What does that mean?
For another purpose, I was reworking and expanding a prayer I wrote 14 years ago and I realized how appropriate it would be for Lent, a season for asking the Lord to change our hearts...
Some things
in my life need changing, Lord,
- and I wish I could change overnight -
but change comes slowly to me
- because I come so slowly to change…
So, help me change, Lord!
Open my mind, my heart and my soul
to see the changes I need to make,
the changes you, Lord, are working to make
the changes I know you want to make
in my wounded, mixed-up, broken life…
Change me from the inside out:
reboot my heart till it beats as one
with your heart, Lord…
Change my thinking
till my thoughts sync with your thoughts,
with your wisdom and your word...
Change my attitude, Lord:
when I want to give up
– make me hopeful;
when I pity myself
– help me see your blessings;
when I want to give in
– make me strong of heart;
when I’m down on myself
– help me know I’m loved;
when I’m filled with doubts
– strengthen my faith;
when I’m giving up
– renew my resolve;
when I’m slow to act
– kick me in the butt;
when I’m prejudiced
– open my mind;
when I’m selfish and greedy
– open my heart;
when I’m proud and stubborn
- humble my spirit;
when I’m hot with anger
– cool my rage;
when I’m losing control
– reign me in;
when I’m stupid and foolish
– smarten me up!
Stretch me, Lord,
stretch me to be the person
you created me to be…
Open my eyes to see your hand
helping me change every day of my life…
Open my ears to hear your voice
guiding me through what I need to change…
Open my lips to pray, Lord,
for the help I need to make the changes
I find the hardest to make…
Open my mind to understand
how my thinking needs to change…
Open my hands to work for change
that will serve and lift up others…
Open my heart to your Spirit, Lord,
shaping, shifting and changing me
in the ways I most need to change…
Heal me and mend me, reform and repair
what's wounded and torn, broken and bent
my life, in my heart,
in my words and my deeds…
Some things
in my life need changing, Lord,
- and I wish I could change overnight -
but change comes slowly to me
- because I come so slowly to change…
So, give me the grace for change, O Lord:
the changes I really need in my life,
the changes that I find hardest to make,
the changes you want me to make in me,
the change that will change
and set me free…
Amen.
This is the day to leave the dark behind you.
Take the adventure, step beyond the hearth.
Shake off at last, the shackles that confined you
and find the courage for the forward path.
You yearn for freedom through the long night watches
the day has come and you are free to choose
to set aside your still familiar crutches,
to step into the lovely, longed-for blue.
After the dimly burning wick of winter
that seemed to dull and darken everything,
the Lenten sun shines clear beyond your shelter,
clean as sight itself while reed birds sing
As heaven bows to kiss creation’s surface,
as light surrounds and glimmers on the dew:
you pause to pray, “the holy saints preserve us!”
and step into the lovely, longed-for blue.
Breathe deep and be renewed by what you breathe in
kin to the keen east wind and the cleansing air,
as though the blue itself were blowing through you,
as though you always knew you’d find it there.
For all you know, the aching of the ages
awaits the blessed courage of the few
that join the company of pilgrim sages
that step into the lovely longed for blue
And, here's the interview and the full poem...
• Do you reject sin so as to live in the freedom of God’s children? • Do you reject the glamor of evil and refuse to be mastered by sin? • Do you reject Satan and all his works and empty promises? • Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth? • Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God? • Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life? • Do you believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church? • Do you believe in the forgiveness of sins? • Do you look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come?
And we'll respond to each: "I do." But ... do we? Is this what we believe? Is this what we live? Do we even understand the questions?
• Do you accept Jesus as your teacher, as the example whom you will always imitate and as the one in whom the mystery of God’s love for the world has fully been revealed?
• Do you dedicate yourself to seeking the kingdom of God and God’s justice, to praying daily, to meditating on the Gospels and to celebrating the Eucharist faithfully and devoutly?
• Do you commit yourself to that
spirit of poverty and detachment that Jesus enjoined on his disciples,
and to resisting the spirit of consumerism and materialism that is so
strong in our culture?
• Do you accept responsibility for
building community, for being a person of compassion and reconciliation,
for being mindful of the poor and the oppressed, and for truly
forgiving those who have offended you?
• Will you try to thank and praise God
by your works and by your actions, in times of prosperity as well as in
moments of suffering, giving loyal witness to the risen Jesus by your
faith, by your hope, and by the style of your living?
• Do you surrender your life to God as
a disciple and companion of Jesus? Do you believe that God is the Lord
of history, sovereign over nations and peoples, and that God’s promise
to redeem all of creation from its bondage to death and decay will one
day be accomplished?
All of these questions, the traditional and the new ones, are offered
here for our Lenten reflection prayer and commitments. Soon we’ll be
renewing our baptismal promises at Easter. Let's pray for one another that Lent will prepare us all to answer, I do! - with faith-filled hearts and voices.
Let us pray for peace...
Let us pray for an end to terrorism and war,
an end to violence and bloodshed...
Let us pray for the safe return of those in harm's way,
who are far from home, family and friends...
Let us pray for peace at our nation's borders
and at the borders of nations around the world...
Let us pray for racial peace and harmony
all around the world...
Let us pray for a bipartisan political peace in America...
Let us pray for peace of mind
for those who grieve loved ones lost in war...
Let us pray for our enemies...
Let us pray for the unity of all who believe in Christ...
Let us pray for peace and understanding
between the people of different beliefs and faiths...
Let us pray for the peace and safety
of all who live with domestic violence...
Let us pray for those we make our personal enemies...
and for those who make enemies of us...
Protect us, Lord, while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
