A Prayer Inspired
by the "Our Father"
OUR most holy FATHER,
Our Creator, Redeemer, Consoler, and Savior,
WHO ART IN HEAVEN:
In the angels and in the saints,
Enlightening them to love,
because you, Lord are light.
Inflaming them to love, because
you, Lord are love.
Dwelling in them and filling them with
happiness,
because you, Lord, are the Supreme Good, the
Eternal Good,
from whom comes all good, without whom there
is no good. HALLOWED BE THY NAME:
May our knowledge of you become ever clearer,
that we may know the breadth of your blessings,
the length of your promises, the height of your majesty,
and the depth of your judgments. THY
KINGDOM COME:
So that you may rule in us through your grace
and enable us to come to your kingdom
where there is an unclouded vision of you,
a perfect love of you, a blessed companionship with you,
an eternal enjoyment of you. THY WILL BE
DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN:
That we may love you with our whole heart by always
thinking of you, with our whole soul by always desiring you,
with our whole mind by directing all our intentions to you
and by seeking your glory in everything, and with our whole
strength by spending all our energies and affections of soul
and body in the service of your love and of nothing else;
and may we love our neighbors as ourselves by drawing them
all with our whole strength to your love, by rejoicing in
the good fortunes of others as well as our own, and by
sympathizing with the misfortunes of others, and by giving
offence to no one.
GIVE US THIS DAY:
In
memory and understanding and reverence of the love which our
Lord Jesus Christ had for us, and of those things which he
said and did and suffered for us.
OUR DAILY BREAD:
Your own Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
AND FORGIVE US OUR
TRESPASSES:
Through your ineffable mercy,
through the power of the Passion of your Beloved Son.
AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US:
And whatever we do not forgive perfectly, do you, Lord,
enable us to forgive to the full, so that we may truly love
our enemies, and fervently intercede for them before you,
returning no one evil for evil, and striving to help
everyone in you.
AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION:
Hidden or obvious, sudden or persistent.
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL:
Past, present and to come. Glory to
the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever.
Amen. |