week 52: Clare of Assisi

Now, go calmly in peace, for you have a good escort. He who created you has sent the Holy Spirit who guards you as a mother does tenderly love her child. Amen.

week 51: Blaise Pascal

O Lord, let me not henceforth desire health or life except to spend them for thee and with thee. Thou alone knowest what is good for me; do therefore what seemeth thee best. Give to me or take from me; conform my will to thine; and grant that, with humble and perfect submission, and in holy confidence, I may receive the orders of thine eternal providence; and may equally adore all that comes to me from thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

week 50: Saint Jerome

O Lord, you have given us your word for a light to shine upon our path; grant us so to meditate on that word, and follow its teaching, that we may find in it the light that shines more and more until the perfect day.

week 49: Jean-Pierre de Caussade

Lord, may your kingdom come into my heart
to sanctify me, nourish me and purify me.
How insignificant is the passing moment to the eye without faith!
But how important each moment is to the eye enlightened by faith!
How can we deem insignificant anything which has been caused by you?
Every moment and every event is guided by you, and so contains your infinite greatness.

So, Lord, I glorify you in everything that happens to me.
In whatever manner you make me live and die, I am content.
Events please me for their own sake, regardless of their consequences,
because your action lies behind them.
Everything is heaven to me, because all my moments manifest your love.

week 48: Christina Rossetti

O God the Holy Ghost

   who art light unto thine elect,

Evermore enlighten us.

Thou who art fire of love,

Evermore enkindle us

Thou who art Lord and giver of life,

Evermore live in us.

Thou who bestowest sevenfold grace,

Evermore replenish us.

As the wind is thy symbol,

So forward our goings.

As the dov,e

So launch us heavenwards.

As water,

So purify our spirits.

As a cloud,

So abate our temptations.

As dew,

So revive our languor.

As fire,

So purge out our dross.

week 47: John Donne

Bring us, O Lord God, at our last awakening into the house and gate of heaven to enter into that gate and dwell in that house, where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise nor silence, but one equal music; no fears nor hopes, but one equal possession; no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity; in the habitations of thy glory and dominion, world without end.

week 46: William Law

O God, in whom nothing can live but as it lives in love, grant us the spirit of love which does not want to be rewarded, honoured or esteemed, but only to become the blessing and happiness of everything that wants it; love which is the very joy of life, and thine own goodness and truth within the soul; who thyself art Love, and by love our Redeemer, from eternity to eternity.

week 45: C.S. Lewis

From all my lame defeats and oh! much more
From all the victories that I seemed to score;
From cleverness shot forth on thy behalf,
At which, while angels weep, the audience laugh;
From all my proofs of thy divinity,
Thou, who wouldst give no sign, deliver me.
Thoughts are but coins.  Let me not trust, instead
Of thee, their thin-worn image of thy head.
From all my thoughts, even from my thoughts of thee,
O thou fair silence, fall, and set me free.
Lord of the narrow gate and the needle's eye,
Take from me all my trumpery lest I die.

week 44: Mechthild of Magdeburg

Greetings to you, living God.
You are mine before all things.
I am endlessly glad
That I can speak to you without guile.
When my enemies pursue me,
I flee to your arms
Where I can complain about my suffering
While you incline yourself to me.
You well know how you can pluck
The strings of my soul.
Ah, begin at once
That you may be ever blessed.
I am a low-born bride;
And yet you are my lawful husband.
I shall ever rejoice about this.
Remember how well you can caress
The pure soul on your lap
And do it, Lord, to me now,
Even though I am not worthy of you.
Ah, Lord, draw me up to you.
Then I shall be pure and radiant.
If you abandon me to myself,
I shall remain dark and sluggish.

week 43: Meister Eckhart

Truly, it is in darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest of all to us.

week 42: Frank Laubach

Christ Jesus, we thank You that at last the nations begin to see that every unfortunate one is a neighbor. We see it, Lord; help us to do it. Save us from self-firstness–and begin in me. We pray in Your name. Amen.

