HEAVENWINDOW
PRAYERS FOR CONTEMPLATION
PART TWO
ARUBOTH HASHAMAIM = WINDOWS OF HEAVEN
Catharina's Boat
House Mass
Isaiah 6.3
{Holy, Holy, Holy is Jehovah of Hosts, Is Full All the Earth of His Glory
Baruch ata adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam, she'hechiyanu v'kiymanu v'higianu, lazman hazeh.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time.
Elisabeth of the Trinity, translated, Michel Perrin in Thailand
{O my God, adorable Trinity, help me to forget myself totally so that I can abide in you, without any movement, in peace, as if my soul were already in eternity; let nothing trouble my peace or take me away from you,
O Immutable, but let each minute carry me further into the depth of your Mystery! Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved home and the place of your rest; let me never leave you alone in it, but let me be wholly here, all awakened in my faith, all adoring, all surrendered to your creative energy.
St. Richard of Chichester's Prayer
{Thanks
be to
you,
my Lord, Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits you have
given
me,
For all the pains and insults
which
you bore for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, Friend
and Brother,
May I know you more clearly, Love
you more dearly
And follow you more nearly.
Ti ringrazio, mio Signore,
Gesù
Cristo,
per tutti i benefici che mi hai
concesso,
Per tutte le pene e gli insulti
che tu hai sopportato per me.
Oh Redentore misericordiosissimo,
amico e fratello,
Possa io conoscerti più
chiaramente, amarti più caramente,
E seguirti più intimamente.
{ Who sings, prays twice. Augustine
LAUDATE EVM IN PSALTERIO ET CVTHARA
{The arms you bear are five wounds. Ah, then, my daughters, this must be our device also if we are to inherit the kingdom of God . . . . .
{God is the infinite intellectual sphere with as many circumferences as centres and whose centre is everywhere and circumference nowhere. He is entire in his least part.
{I give
you the
end
of a golden string:
Only wind it into a ball
It will lead you in at Heaven's
gate
Built in Jerusalem's wall.
Do a te un filo d'oro
Soltanto fai di questo una
palla.
Conducerai alla porta dei
Cieli
Messo nel muro di Gerusalemme.
Jerusalem,
The Gate Called Golden to the Temple
{The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son: and he utters Him for ever in everlasting silence, and in silence the soul has to hear it.
Instructions for Novices
{It is a time in which we come to realise that our bridal wreath must be his crown of thorns; and the portrait he sends to comfort us in our longing for the direct sight of his beautiful face, is a Crucifix.
{Rabbis say, If you have learnt much Torah, ascribe no merit to yourself. You were created for this.
LAVDATE EVM IN TIMPANO
{Humility treads upon asps and cockatrices and tramples underfoot lions and dragons, that is sin, despair, the devil and the flesh.
Instructions for Novices
{Two great gifts which our Lord left to his Church are the Psalter and the Lord's Prayer . The only gift which is greater than these is the gift of himself.
{The
divine Word
in
the pregnant Virgin
comes your way if you give her
lodging.
{Therefore do not fret about trivialities; you were not made for trivial things, and the glory of the world is only a travesty of truth, only a heresy of happiness.
{There is a Jewish saying, that God worked for six days making the world, and he was able to rest on the seventh because on the sixth day he had made something to forgive: he couldn't rest till he had made something that needed his forgiveness.
Moses' Song, Deuteronomy 32.2-3
{May
my teaching
drop
as the rain, my speech distil as the dew,
As the gentle rain upon the
tender
grass,
and as the showers upon the herb.
For I will proclaim the name of
the Lord.
Ascribe greatness to our God.
{What a man loves, a man is. If he loves a stone, he is a stone. If he loves a man, he is a man. If he loves God - now I dare say no more: if I were to say that then he is God, you might stone me.
Hans Memling, 'St John Writing
Revelation',
St John's Hospital, Bruges.
