As we continue the Lenten journey, I suggest we take time this week to meditate on the following prayer that has been ascribed to St Patrick, the apostle of Ireland.
O Christ, Son of the Living God,
May your holy angels guard our sleep.
May they watch over us as we rest
And hover around our beds.
Let them reveal to us in our dreams
Visions of your glorious truth,
O High Prince of the Universe,
O High Priest of the mysteries.
May no dream disturb our rest
And no nightmares darken our dreams.
May no fear or worry delay
Our willing, prompt repose.
May the virtues of our daily work
Hallow our nightly prayers.
May our sleep be deep and soft,
So our work be fresh and hard.
Over the years, I have collected numerous books of prayers. The above prayer is taken form “The Harper Collins Book of Prayers- A Treasury of Prayers Through the Ages” complied by Robert Van De Weyer, Castle Books, 1997. I find the prayers of other people help to enrich my prayer life. They remind me that before God we are part of a world wide community.
This week, I would invite you to hold our Japanese brothers and sister in your thoughts and prayers. I pray that God’s holy angels will hover over them as they struggle to deal with the aftermath of an earthquake, a tsunami and nuclear disaster. I pray that the many who have lost their homes and are forced to live in shelters will be granted a night of rest that is deep and soft. I also pray that the people of the earth will help to shoulder the burden the people of Japan are facing. May Christ hollow all our prayers and strengthen us to pick up the cross which is now ours.
“Lord of my heart,
give me vision to inspire me,
that, working or resting,
I may always think of you.
Lord of my heart, give me light to guide me,
that, at home or abroad,
I may always walk in your way.”
(from the Celtic Prayer: “Lord of My Heart”).
