A Morning Prayer: Syrian Clementine Liturgy link
O God, Who art the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love,
the fountain of blessings, and the bestower of affection,
Who sendest peace to those that receive it; open to us this day the sea of Thy love,
and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Thy grace.
Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace. Enkindle in us the fire of Thy love;
sow in us Thy fear; strengthen our weakness by Thy power;
bind us closely to Thee and to each other in one firm bond of unity;
for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Amen
Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola link
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.
Amen
Prayer of Confession from the Book of Common Prayer link
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name.
Amen.
Benediction of John Newton link
“May the grace of Christ our Savior, And the Father’s boundless love,
With the Holy Spirit’s favor, Rest upon you from above.
Thus may we abide In union, With each other and the Lord,
And possess, in sweet communion, joys which earth cannot afford.”
Amen.
I’m a big fan of Tom Wright, actually.
Nick Bulbeck,
Me, too.
Me three
Ken F (aka Tweed),
🙂
Nick Bulbeck,
Same. A big fan.
Theology of Joy brings to mind Billy Collins’ poem about poetry:
Introduction to Poetry
BY BILLY COLLINS
“I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
“or press an ear against its hive.
“I say drop a mouse into a poem
“and watch him probe his way out,
“or walk inside the poem’s room
“and feel the walls for a light switch.
“I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.
“But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
“and torture a confession out of it.
“They begin beating it with a hose
“to find out what it really means.”
This is to say, personally, I’m all for enjoying joy without the theology. Just plain old joy is good enough. Feel it, enjoying the joy, as Billy notes, like waterskiing across shimmering waves under a clear blue. Or, as the Psalmist said: “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good,” like warm apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream; “blessed is the man that trusts in Him.”
Me too.