Reproduced by permission,
Memlingmuseum,
Stedelijke Musea, Brugge, Belgium
{Unless the whole world and all of time becomes small in you, you will not see God
Ephraim the Syrian, Hymn to
the
Nativity XII
{The babe that I carry carries me,' said Mary, 'and he has lowered his wings, and taken and placed me between his pinions, and mounted into the air; and a promise has been given me that height and depth shall be my sons'
This is from Donatello's
Cantoria,
also in the Museum of the Opera del Duomo
{In the house of the Lord God of Israel, may Michael, the protector of God, be at my right hand; and Gabriel, the power of God, at my left; before me Uriel, the light of God; behind me Raphael, the healing of God; and above my head, Shechinah El, the presence of God.
Child's Prayer before Sleep, Norfolk
Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John,
Bless
the bed that I lie on
Four
corners
to my bed,
Five
angels
there lie spread;
Two at
my head,
Two at
my feet,
One at
my heart, my soul to keep.
Psalm 118.17
{I shall not die, but live . and declare the works of the Lord
{Poverty is good and contains within itself all the good things of the world. It is a great domain - I mean that he who cares nothing for the good things of the world has dominion over them all.
Latin American Grace
{O God,
to
those who
have hunger, give bread
and to us who have bread, give
the hunger for justice.
{Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctifies us by your Commandments and command us to light the Sabbath candles.
St Sergius of Radonez
Outside Settignano, amongst olive groves is a small monastery, founded by Don Divo Barsotti. Its young monks and nuns walk to Mass, like grey sculpted columns. On the chapel's outer wall, so that passers-by may read, are these words:
{Nessun
uomo,
nessuna
creatura,
nulla nel cielo e sopra la terra
ti adora più:
nessuno ti conosca o ti ammiri,
nessuno ti serva, ti ami,
illuminato dallo spirito,
battezato nel fuoco,
chiunque tu sia:
laico, vergine, sacerdote,
tu sei trono di Dio,
sei la dimora, sei lo strumento,
sei la luce della divinita . .
. .
All the immensity, the unity
which
transcends all, is the Holy Spirit. The gift which comes from the abyss
and penetrates all and of itself is one and indivisible, fills all
things,
and transforms all into one light.
No one, no creature, nothing of
the sky or above the earth could adore you more, no one could know or
admire
you more, no one could serve you or love you more, illuminated by the
Spirit,
baptised in flame, whoever you are.
Lay person, nun
or priest, you are the throne of God, you are his dwelling, you are the
instrument, you are the light of God . . . .
Sergius of Radonez is Julian of Norwich's Russian contemporary. Nothing has survived of Saint Sergius' writings. This poem came in a dream to don Divo Barsotti, C.F.D . - and is influenced by Blessed Julian.
{Let
nothing
disturb
you,
Nothing afright you,
God never changes.
Patience gains all things,
Who has God wants for nothing,
God alone is enough.
With profound thanks to Sister Elizabeth A. West, L.C.M, Australia, who has a particular love for Fiesole - and who prefers being called 'Liz'.
Another version has just come:
{Let nothing trouble you, Let nothing affright you, All things are passing, God alone is unchanging, Who possesses God, Wants for nothing, God alone suffices.
And Godfriend Catharina Lindgren sends us this by e-mail, which has done lovely things in the transmission to the Swedish and Spanish texts:
{Inget får skaka dig, Nada te turbe, inget förskräcka. nada te espante, Allting skall klarna, todo se pasa. Gud är densamme. Dios no se muda, Vänta och vaka, la paciencia allt skall du vinna. todo lo alcanza; Den som har Gud kan quien a Dios tiene ingenting sakna. nada se falta: Gud ensam räcker. Sólo Dios basta.
