O God,
In my deeds,
In my words,
In my wishes,
In my reason,
And in the fulfilling of my desires,
In my sleep,
In my dreams,
In my rest.
In my thoughts,
In my heart and soul always,
May the blessed Lord Jesus,
The promised Branch of Glory dwell,
Oh! in my heart and soul always,
May the blessed Lord Jesus,
The fragrant Branch of Glory dwell.

Dwelling
In me
In my life
In my heart
In the love I give
In my care for his church
In my compassion for the sinner
In the steps I take today in obedience
Continuing in the same direction
Leading me to the heart of God,
A place where love mingles with the sinners,
Where loves dwells in me
Come live in me today,
Come live in us today
Blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ
Amen

Adapted from Carmina Gadelica

Luke 6:32 ff.

Lord I ask for a blessing for our church today,
I pray for hearts gathered who love lavishly
I ask that we will cry often for the sadnesses we know,
And, be willing to see clearly,
Our world’s sadnesses through your eyes,
Help us to live with no illusions of false promises,
Instead plan to live with ever increasing faith,
That you will take this mustard seed and help us grow
Help us to be kind,
When all around us is selfish conceits,
Help us to be kind,
When we give to others,
Give us the regret free life,
Lived out of love, 
Help us to be kind.
Amen.

I didn’t know where to start with God this morning. So I just wrote a prayer about what was on my heart.

Prayer – For crossing into a new way

Lord, my uncharted path,
That leads me past each one of my fears,
Who day by day stare at me,
Wanting me to back down, retreat,
Into a world of safe choices, easy living,
It would be so easy, today, to surrender,
But, my heart, my restless heart,
Doesn’t settle in this world,
Everything it gives – a junk food binge
Only leaves a hunger for more.

Be with my faithful path today,
This path of simple obediences,
Serving today, here, not over there!

I ask now for a bigger dream –
That I won’t settle for easy satisfactions,
I ask that this sadness I feel –
Will remind me of how beautiful love is,
I ask that I will stop to listen to you –
So I don’t forget our conversations,
I ask that I will not give in to easy temptations –
I want my hunger to be for Eternity,
I ask that I will be patient –
Waiting isn’t one of my strong points.

Now, as this day begins,
I trust it to you, completely,
Knowing that this new way,
Is your way,
Thank you for reminders, Like
how a new day begins,
How a conversation with you,
Starts with prayer,
It always starts with prayer,
I pray this new way, will be your way.

I ask that this day might provide enough mercy
So that all that happened yesterday
And its reminders today will find perspective
Awakening to the word that “God is one”
That as I listen to his voice, peace will come.

I pray that I will know the blessing of enough
Enough to meet my daily needs, today
Enough time spent with family, in laughter
Enough shared meals, so I know I am home.

I pray that I will know the blessing of peace
Peace despite all my doubts,
Peace when the world rushes over my soul
Peace when I want to be alone,

I pray that I will know the blessing of trust
Trust when I can’t see what to trust in
Trust in the uncertainty of tomorrow
Trust that now you are with me.

Lord I ask for mercy today
I pray for blessing on this day as it arrives
You are my God, the one that I turn to
I ask that you bless this day with peace.

Amen

So, this is what a sacred space looks like,
A moment where I stop and take the time,
To reflect on the week that has passed,
Words beginning from a desire to pray,
Forming out of my thankful heart,
For a week where I had the opportunity,
To share life with others,
At work,
With my family,
And, my friends,
To offer someone a place to stay,
To attend meetings that needed my attention,
To love someone by giving freely of my time,
Cherishing the words that we shared,
Being present to whatever I am called to,
Encouraging others because I took the time,
To first hear the words of my Father,
Spoken to his beloved child,
Blessings appreciated and I am thankful for,
Because, I took a moment,
To know what’s in my heart,
A prayer written,
Because, I took the time to say to God
This is how you make your beloved feel.

I started this week by going for a walk around the Toowoomba range. This photo was a beautiful little waterfall that I found when I took an overgrown path that no one uses anymore.

Lord I pray for a more compassionate awareness,
To know when I have found the honest questions,
That I won’t fall for arrogant judgment of thinking,
I am any less wretched than the sinner sharing with me,
Humble me from any arrogance that seeks advantage,
Lift me into the confidence of the Holy Spirit’s gifts,
No longer thinking that I need all the answers,
Divine light guiding every word to its home,
I desire to bring compassionate trust to my words,
Every conversation marked by sincere concern.
Present to the beauty that you see in every soul,
Eternity’s breath the caring whisper in my ear,
Reminding me of the hope in every conversation,
Lord give me compassion for our next uncertain step,
That I share with my neighbour this coming day.

