Have mercy on me, O God,
in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion
wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me...
- Psalm 51
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
even before I'm tempted, before I fail,
you know the plans and choices
my heart will make...
Yet when I've failed and I deny it,
when I've sinned and try to hide it,
even then, and still, you are my God,
always ready to forgive,
offering me your loving mercy
even when I least deserve it...
Time and time again, Lord,
I've failed to act according to your word
and followed, instead, my own will and whim;
I've failed to choose what your law commands,
and instead, I've chosen what pleases me;
I've failed to live in the light of your love
and instead, I've walked a dark and lonely path...
Even then, Lord, you've not forgotten or abandoned me:
you've invited me to trust, again and again,
in your mercy and your pardon
and the promise of your peace...
In your deep and wide compassion you never fail, Lord,
to wipe out my offenses,
to wash me from my guilt,
to cleanse me of my sins...
So remind me, Lord, before I sin,
before I even think to make a sinful choice,
remind me of your word
Have mercy on me, O God,
in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion
wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me...
- Psalm 51
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
even before I'm tempted, before I fail,
you know the plans and choices
my heart will make...
Yet when I've failed and I deny it,
when I've sinned and try to hide it,
even then, and still, you are my God,
always ready to forgive,
offering me your loving mercy
even when I least deserve it...
Time and time again, Lord,
I've failed to act according to your word
and followed, instead, my own will and whim;
I've failed to choose what your law commands,
and instead, I've chosen what pleases me;
I've failed to live in the light of your love
and instead, I've walked a dark and lonely path...
Even then, Lord, you've not forgotten or abandoned me:
you've invited me to trust, again and again,
in your mercy and your pardon
and the promise of your peace...
In your deep and wide compassion you never fail, Lord,
to wipe out my offenses,
to wash me from my guilt,
to cleanse me of my sins...
So remind me, Lord, before I sin,
before I even think to make a sinful choice,
remind me of your word
that calls me to your law;
remind me of your wisdom
that reveals the path of grace,
remind me of your will
that I should live by your commands...
As far as the east is from the west, Lord,
so far do you put my sins away from me:
in your goodness then, help me distance myself
from anyone or anything that might draw me from your side...
Erase my sins from my heart, Lord,
especially the ones that haunt and tempt me
to mistrust your mercy and your pardon...
Help me abandon and put away my sinful thoughts
and break the habits that trap me,
the ones I find so hard to leave behind...
Thoroughly wash me of my guilt, Lord:
let no memories chain and keep me a prisoner
to my own past...
Wash away my guilt and cleanse my heart
of any trace of my past wrongs:
with my heart reconciled and renewed
refresh me with your grace that I might walk again
the path you've set for me...
In your great compassion, Lord, forgive my sins
and grant me the mercy I need to forgive those
who have offended me...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
let me hide neither from my failings
nor from the healing help of your strong arm...
In the stillness of my prayer, Lord,
open my heart and help me trust that even in my sins:
you love me, you forgive me
and you call me to be yours...
Help me see and know, how and when, I fail today,
and before the sun goes down,
call me to call upon your mercy, Lord,
and to rejoice in your pardon and peace...
As far as the east is from the west, Lord,
so far do you put my sins away from me:
in your goodness then, help me distance myself
from anyone or anything that might draw me from your side...
Erase my sins from my heart, Lord,
especially the ones that haunt and tempt me
to mistrust your mercy and your pardon...
Help me abandon and put away my sinful thoughts
and break the habits that trap me,
the ones I find so hard to leave behind...
Thoroughly wash me of my guilt, Lord:
let no memories chain and keep me a prisoner
to my own past...
Wash away my guilt and cleanse my heart
of any trace of my past wrongs:
with my heart reconciled and renewed
refresh me with your grace that I might walk again
the path you've set for me...
In your great compassion, Lord, forgive my sins
and grant me the mercy I need to forgive those
who have offended me...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
let me hide neither from my failings
nor from the healing help of your strong arm...
In the stillness of my prayer, Lord,
open my heart and help me trust that even in my sins:
you love me, you forgive me
and you call me to be yours...
Help me see and know, how and when, I fail today,
and before the sun goes down,
call me to call upon your mercy, Lord,
and to rejoice in your pardon and peace...
To ponder and pray over...
Which of my failings, my sins, tempt me to try to hide them
from myself? from my God?
Do I trust that when the Lord forgives me,
my sins are washed clean?
I'm called to forgive others as the Lord forgives me:
how am I doing? What will I ask of the Lord today?
From this prayer time, what word or phrase will I keep with me
to carry through the rest of my day?
From this prayer time, what word or phrase will I keep with me
to carry through the rest of my day?
(After you spend some time with these questions,
Here are some tips for praying 10 minutes a day. If you find these daily prayer reminders helpful, please let me know - and share them with others. You'll find an archive of these daily posts here.
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The surest and fastest way to the Lord's forgiveness is the Sacrament of Penance. Preaching on that sacrament, and working to make it ever more available, would be even more powerful than publishing a blog post, I suspect.
ReplyDeleteMary