Prayers and Meditations

At the End of My Days

brass Guided Reflections, Prayers and Meditations ,

By F. Reed

And if at the end of my days
if the horrors persist and sadness prevails
if the world is chaotic, melting and flaming
if I leave my body earlier than expected
Success will be clear.

If I said Alhamdulillah for everything
if was good to my fellow human and the creatures of the earth
if I prioritized love and patience over my ego
if I spoke truth no matter the consequence
if I lived in a sustainable way and took only what I needed
if I found beauty and appreciation in every day
then my time here was not a waste
then I have accomplished something.

For I am so tired
And the woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I can feel the glow of the village from here
the laughter of those to whom I owe my life, calling me home
and I can find the strength and sabr to trek these last few miles
before I leave the body and world where I’ve loved to call home.

F. Reed is DePaul Alum. Her poem was influenced by both Robert Frost and Muslim traditions of gratitude and Sabr.

What Needs to be Repaired

brass Prayers and Meditations, Quotes ,

By Menachem Mendel Schneerson

“If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that God has left for you to complete. But if you only see what is wrong and what is ugly in the world, then it is you yourself that needs repair.”

Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was a prominent Orthodox rabbi and the seventh leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

On Prayer

brass Prayers and Meditations

Excerpt From “The Prophet” By Kahlil Gibran

you pray in your distress and in your need;
would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.

for what is prayer but the expansion of yourself into the living ether?
and if it is for your comfort to pour your darkness into space,
it is also for your delight to pour forth the dawning of your heart.

and if you cannot but weep when your soul summons you to prayer,
she should spur you again and yet again, though weeping, until you shall come laughing.

Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American writer, poet, visual artist, and philosopher. He is best known as the author of “The Prophet”, one of the best-selling books of all time.

Have the Courage

brass Prayers and Meditations

By Dean Brackley, SJ 

Have the courage to lose control.
Have the courage to feel useless.
Have the courage to listen.
Have the courage to receive.
Have the courage to let your heart be broken.
Have the courage to feel.
Have the courage to fall in love.
Have the courage to get ruined for life.
Have the courage to make a friend.

 

Dean Brackley was Jesuit priest, an educator, community organizer, author and social justice advocate who lived and worked in El Salvador starting in 1990. 

 

Listen to Your Life  

arampone Prayers and Meditations

By Frederick Buechner

Listen to your life.
See it for the fathomless mystery it is.
In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness:
Touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it,
Because in the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.

Frederick Buechner was an American author, Presbyterian minister, preacher, and theologian.