JESU WHO
OUGHT
TO BE PRAISED/GESU’ CHE DEVE ESSERE LODATO
| It were as easy for Jesu
Era così facile per Gesù To renew the withered tree Rinnovare l’albero secco As to wither the new Quanto rinsecchire il nuovo Were it His will so to do. Se è Lui a volerlo Jesu! Jesu! Jesu ! Jesu! meet it were to praise Him. E’ degno di lode There is no plant in the
ground |
There is no life in the sea, Non c’é alcuna forma di vita nel mare There is no creature in the river, Non c’é alcuna creatura nel fiume There is naught in the firmament, Non c’é nulla nel firmamento But proclaims His goodness. Che non proclami la Sua bontà Jesu! Jesu! Jesu! Jesu! meet it were to praise Him. There is no bird on the
wing, |
THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD, /LA PRATICA DELLA PRESENZA DI DIO, BROTHER LAWRENCE,/ FRA LORENZO, O.CARM.
The first time I saw Brother Lawrence was upon the 3rd of August, 1666. He told me that GOD had done him a singular favour, in his conversion at the age of eighteen.Trad. ADIncontrai Fra Lorenzo la prima volta il 3 agosto 1666. Egli mi disse che Dio gli aveva concesso una grazia particolare, la sua conversione a diciotto anni d’età.
That in the winter, seeing a tree stripped of its leaves, and considering that within a little time, the leaves would be renewed, and after that the flowers and fruit appear, he received a high view of the Providence and Power of GOD, which has never since been effaced from his soul. That this view had perfectly set him loose from the world, and kindled in him such a love for GOD, that he could not tell whether it had increased in above forty years that he had lived since.
Vedendo in inverno un albero spoglio, e riflettendo che in breve tempo le foglie sarebbero germogliate di nuovo e i fiori e i frutti sarebbero comparsi ancora, egli percepì fortemente la Provvidenza e la Potenza di Dio, che dall’ora in poi mai abbandonò la sua anima. Mi disse che questa visione lo liberò completamente dal mondo, e accese in lui un tale amore per Dio, che non saprebbe dire se tale amore fosse divenuto più grande nei successivi quarant’anni della sua vita.
Julian of Norwich
{Pray entirely inwardly , though you feel nothing, though you see nothing; yes, even though you think you cannot for dryness and barreness, in sickness and feebleness. Then is your prayer fully pleasing to me, though you think it only saves you a little. And so is all your living prayer in my sight.
Julian of Norwich
{For this is our Lord's will, that our prayer and our trust be both alike large. For if we trust not as much as we pray, we do not fully honour our Lord in our prayer, and also we tarry and pain ourselves. And the cause, as I believe, is that we know not truly that our Lord is ground himself from whom our prayer springs. And also that we know not that it is given us by his grace, of his great and tender love.
Julian of Norwich
{And after this I saw God in a point . That is to say in my understanding. By which sight I saw that he is all things.
St Birgitta of Sweden
{Amor meus crucifixus est
St Birgitta of Sweden, Her Daily Prayer,
{Thou true and living Son of God, and Son of the Virgin, who of Thy own free will didst allow Thy hands and feet to be pierced, and didst suffer so great bitterness for the health of my soul, grant, O most sweet Jesus Christ, to enter into my heart, and there to be consumed with burning love. I beseech Thee, O most adorable Redeemer, for the sake of the nails and the spear which were withdrawn from Thy dead body, and from Thy so sorely wounded heart, to withdraw from my heart the desire of all that things that offend Thee. Amen.
St Ignatius Loyola
{Receive
Lord,
my
entire liberty, my understanding, my memory, my will.
From Thee I have received all
things,
to Thee I return all things.
Give me but Thy grace and Thy
love.
I ask nothing else of Thee.
God for thi goodnes geue vnto/ me thy selfe: for thou art I nough/ to me. & I may no thyng aske/ that is lesse. that may be fulle wur=/shyppe to thee. And yf I aske eny//thyng that is lesse. euer me wantith. but only in th e I haue alle. And thes/ wordis. god of thy goodnes it are/ fulle louesum to the soule. and ful/ nygh touchyng th e wylle of our/ lorde. ffor his goodnes comprehen= Westminster Cathedral Manuscript, Julian of Norwich, Showing of Love
{God, of your goodness, give me yourself. For you are enough for me. And I may ask nothing that is less, that may be of honour to you. And if I ask anything that is less, I am always in want. For only in you I have all.