week 41: Evelyn Underhill

Prayer is our soul's response to God's immense attraction, and this response begins in the activity of the will.  Will and desire are the heart of the mental life turned to God.  This is not mere pious reverie.  As Saint Teresa says, at the beginning of our prayer life, we have to draw the living water out of the well.  It is hard work.  We can't leave it to chance.  God requires our communion with Him to be an act, an effort, and to cost something.  Think of the trouble we give ourselves to get time to be with those whom we love.  Is it not ever so much more important to make a way to commune with God?

week 40: Therese of Lisieux

My life is an instant
an hour which passes by;
My life is a moment
which I have no power to stay.
You know, O my God,
That to love you here on earth,
I have only today.

week 39: Gerard Manley Hopkins

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

week 38: John Chrysostom

Prayer is the light of the soul, giving us true knowledge of God. It is a link mediating between God and man. By prayer the soul is borne up to heaven and in a marvelous way embraces the Lord. This meeting is like that of an infant crying on its mother, and seeking the best of milk. The soul longs for its own needs and what it receives is better than anything to be seen in the world.

week 37: John Wesley

O Thou, who dwells in the light which no human being can approach, in whose 
presence there is no night, in the light of whose face is perpetual day: I your 
sinful servant, whom you have cared for this night and who will live today by 
your strength; I bless and glorify you for the protection of your almighty 
providence!  I pray humbly that this day and all my days may be completely 
devoted to your service. 

week 36: Bernard of Clairvaux

Oh, how good and pleasant a thing it is to dwell in the heart of Jesus!  
Who is there that does not love a heart so wounded?  
Who can refuse a return of love to a heart so loving?

week 35: Basil of Caesarea

Steer the ship of my life, Lord, to your quiet harbor, where I can be safe from 
the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me 
the gift of discernment, so that I can see the right direction in which I should 
go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even 
when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring 
hardship and danger in your name we shall find comfort and peace.

week 34: Edith Stein

Who are You, sweet Light, that fills me
And illumines the darkness of my heart?
You lead me like a mother's hand,
And should You let go of me,
I would not know how to take another step.
You are the space
That embraces my being and buries it in Yourself.
Away from You it sinks into the abyss
Of nothingness, from which You raised it to the light.
You, nearer to me than I to myself
And more interior than my most interior
And still impalpable and intangible
And beyond any name:
Holy Spirit eternal love!

week 33: Brother Lawrence

For my part I keep myself retired with Him in the depth of center of my soul as much as I can; and while I am so with Him I fear nothing;

week 32: Francois Fenelon

Teach me to pray; may you yourself pray in me and through me.

week 31: Jeanne Guyon

Prayer is nothing more than turning our heart toward God and receiving in turn his love.

week 30: Origen Adamantius

May the Lord Jesus touch our eyes, 
as he did those of the blind. 
Then we shall begin to see in visible things those which are invisible. 
May he open our eyes to gaze, not on present realities, but on the blessings to come. 
May he open the eyes of our heart to contemplate God in Spirit, 
 through Jesus Christ the Lord, 
to whom belong power and glory through all eternity.

week 29: John Cassian

And so for keeping up continual recollection of God this pious formula is to be ever set before you: “O God, make speed to save me: O Lord, make haste to help me” (Psalm 69:2).
For this verse has not unreasonably been picked out from the whole of Scripture for this purpose.
For it embraces all the feelings which can be implanted in human nature, and can be fitly and satisfactorily adapted to every condition, and all assaults.

week 28: Francis de Sales

Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life;
rather, look to them with full hope that as they arise,
God, whose very own you are,
will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it,
God will carry you in His arms.
Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;
the same understanding Father who cares for
you today will take care of you then and every day.
He will either shield you from suffering
or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.

week 27: The Desert Fathers

Bind my head and my heart in You,
Holy One,
and may I remain
in Your company this day.

week 26: Augustine of Hippo

You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You.

week 25: Ignatius of Loyola

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, 
my memory, my understanding and my whole will. 
All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: 
I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. 
Give me only Your love and Your grace; 
with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more. 
Amen.

week 24: John of the Cross

O living flame of love
that tenderly wounds my soul
in its deepest center! Since
now you are not oppressive,
now consummate! 
if it be your will: 
tear through the veil of this sweet encounter!


O sweet cautery,
O delightful wound!
O gentle hand! O delicate touch
that tastes of eternal life
and pays every debt!
In killing you changed death to life.


