CowPi Journal

An old and beautiful prayer. It is part of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom within the Byzantine Rite of the Catholic Church. Note the call to the Trinity—O Lord, O Master, O Holy One.

O Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ,
the Son of the living God,
Who came into the World to save sinners,
of whom I am the first.
Accept me as a partaker of your mystical supper,
O Son of God,
for I will not reveal Your mysteries to our enemies,
nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas,
but like the thief will I confess to You.

Remember me, O Lord,
      when You shall come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Master,
      when You shall come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Holy One,
      when You shall come into Your kingdom.

May the partaking of your holy mysteries, O Lord,
be not for my judgment, or condemnation,
but for the healing of soul and body.

O Lord, I also believe and profess that this,
which I am about to receive,
is truly Your most precious Body
and Your life-giving Blood,
which I pray, make me worthy
to receive for the remission of all my sins
and for life everlasting. Amen

O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me.
O Lord forgive me for I have sinned without number.

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night as I slept,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.

— Antonio Machado

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Lord let me find back the lost treasure of time:
Time for gentle listening to a friend,
      for sharing the play of a child,
For consoling a suffering fellow man,
For thinking without strain,
      for labour without pressure.
Time to delight in birds and flowers,
      blooming trees and lustrous green.
Time to enjoy music, friends and meals,
Time to be silent and alone,
      time to be quietly at home,
Time to be present to your mystery.
Free me from the tyranny of time urgency.
Let time not possess me neither
      the pressure of daily concerns.
Let me not cram every moment with useful
      or exciting things to do or say.
Let my life be a gentle preparation
      for the pure and precious moments
      of listening to you.

— Adrian Van Kaam, Spirituality and The Gentle Life