
Today is the feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, "the Lily of the Mohawks," the first Native American to be recognized by the Church as a saint. Check here for a brief but excellent summary of her life. As a young child Kateri had smallpox which scarred her face and left her half-blind. Here's a beautiful image by Kevin Gordon which captures in fascinating detail so many aspects of Kateri's life of faith.
When I read the life of Kateri, Lord,
I see how smooth is the path
along which I make my journey of faith:
I pray freely and publicly,
unimpeded by threat or fear;
I speak of my faith and its message
- no need to hedge what I say;
I may be criticized or ridiculed
for what I believe and how I live
but that's a small price to pay
for all your gifts and blessings,
your mercy, grace and peace...
On Kateri's day, Lord, I pray:
make me stronger in faith,
bolder and more outspoken;
secure my faith
and root it deep in my soul;
energize my faith
and my desire to share it freely;
inspire my faith
with wisdom, discretion and truth...
And help me see, Lord,
that my faith is often,
so very often,
what helps me survive,
what gets me through,
what gives me the courage
to try again
and the hope I need
while I wait for a new day to dawn...
Don't let me take my faith for granted
but help me see, Lord, day after day,
my faith's a gift, a grace from you
to be treasured, savored and shared...
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.
Tonight's song is not your typical Night Prayer tune! It's by Toto and it's not a lullaby! But I believe it's a great song for us to pray with as we consider Saint Kateri, a 17th century saint, in our 21st century circumstances. Don't be put off by the song's length: the lyrics end at 5:20 and the rest is instumental!
Gift of Faith by Toto
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All this pain surrounding me
hopelessness is all that I see nowDoes it have to be this way?
Brought up on hypocrisyThe seeds they sow don't last foreverThey just fade away...
Don't be confused
by the lies of the fools and deceiversHope and believe
in the things that we need to survive
We can make it
if we'd only take the gift of faithWe can change it
if we'd just accept the gift of faith
Take away my dignityTake away my hope and my freedomYou got a world full of rage
Don't cover me with apathyDon't buy and sell what I believe inDon't lock me in a cage
In a world where no one's alone,
trust should come easilyJust reach out your hand,
and I'll give you mine
We can make it
if we'd only take the gift of faithWe can change it
if we'd just accept the gift of faith
If we go down, we go together
Just open your mind, open your mind!
Don't be confused
by the lies of the fools and deceiversHope and believe
in the things that we need to survive
We can make
if if we'd only take the gift of faithWe can change it
if we'd just accept the gift of faith
We can make it
if we'd only take the gift of faithIt's yours to choose
but only fools refuse the gift of faith
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