My prayer is to share my desire with hearts that long for God,
Finding a rhythm that beats in time with my fellow pilgrims,
My heart seeking others walking the same road,
Asking questions that don’t require instant answers.
Together, but finding alone the courage to make holy choices,
Learning to be still in the middle of my world’s perpetual motion,
The cares of this world put in their place by solitude and waiting,
Knowing all my dreams, hopes and worries are gifts from God,
Today, all of this is offered in trust to God’s loving kindness,
Beloved discovering another’s unique belovedness,
The gift of solitude shared in holy communion,
Offering my time trusting that I belong here,
Discovering the light in each other that guides truth,
My heart open to every God centred word,
Amen.

What gifts did I bring to the souls that met with mine?
My daily work constructed in conversations,
Choosing words that can heal or wound,
Knowing that each word chosen –
Is also the the choice of how power is wielded,
Every person that God brings to my day,
Deserves the gift of compassionate kindness given humbly,
Treasuring every word spoken with sacred trust,
Seeking the hope that lives in shared conversations,
This moment seen by Mercy who asks the question,
Was this said for you or for me?

Prayer for the Sorrow
May you see God’s light on the path ahead
When the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear,
Even in your hour of sorrow,
The gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard may hardness
Never turn your heart to stone,
May you always remember
when the shadows fall—
You do not walk alone.

As Wind carries our prayers for Earth and All Life,
may respect and love light our way.
May our hearts be filled with compassion for others and for ourselves.
May peace increase on Earth.
May it begin with me.

A great way to pray is to look for God’s presence in your life. More than 400 years ago St. Ignatius Loyola encouraged prayer-filled mindfulness by proposing what has been called the Daily Examen. The Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and to discern his direction for us. Try this version of St. Ignatius’s prayer.

1. Become aware of God’s presence. Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. The day may seem confusing to you—a blur, a jumble, a muddle. Ask God to bring clarity and understanding.

Question One – Where did I see God today?

2. Review the day with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with. What did you receive from these people? What did you give them? Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.

Question Two – What am I thankful for today?

3. Pay attention to your emotions. One of St. Ignatius’s great insights was that we detect the presence of the Spirit of God in the movements of our emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. Boredom? Elation? Resentment? Compassion? Anger? Confidence? What is God saying through these feelings?

God will most likely show you some ways that you fell short. Make note of these sins and faults. But look deeply for other implications. Does a feeling of frustration perhaps mean that God wants you consider a new direction in some area of your work? Are you concerned about a friend? Perhaps you should reach out to her in some way.

Question Three – What did I feel today?

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may involve a feeling—positive or negative. It may be a significant encounter with another person or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Or it may be something that seems rather insignificant. Look at it. Pray about it. Allow the prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart—whether intercession, praise, repentance, or gratitude.

Question Four – What should I pray for?
5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Are you doubtful? Cheerful? Apprehensive? Full of delighted anticipation? Allow these feelings to turn into prayer. Seek God’s guidance. Ask him for help and understanding. Pray for hope.

Question Five – How do I feel about tomorrow?
– See more at: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/how-can-i-pray#sthash.cPPigQg5.dpuf

O God,
I pray that I may know You and love You
So as eternally to rejoice in You
And if, in the present life, I cannot do so fully
Grant that my love and knowledge may at least grow on earth
That my joy may be fully in Heaven:
A joy expected here and there fulfilled.
O Lord our Father
You counseled, or rather commanded through Your Son
That we ask for this fullness of joy,
and You promised to grant it.
I ask of You, O Lord,
that which, through Your Wonder-Counsellor,
You encouraged us to ask and promised to grant:
That our joy may be full!
Let my mine meditate on this joy,
my tongue speak of it,
My heart desire it,
my words extol it,
My soul hunger for it,
my flesh thirst for it,
My whole substance yearn for it,
Until I enter into the joy of my God
Who is Triune and One,
blessed forever.
Amen

(Bonaventure)

My Version

God, do you hear me?
I am waiting for your answer now.

Life feels dark, and uncertain,
I long for a rest from the constant pressure of life,
It never seems to let up,
Please hear me today – Listen to my cry.

You promise that you will hear me, your child,
I have sought to live how you want me to,
I have turned my life inside out,
To make sure that there is nothing that can distract me,
From your call to live wholeheartedly for you.

I don’t care what other people say about what is important,
Money, success, career, or anything that can distract,
From opening my life completely to you,
And being completely happy with what you provide.

I will be content,
I will sleep well,
Knowing –
That I am safe in your care.

Reflection

This Psalm’s last stanza has the sentence, “In peace I will lie down and sleep”.

I have always found that when I am anxious my sleep gets disrupted. When I was depressed the one thing that I desired above all else was to sleep through the night. I dreaded going to sleep because I realised that I would wake too soon. I knew that I would wake with the problems of the day ahead tossing around my head. I felt like there was never any rest.

When David says that in peace he will sleep I understand how important this is. To be able to say tonight because God is watching over me that it doesn’t matter what else is going on I will sleep is a statement about the blessing that comes with being right with God.