The Lord's Prayer

Our father who art in heaven,
      hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
      on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
      and forgive us our trespasses,
      as we forgive those who
     trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
      but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and
      the power, and the glory.
Forever and ever.
      Amen

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

O, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
      Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
      Where there is injury, pardon;
      Where there is discord, union;
      Where there is doubt, faith;
      Where there is despair, hope;
      Where there is darkness, light;
      Where there is sadness, joy.
O, Lord, grant that we may seek not to be
      consoled, but to console;
      not to be understood, but to understand;
For it is in giving that we receive;
      in forgetting that we find ourselves;
      in pardoning, that we are pardoned;
      and in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Mark Sibley Jones

For the birth of new hopes,
      I give thanks, O God.
In the hope of new beginnings,
      I wait for what emerges.
In the hope of deeper insight,
      I reflect on where I've been.
In the hope of life more simple,
      I say No to all but Your best for me.
In the hope of overcoming the snare of sin, next time,
      I seek to be honest with myself, this time.
In the hope of You, and only You,
      I open my arms for embrace.
May I see Your face in all that rises to meet me today,
      Your path in all my journeys,
      Your light in all my decisions,
      Your grace in all my shadows;
      Your eyes, beholding me in love.
Amen.

From Dazzling and Divine