CowPi Journal

Alone in God my soul waits, silent. My help is from Him. Alone in God rest, my soul, in silence. My hope is from Him. He alone is my rock, my safety; I shall not be shaken. — Psalm 62:2,6-7 (from Abbey of Gethsemani)

Only in love can I find You, my God. In love, the gates of my soul spring open, allowing me to breath a new air of freedom and forget my own petty self. In love, my whole being streams forth out of the rigid confines of narrowness and anxious self-assertion, which make me a prisoner […]

My deepest desire and most longing want is to see the face of Jesus Christ. Based on one of the Beatitudes, my daily prayer is for God to purify my heart so that I may see Him, see Him in others, and for others to see Him in me. I often think or imagine or […]

As one has to learn to read or to practice a trade, so one must learn to feel in all things, first and almost solely, the obedience of the universe to God. It is really an apprenticeship. Like every apprenticeship, it requires time and effort. He who has reached the end of his training realizes […]

image of God born of God’s breath vessel of divine love after his likeness dwelling of God capacity for the infinite eternally known chosen of God home of Infinite Majesty abiding in the Son called from eternity life in the Lord temple of the Holy Spirit branch of Christ receptacle of the Most High wellspring […]

Another parabox—joy and suffering, both come from love. A friend shared this meditative reflection with me recently. I asked permission to post it. I feel waves of suffering coming from within my being. It’s as if they are at regularly determined intervals and I am just riding them; allowing each one to bounce me up […]

I’m bad about shopping for books. I cannot stop in a bookstore without rummaging through the religion/faith section. If a book looks good, I’ll purchase it in hopes of reading it some day. Sometimes, I’ll start the new book the same evening, pushing other books back in the queue, and finish the book. Sometimes, I’ll […]

O Gracious, All-Holy God, give us Wisdom to perceive You, Diligence to seek You, Patience to wait for You, Eyes to behold You, A heart to meditate upon You, And a life to proclaim You; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. — Saint Benedict

Father, have mercy on those souls who died in the shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday. Please bless the survivors, family, and friends who are left behind. May this tragedy be transformed in your Paschal Mystery from death to life, loss to gain, darkness to light. Through your Son, we pray.

Please pray for all the babies born today; that they will be drawn into a deep relationship with God and bring others to Him. Pray for all those that God calls home today; that He will grant them His grace of a good death, that is, one more chance to choose Him before they die. […]

“Repentance seeks to know the truth.” I am guilty before You. I admit it. You are the Judge. I come before You, against myself. I desire You. I want to be with You. I want Your will to be done, for You are holy. You are right against me. I love You. I judge myself […]

O my God, I ask of You for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Your holy will, to accept for love of You the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united in Heaven for all eternity. — Saint Thérèse of […]

Your words to me just a whisper Your face is so unclear I try to pay attention Your words just disappear       ‘Cause it’s always raining in my head       Forget all the things I should have said So I speak to you in riddles ‘Cause my words get in my […]

The last song on a beautiful, meditative/prayerful, instrumental CD called A Thin Silence by Jeff Johnson is this song/prayer. Circle me, O God, let Your arms enfold me. Circle me, O God, let Your love surround. Circle me, O God, let Your light shine brightly. Circle me…circle me, O God. Circle me, O God, when […]

Sound — music — prayer no words — emotions, feelings, but more… essence, existence, but more… A lifting up of the heart from within the heart, not the head, not the intellect, a place reachable without words, beyond words. The space and silence between the notes, between the sounds, between the harmonies. Silence supports it […]

At the retreat this weekend, one of my students had a small epiphany during a very special prayer moment around the Blessed Sacrament. The following words come to her; it seemed as if God was speaking directly to her within her heart. A deep sense of peace followed. She wrote down the words on her […]

Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing make you afraid. All things are passing; God alone never changes. Patience gains all things. Who has God wants nothing. God alone suffices. — The Bookmark of Saint Teresa of Avila In this beautiful prayer, Saint Teresa implies possession, but also that nothing can be possessed. She does not […]

I bind to myself today: God’s power to guide me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to teach me, God’s eye to watch over me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to give me speech, God’s hand to guide me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to shelter me, God’s host […]

Father, Please have mercy on those souls you called home this past year,    bless their families and friends who were left behind. Please bless all the babies that will be born this year;    let them be beacons of your light in the world and    draw their family and friends closer to you. […]

This song by Natalie Grant is really a prayer. It says much about where I am at lately. I can’t do this. I need Your help. I trust in You. I’ve been silent instead of speaking up Gave my advice instead of giving love I have been unfair, faithless and unkind I have shut my […]

From part of today’s second reading (Philippians 1:9-11), Saint Paul’s prayer: And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of […]

The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost heart. This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with […]

My daily prayer for Advent this year: Gracious God,    inspire us this Advent    to make straight our ways    so you can come to us and to our world. Challenge us to fill in our valleys    by increasing our deeds of charity,    by expanding our times in prayer,    and enlarging […]

A prayer to begin Advent: O God, Grant me your grace as I take up my Advent shovel to fill in the valleys of neglect in my prayer and daily life. May I be zealous in my labors of straightening out the crooked ways and leveling the mountains and hills of sin and false contentment […]