{ And these words, 'God, of your goodness', are greatly beloved by the soul, and very near to the will of our Lord.
David's Prayer When Dying, 1 Chronicles 29.10-17
{Blessed are you, O Lord, . . . forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. . . . And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name. . . . For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
Fioretta Mazzei 's Prayer of Thanksgiving when Dying, Florence, 1998
GRAZIE
'{Grazie' e` la parola piu` completa e piu` totale che fin dalla nascita l'uomo possa rivolgere al suo Creatore per tutti quelli che lo circondano.
Su questo 'grazie' si puo` vagare all'infinito pero` io tengo ora a ricondurlo ai miei 'grazie' dall'infanzia a questi 75 anni costellati solo di grazie.
Un 'grazie' contiene anche affetto, riconoscenza ed e` quello che volevo consegnare ad ognuno di voi, a cominciare dai piu` piccini, dai piu` dimenticati, dai tanti che non si sono nemmeno accorti che mi facevano dire 'grazie' e di cui e` piena tutta la mia vita.
Un grazie anche a tutti i miei familiari e alle ricchezze morali che me hanno consegnato, pero` lo ripeto, e devo dire di averlo sentito per tutta la mia vita, che questo 'grazie' e` soprattuto legato ai tantissimi che ho visto, conosciuto e amato senza storia e senza perche`. A questi e a tutti spero di dire per ciascuno un 'grazie' potente dalle braccia della Madonna, dei miei angeli custodi e di tutti quelli con cui staro` con gioia per sempre in Paradiso.
Fioretta
dettata il 2 ottobre 1998, festa degli Angeli Custodi
'{Grazie, Thanks. Thanks is the most complete and most total word that ever since one's birth one can give to one's Creator for all that surrounds one. Upon this "Thanks" I could go on discoursing to infinity because of all my "Thanks", which from infancy to these seventy-five years are star-studded only with thanks. A "Thanks" contains all affection, recognition and is what I would have wished to have given to each one of you, to begin with the littlest, those most often forgotten, those most unsure even that I would have said "Thanks" and of whom all my life is full. "Thanks" also to all my companions and all the moral value that they have given me, but I repeat, and ought to say it so as to have it be heard for my whole life, that this "Thanks" is above all for the so very many whom I saw, knew and loved who are outside of history, beyond meaning. To these and to all I hope to be able to say for each one a potent "Thanks" from the arms of Our Lady, of my guardian angels and of all with whom I shall be in joy for ever in Paradise.'
Dictated, Feast of the Guardian Angels, 2 October 1998
Joseph Chiwatenha's Prayer in Canada amongst Jesuits
{O
God, at last
I
start to understand you.
You made the earth which we live
in. You made
the sky which
we see above us. You
made us, we
who are called people.
Now you let me start to know who
you really are.
I know how to make a canoe, and
how to enjoy
it I know how
to build a cabin and how to
live in it.
But you... you made us, and you
live in us.
The things we make last for a few
seasons. We
only use the
canoes we create for a short
time. We only
live in the houses we build
for a few
years.
But your love for us will
endure so long
that we cannot count the
time. You will
comfort us forever.
As long as we live, how can
anyone
not
acknowledge
you? You are the one who
protects us.
The time we feel your presence
the most is
when we face
death You are the one with
the power to
keep our souls alive, because
only you know
how to love us in the
deepest part
of ourselves.
Not even a mother or father can
love a human
being the way
you do. Your love for us is
so strong that
it makes evil spirits lose
their power.
Now I begin to see that the
reason
you made us
is because you
want to share your love.
Nothing attracts you as much as
your
people.
Thank you for letting me
understand
you
You love us
so deeply that all I can do in return
is offer
myself
to you I claim you as my
elder and
chief
There is no one else.
