Photo by Mauro Lima on Unsplash
A Morning Prayer: Syrian Clementine Liturgy link
O God, Who are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings, and the bestower of affection,
Who sends peace to those that receive it;
open to us this day the sea of Your love, and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Your grace.
Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace. Kindle in us the fire of Your love;
sow in us Your fear; strengthen our weakness by Your power; bind us closely to You and to each other in one firm bond of unity; f
or the sake of Jesus Christ.
AMEN.
For Blessings: Clement of Rome, Bishop, died in A.D. 99 or 101 link.
May God, who sees all things, and who is the Ruler of all spirits and the Lord of all flesh
– who chose our Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him to be a peculiar people –
grant to every soul that calls upon His glorious and holy Name,
faith, peace, patience, long-suffering, self-control, purity, and sobriety,
to the well-pleasing of His Name, through our High Priest and Protector,
Jesus Christ, by whom be to Him glory, and majesty, and power, and honor,
both now and forevermore.
AMEN.
A Prayer of St. Ambrose c. 339-397 link
O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore thee, a heart to delight in thee, to follow and to enjoy thee,
for Christ’s sake.
Amen
Benediction: The Aaronic Blessing link
“The LORD bless you and keep you,
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
Amen
‘servant-leaders’ versus ‘pastors who are disciples of Christ’
would pastors who were disciples themselves (followers of Christ) have led evangelical people into the culture wars?
or would these pastors instead have taught their flock to ‘put down their stones’?
Was St. Francis of Assis a shepherd who was a disciple of Our Lord when he be-friended the Sultan who gave Francis the care of the holy sites in the Holy Land????
What a strange meeting that must have been. It is said that the Sultan’s soldiers sent leopards out to attack Francis, but when they came near to see what happened, the animals were seated at Francis’s feet peacefully.
There are some qualities of humility before the Lord that can ONLY be learned at the foot of the Cross, at the hem of Our Lord’s robe, from the parables of Our Lord Himself . . . humility brings grace and grace yields the fruit of the Holy Spirit to those who are humble in the way of Christ.
Who knows what will now help the evangelical world to put down their stones????
But that is the ‘teaching’, isn’t it? Or it was 2000 years ago when Our Lord was among us.
?