A SNOWY WINTER'S PRAYER

 

 

A PRAYER THAT CAPTURES

        THE HEARTS OF MANY, MANY PEOPLE

 

Good morning, good God!

I've had it with the snow, Lord.
I've had it with the cold.
I've had it with this winter.

Cold and chill, bless the Lord,

frost and chill, bless the Lord,

hoarfrost and snow, bless the Lord.

praise and exalt him above all forever...

(And I guess I've had it with Daniel 3:67, too!)

All this snow gets in my way
and narrows my road;
it slows me down, disrupts my life
and freezes my plans...

So where's the blessing, Lord?

Where's the blessing in this long,
slippery, sloppy season?

Help me find the blessing, Lord,
in storms I can't control
that chill my nights and days,
that make the going rough
whichever way I turn...

Help me find the blessing in the cold
when warmth is what I need...

Help me find your blessing when I'm buried
in the frost and snow
and longing for a season's change
within and all around me...

Your blessings come, I know,
as often in the winter as in spring,
as surely in the snow as in the sunshine,
in February just as well as April, May and June...

I cannot wait for spring to find your grace
so help me find your winter blessings, Lord,
the ones I trust you have in store for me
to warm my shivering soul...

Help me learn to bless you in the cold,
to praise you in the chill, the frost and snow:
help me learn to bless you, Lord,
in all the seasons of my heart...

Cold and chill, bless the Lord,
frost and chill, bless the Lord,
hoarfrost and snow, bless the Lord.
praise and exalt him above all forever...

Amen.

(Thanks to Fr. Austin Fleming for this prayer.)

SAY A PRAYER

 

Say a Prayer!

 

When you feel all the world has turned you down

and it's hard to smile, but easy to frown,

    SAY A PRAYER!

 

When you feel fate has dealt you a bitter hand

and there's nobody left who cares to understand,

    SAY A PRAYER!

 

When most of your days are filled with sorrow

and you feel there's little hope for a new tomorrow,

    SAY A PRAYER!

 

When you see your dreams crumble and think all is lost

and you feel that your efforts aren't worth all the cost,

   SAY A PRAYER!

 

When you feel all the breaks seem to work in reverse

and you're sure that everything just couldn't be worse,

    SAY A PRAYER!

 

When you can't understand why things happen as they do

and when things seem never to work out for you,

   SAY A PRAYER!

 

When your courage is spent and you feel your faith falter

then it's time to change all this, kneel at your altar, and,

   SAY A PRAYER!

 

(author unknown)

St. Francis de Sales and prayer

 

 

SIX STEPS TO PRAYER by St. Francis de Sales

 

St. Francis de Sales, one of the great spiritual directors among the saints, offers six steps to prayer that can allow you to enter more deeply into meditation and conversation with the Lord:

 

1.    Place yourself in the presence of God.    Remember that God is near you.  Take a moment to invite him into your time of prayer.  Meet him as if you were meeting a friend.

 

2.   Ask God for his assistance.   Ask that he would help in your meditation.   Pray that God uses this time to draw you closer to him.

 

3.   Read over a passage of Scripture or some other spiritual work.    In this case (a book of Pope Francis quotes),  your spiritual reading will be the words of Pope Francis,  but also consider supplementing this with Scripture,  the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or other spiritual readings.

 

4.   Take some time to reflect and think over what you have read.    Your goal is not necessarily to learn something but to enter more deeply into a relationship with Jesus and to understand yourself and God more intimately.  Listen to what God is trying to tell you.

 

5.   Have a conversation with God about your reflections and thoughts.    In this step,  you want to ask yourself:   What stood out to you in your spiritual reading?   What is God trying to tell you through what you just read?   What feelings arise in your heart?   Talk to God about these things.

 

6.   Conclude your time in prayer.   In your conclusion,  St. Francis recommends thanking God for your time in prayer, making petitions for yourself and others, and developing a practical resolution.   Take what insights you have gained and apply them to your life in a practical way.   For example,  do you need to be more faithful to prayer?   Do you need to forgive someone?

 

As St. Francis de Sales and many other spiritual writers make clear,  there is no perfect method or process for prayer, which is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit. 

 

(These words are from the introduction to a book,  THROUGH THE YEAR WITH POPE FRANCIS,    daily reflections taken from homilies and other addresses and articles written about our new Holy Father,   Pope Francis.   The book is published by Our Sunday Visitor and edited by Kevin Cotter.)

 

 

 

MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO PRAY

 

DIFFERENT WAYS TO PRAY:

 

(read:  Mark 7: 24-30, the story of Jesus' encounter with the Syro-phoenician woman)

 

Jesus' give-and-take comments with the mother seeking help for her daughter indicate that God seeks a dialogue with us.   Perhaps this explains why there are so many different ways to pray.   We can use 1)  formal prayer   or 2)  our own words.   We can 3)  recite a list of troubles and petitions  or  4)   clear our minds to meditate and listen.   We can 5)  shed tears    or  6)  laugh.   We can even 7)  engage in banter with God -- as this mother did with Jesus.   We must take care to nurture our conversation with God.   Remember,  there is nothing so refreshing as a good talk with a friend.

 

(Charlotte A. Rancillo shares this reflection on that Gospel passage in the missalette, LIVING WITH CHRIST , for February 13, 2014  -- the numbering is ours   --  www.livingwithChrist.us. )