Ask me for anything you want Just
let me
always hold
you in my heart. I always
want to feel
you watching and protecting
me.
I offer you my family. If any
evil
strikes them
when I am
away,
I know you will take
care of them
Your love is more than I can
ever give them
Thank you ... from my heart.
I see the loving way you lead us
along the path
of life. You
want what is best for us.
If we have poverty, let us feel
your love in it.
If we get rich, do not let
comfort
make us forget
that we need
you Never let us turn into
selfish
people.
Never let us think we are
better than
others who have less.
You love us equally, rich and
poor.
We are
people, your
people, and you love us as
we are.
It fills me with joy to know you.
I can feel the
presence of
your love.
Thank you for letting me give you
myself just
as I am
The more I thank you, the more
I find I can give
myself to you
Help me let go of the things I
used to place my
faith in. All
I ask is to be yours.
It would have been enough to give
us ~ and
the gifts of
the earth Thank you for them
But you've given us much more.
In you,
we live
forever.
I can hardly imagine what heaven
is like, but it
is enough for
me to know your love and to
believe in you
with all my heart.
You have promised to let us be
free spirits in
you, and
because
I know you love us,
your promise
gives me hope.
Help us to welcome suffering fit
means we will
know our need
of you more deeply. In our
suffering,
help
us give ourselves to you
We don't have to be afraid to
die,
because
death is the
new birth that lets us live
fully in you
Life is a journey, and with
you as our
companion
and our
destination,
it will end with great joy.
Lord, I am not afraid of death
anymore. I will
rejoice when
I know the time has come for
me to die.
I do not even want to mourn the
passing of my
relatives. All
I need to remember is you
are bringing
them to be with you in
paradise. You
want to take them away so
they can have
perfect happiness.
Amen
LAVDATE EVM IN CIMBALIS IUBILANTIONIS; O MNIS SPIRITVS LAVDET D OMINVM
'LAVDATE DOMINU M IN SANCTIS EIVS; LAVDATE EV M IN FIRMAMENTO V IRTVTIS EIVS; L AVDATE EVM SECVNDVM MVLTITVDINEM MAGNITVDINIS EIVS
LAVDATE EVM IN SONO TVBAE; LAUDATE EVM IN PSALTERIO ET CVTHARA: LAVDATE EVM IN TIMPANO
ET CHORO; LAVDATE EV
M IN CORDIS ET ORGANO; LAVDATE EVM
IN CIMBALIS BENE SONANTIBUS: L
AVDATE EVM IN CIMBALIS IUBILA
NTIONIS; OMNIS SP
IRITVS LAVDET DOMINVM'.
Dreaming Prayer
Creator Spirit,
you created all things, seen and
unseen,
listen to our silent prayer as
we stand here before you.
Our weary eyes look back
over distant horizons, back to those days where our people walked.
The footprints of our ancestors
are imprinted on the earth, and their images are real to us.
We see our grandfathers, standing
tall and strong, warriors of long ago.
We see our grandmothers, strong
and hard working women.
We hear them singing, we see them
dancing, and our spirits move within us.
They told of emus fighting, and
the kangaroos picking up the scent of our hunters
…………
The images fade away as we feel
the hurt of our people.
We can hear the cries of our
grandmothers
as they cry for their children.
Loving Creator, you can see us
as we stand here and feel this hurt.
Let us walk with you, loving
Creator,
towards the dawning of a proud and new nation.
We thank you for our sacred being.
Reconciliation Prayer
Holy Father, God of Love
You are the Creator of this land
and of all good things.
We acknowledge the pain and shame
of our history
and the suffering of our peoples,
and we ask your forgiveness.
We thank you for the survival of
indigenous cultures.
Our hope is in you because you
gave your Son Jesus
to reconcile the world to you.
We pray for your strength and
grace
to forgive,
accept and love one another,
as you love us and forgive and
accept us
in the sacrifice of your Son.