O lamps of fire!
in whose splendors
the deep caverns of feeling,
once obscure and blind,
now give forth, so rarely, so exquisitely,
both warmth and light to their Beloved.


How gently and lovingly
you wake in my heart,
where in secret you dwell alone;
and in your sweet breathing,
filled with good and glory,
how tenderly you swell my heart with love.

week 23: Symeon the New Theologian

I give You thanks,
to me You are a light that knows no evening,
a sun that never sets.
You cannot remain hidden,
for You fill all things with your glory.
You never hide Yourself from anyone,
but we are always hiding from You,
not wishing to come near You.
For where could You hide Yourself,
since You have no place
in which to take Your rest?
Or why should You hide,
since You turn away from no one
and are afraid of none?
Pitch Your tent within me,
gracious Master;
Take up Your dwelling in me now
and remain in Your servant unceasingly,
inseparably, to the end.
At my departure from this life
and afterwards, may I be found in You and reign with You,
who are God over all.
Stay with me, Master, do not leave me alone.
When they find You dwelling within me,
my enemies who seek always to devour my soul,
will be put to flight;
They will have no more power against me,
when they see You,
who are more powerful than all,
lodging in the house of my humble soul.
You did not forget me, Master,
when I was in the world
and sunk in ignorance,
but You chose me
and separated me from the world
and set me up in the presence of Your glory.
Keep me constant and unshaken
in the interior dwelling-place
that You have made within me.
Though dead,
I live when I gaze on You;
Possessing You, though poor,
I am forever rich,
More wealthy than any ruler.
Eating and drinking You,
clothing myself in You from day to day,
I shall be filled with blessings and delight
beyond all telling.
For You are every blessing
and all splendor and joy,
and to You is due glory,
to the Holy, Consubstantial and Life-giving Trinity,
worshiped and confessed by all the faithful
and adored in Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and to the ages of ages.
Amen.

week 22: Catherine of Siena

week 22: Catherine of Siena:
Holy Spirit, come into my heart;
draw it to Thee by Thy power, O my God,
and grant me charity with filial fear.
Preserve me, O ineffable Love, from every evil thought; warm me, inflame me with Thy dear love,
and every pain will seem light to me.
My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions.
Jesus, love, Jesus, love. Amen.

week 21: Cloud of Unknowing (Anonymous)

week 21: Anonymous (author of Cloud of Unknowing, a medieval book on contemplative prayer):
You are Wisdom, uncreated and eternal,
the supreme first cause, above all being,
sovereign Godhead, sovereign goodness,
watching unseen the God-inspired wisdom of Christian people.
Raise us, we pray, that we may totally respond
to the supreme, unknown, ultimate, and splendid height
of your words, mysterious and inspired.
There all God's secret matters lie covered and hidden
under darkness both profound and brilliant, silent and wise.
You make what is ultimate and beyond brightness
secretly to shine in all that is most dark.
In your way, ever unseen and intangible,
you fill to the full with most beautiful splendor
those souls who close their eyes that they may see.
And I, please, with love that goes on beyond mind
to all that is beyond mind,
seek to gain such for myself through this prayer.

week 20: John Baillie

week 20: John Baillie:
Eternal Father of my soul,
let my first thought today be of Thee,
let my first impulse be to worship Thee,
let my first speech be Thy name,
let my first action be to kneel before Thee in prayer.

For Thy perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:
For the love wherewith Thou lovest mankind:
For the love wherewith Thou loved me:
For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life:
For the indwelling of Thy Spirit in my heart:
For the sevenfold gifts of Thy Spirit:
I praise and worship Thee, O Lord.

week 19: Richard of Chichester

week 19: Richard of Chichester:
Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits thou hast won for me,
For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother,
... May I know thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
And follow thee more nearly:
For ever and ever.

week 18: Martin Luther King

week: 18: Martin Luther King:
And now to him who is able to keep us from falling, and lift us from the dark valley of despair to the bright mountain of hope, from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy; to him be power and authority, for ever and ever.

week 17: Michelangelo

week 17: Michelangelo:
Lord, make me see thy glory in every place.

