In a couple of month's time, or so, most of us will have returned from refreshing holidays, complete with golden suntans, photographs galore, reels of film and other memorabilia. On returning from Lincolnshire, I brought back a treasure from All Saints Church in Stamford: a free gift - a simple leaflet entitled "A PAUSE FOR PRAYER".
Inevitably it was shared with our own 'Pause for Prayer' on Thursday morning. It gathered together many prayers from different ages and places, in the hope that they would be of help to visitors. Indeed they were.
Here are some of its gems:
From St Benedict, a Sixth Century layman who became a hermit, and later founded the Benedictine Order of monks:
O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you.
Give us eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
and a life to proclaim you through
the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Then a prayer from St, Ignatius, a Sixteenth Century Saint who founded the Jesuits:
Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to ask for any reward
save that of knowing that we do Thy will.
For those in need (from the Book of Common Prayer):
We humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succour all those who in this transitory life are in trouble, sorrow, need or sickness, or any other adversity. Help us to minister to them thy strength and consolation. So endow us with the grace of sympathy and compassion that we may bring to them both help and healing, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And a prayer from New Every Morning:
Father, give to us and to all your people,
in times of anxiety, serenity;
in times of hardship, courage;
in times of uncertainty, patience;
and at all times, a quiet trust in your wisdom and love.
Now, an instruction to ponder, from Paul's letter to the Colossians:
"As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one the one body. And be thankful." (St. Paul)
Do you have any such gems amongst your holiday souvenirs to share with us at home, to enliven us long after our golden tan has faded?
Elisabeth R Brown