Give us the courage to accept the
realities of our history
so that we may build a better
future
for our nation.
Teach us to respect all cultures.
Teach us to care for our land and
waters.
Help us to share justly the
resources
of this land.
Help us to bring about spiritual
and social change
to improve the quality of life
for all groups in our communities,
especially the disadvantaged.
Help young people to find true
dignity and self esteem by your Spirit.
May your power and love be the
foundations
on which we build our families,
our communities and our nation,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prepared by Wontulp-Bi-Buya, Indigenous Theology Working Group, 13th March 1997, Brisbane
Wontulp-Bi-Buya is the Queensland branch of Nungalinya College, Darwin, and provides leadership training for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. The Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and Uniting Churches support Wontulp-Bi-Buya in Queensland. A group of Aboriginal Christian leaders from the partner Churches of Wontulp-Bi-Buya form the Indigenous Theology Working Group. They meet periodically for discussion and draw on their life experiences, traditional spirituality, Biblical reflection and Christian spirituality, to give expression in indigenous theology for the everyday life of their people. http://www.acc.asn.au/Liturgy.html#twelve
Isaiah 30.15
{In
returning
and
rest shall you be saved;
in quietness and in confidence
shall be your strength.
St Birgitta's Prayer
{Pray for me, apostles and evangelists, and all those who were enclosed in the house at Pentecost when you received the Holy Spirit, for what you felt then, when you received courage to speak, and to serve Him did not spare your bodies from all pain and trouble. Help me, that by your prayer the same Spirit is worthy to visit my heart and come alight in it and never cease and be quenched. Then I would receive words and deeds to do and speak according to His blessed will.
St Birgitta structured her Order of the Most Holy Saviour upon Mary as Head of the Church at Pentecost.
St Birgitta's Prayer Written for a Friend
{OLord, my God, my Creator, my Redeemer! I, an unworthy sinner, beseech Thee, by Thy great and merciful miracle, whereby Thou dost change the Bread into Thy true Body and the Wine with the water into Thy Blood, and to everlasting health-giving refreshment; bend my will entirely according to Thy will, so that in thought, word and deed I may always do what is pleasing to Thee.
Julian of Norwich
and in this he shewed me a lytil/ thyng the quantite of a hasyl/ nott. lyeng in the pawme of/ my hand as it had semed. and it was as rownde as eny ball. Westminster Cathedral Manuscript, Julian of Norwich, Showing of Love
{And so in this sight I saw that he is all that is good as to my understanding. And in this he showed me a little thing the size of a hazel nut lying in the palm of my hand it seemed. And it was round as any ball. I looked on it with my understanding and I thought what may this be. And it was answered generally thus, 'It is all that is made.'
{I marveled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nought for littleness . And I was answered in my understanding, 'It lasts and ever shall. For God loves it, and so has everything its beginning by the love of God.'
{A hazel nut in the hand looks much like a hand-forged nail-head. There is a tale that gypsies tell to exonerate themselves of their stealing, that they even stole the nails from the Cross , and relieved His pain. Take that nail into your hand. Free His hands from our nails, so that he can Create us again, and unravel our 'noughting' of His Creation, ourselves. We can be oned to his creating, his healing, hands. }
Counterclockwise: white ochre
for
spiritual protection from Australia, blessed olive leaves from
Montebeni,
one small wild English hazel nut, one large Australian hazel nut,
clapper
stick carved from oak, one of two, made by Annette Zerberis in
Melbourne,
Australia, of two women working at the mill, for reconciliation.
Wisdom 11.22-24
{For
the whole
world
before you is like a speck that tips the scales,
and like a drop of morning dew
that falls on the ground.
But you are merciful to all, for
you can do all things,
and you overlook people's sins,
so that they may repent.
For you love all things that
exist,
and detest none of the things
that
you have made,
for you would not have made
anything
if you hated it.
The heavens shall declare the glory of God
Luke 15.24
{And he said unto him, 'Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.'
Amen . Amen.
Amen.
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