Merton"s Famous Prayer
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really understand myself,
and the fact that I think I am following
your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the
right road, though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may
seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and
you will never leave me to face my troubles alone.
Thomas Merton
posted by Dan Phillips @ 6:10 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Thank you for posting the prayer. I've lost my copy and you met my need immediately.
Blessings,
Karen
1JOHN 4:8, 18-20...FOR GOD IS LOVE AND LOVE IS OF GOD. PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR FOR FEAR HAS TORMENT. JOHN 3:3-8...SO WHEN WE ARE BORN AGAIN OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD THEN WE ARE FILL OR BAPTIZED WITH HIS LOVE. GRACE BRINGS THIS ELEMENT OF GOD INTO OUR LIVES, THEN WE MUST CULTIVATE FURTHER INTO PRACTICE AND ENRICH THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
Think not that I am love,
Think not that I am any form.
I am that which is and is not,
Calling you out of yourself.
I am the silence of emptiness:
Desparate longing for me alone is my mark.
I am found in trembling grief:
Insatiable for you, I draw you into me.
I am the flame that purifies
the moth who is drawn into me.
I will consume you:
Rising Phoenix I am your heart.
Swirling into the depths,
Rising above the din,
I am the One who calls you home.
The desire to be loved is the unmistakable trace of god, the desire to love is his unmistakable presence!
.......starlightradio
I felt the prayer was teatament to man's humility and gratitude in God's unconditional love.
These days,souls are tried and spirits are almost prone to brokenness.But God's love makes us whole again...
Thank you for posting this. I was telling a friend about this prayer yesterday, and needed to share it with him. It has helped me on my path and I know it will help him as well.
I am a Secular Carmalite, and while I have always had a love of people, I have not understood my deep need for solitude and the "desert" in my life until I came to Carmel, and finally met Thomas Merton also! I intend to read much more about this wonderful soul's writings and philosophies, as what little I have found have helped me greatly! Theresa Mancuso
On my computer is a very battered post-note with a phrase from the Prayer of St. Francis Assisi. It is there to still the soul as I confront the world in front of me. Recently, a young child of 8, sensitive and observant beyond his years, was watching me work. Abruptly, he said, "what does that say?" and pointed to the post-it note. I slowly read to him: "Not so much to be understood, as to understand."
It is an immensely passive thought that contains all that I need to learn of listening. Merton provides the same hope for me as I grow in deeper listening silence. I shall be sharing this prayer soon; it is needed. And there will always be post-it notes on my computer for seeking little minds to learn from. Thank you Mr. Phillips for sharing Merton with us.
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