week 16: Aelred of Rievaulx

week 16: Aelred of Rievaulx:
Lord, I sometimes wander away from you. But this is not because I am deliberately turning my back on you. It is because of the inconstancy of my mind. I weaken in my intention to give my whole soul to you. I fall back into thinking of myself as my own master. But when I wander from you, my life becomes a burden, and within me I find nothing but darkness and wretchedness, fear and anxiety. So I come back to you, and confess that I have sinned against you. And I know you will forgive me.

week 15: Thomas A Kempis

week 15: Thomas A Kempis:
O Light eternal, surpassing all created brightness, flash forth the lightning from above and enlighten the inmost recesses of my heart. Cleanse, cheer, enlighten, and vivify my spirit with all its powers, that it may cleave to You in ecstasies of joy. Oh, when will that happy and wished-for hour come, that You may fill me with Your presence and become all in all to me? So long as this is not given me, my joy will not be complete.

week 14: John Climacus

week 14: John Climacus:
Pray in all simplicity. For both the tax collector and the prodigal son were reconciled to God by a single phrase.

week 13: Patrick of Ireland

week 13: Patrick of Ireland:
As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me,
the word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Amen.

week 12: Benedict of Nursia

week 12: Benedict of Nursia:
O God, from whom to be turned is to fall,
to whom to be turned is to rise,
and in whom to stand is to abide for ever:
grant us in all our duties thy help,
in all our perplexities thy guidance,
in all our dangers thy protection,
and in all our sorrows thy peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

week 11: Martin Luther

week 11: Martin Luther:
Oh, dearest Jesus,
Holy child,
make thee a bed,
soft, undefiled
within my heart

That it may
be a quiet chamber,
kept for thee.

week 10: Joyce Kilmer

week 10: Joyce Kilmer:
I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

week 9: Hildegard of Bingen

week 9: Hildegard of Bingen:
You, all accomplishing
Word of the Father,
are the light of primordial daybreak over the spheres.
You, the foreknowing mind of divinity,
foresaw all you works as you willed them,
... your presence hidden in the heart of your power,
your power like a wheel around the world,
whose circling never began
and never slides to an end.

week 8: Columba of Iona

week 8: Columba of Iona:
Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me,
Be thou a smooth path below me,
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me,
Today - tonight - and forever.

week 7: Reinhold Niebuhr

 week 7: Reinhold Niebuhr:
God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
... the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

week 6: Sadhu Sundar Singh

week 6: Sadhu Sundar Singh:
My Lord God, my all in all, life of my life, and spirit of my spirit, look in mercy upon me, and so fill me with Your Holy Spirit that my heart shall have no room for love of any but you. I seek from You no other gift but Yourself, who are the Giver of life and all its blessings. From You I ask not for the world or its treasures, nor yet for heaven do I even make request, but You alone do I desire and long for, and where You are, there is Heaven. The hunger and the thirst of this heart of mine can be satisfied only with You who have given it birth. O my Creator! You have created my heart for Yourself alone, and not for another. Therefore, this my heart can find no rest or ease save in You, in You who have both created it and set in it this very longing for rest. Take away, then, from my heart all that is opposed to You, and enter and abide and rule forever. Amen

week 5: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

week 5: Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart,
but with you there is help;
I am restless,
but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness,
but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You were poor and in distress,
a captive and forsaken as I am.
You know all man’s troubles;
You abide with me
when all men fail me;
You remember and seek me;
it is your will that I should know you
and turn to you.
Lord, I hear your call and follow;
help me.

I remember in your presence all my loved ones,
my fellow-prisoners, and all who in this house
perform their hard service;
Lord, have mercy.

week 4: Teresa of Avila

week 4: Teresa of Avila:
Let nothing disturb you,
nothing frighten you.
All things are passing;
patient endurance attains all things;
one who God possesses wants nothing
for God alone suffices.

week 3: Julian of Norwich

week 3: Julian of Norwich:
In you, Father all-mighty, we have
our preservation and our bliss.
In you, Christ, we have our restoring and our saving.
You are our mother, brother, and Savior.
In you, our Lord the Holy Spirit,
is marvelous and plenteous grace.
You are our clothing;
for love you wrap us and embrace us.
You are our maker, our lover, our keeper.
Teach us to believe that by your grace
all shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of things
shall be well. Amen