On Sundays, Night Prayer will focus on an element from the day's celebration of Mass. Tonight our prayer finds it source in the second reading, Ephesians 5:8-14 and its call for us to live in the light of Christ:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light...
The thing is, Lord:
I often still find myself in the darkness!
And I often don't know how or why
I end up in the dark, in the grays, in the shadows...
Do I stumble there in my confusion?
Do I go missing in the darkness
of doubt or fear? of anxiety? or uncertainty?
Is my vision dimmed
by loneliness? by loss? by grief?
Does disappointment darken
the light of trust and the glow of hope?
Be the light in my darkness, Lord!
Be a flicker of hope in my soul,
a glimmer of grace in my heart,
the spark of your Spirit's fire,
a torch on my shadowed path
a light in the night
guiding and leading me home to you...
Your radiant light is in our midst,
the light no darkness can extinguish:
be the light in my darkness, Lord!
Your light shines bright, warming my heart
and glows in spite of my grief and tears:
be the light in my darkness, Lord!
Your light, a flame, burns in my soul,
a fire your Spirit tends with care:
be the light in my darkness, Lord!
Your light illumines the path I walk
and the needs of my neighbors along the way:
be the light in my darkness, Lord!
Be the light in my darkness, night and day,
shine in me and on me and through me, Lord;
be the light of wisdom, of truth and of faith,
aglow with your presence, your healing and grace...
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
Two songs for our prayer tonight: the second will be familiar to most readers here, the first not so much. The lyrics of Lead, Kindly Light, written by John Henry Newman, are a bit dated but compelling and paired with the beautiful choral setting - a fine hymn for this evening's prayer.
If two videos don't appear below, click here!
Lead, Kindly Light by John Henry Newman
Christ Be Our Light by Bernadette Farrell
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