Friday, December 12, 2008

Franciscan Benediction

I saw this prayer on another blog and thought that it really summed up what we should really be praying about. It is from a Franciscan Benediction. We (and I'm looking in the mirror when I say this) oftentimes pray too much about things that are directly effecting us and we pray that those circumstances improve/change. We certainly don't pray that our hearts be broken or that we feel any sort of discomfort whatsoever. This prayer goes against the grain of what I typically think about when I think of praying and I think these are the types of prayers that God would like to hear more of.

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

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