April The Thirtieth

O ALMIGHTY GOD, help us to put away all bitterness and wrath and evil-speaking, with all malice. May we possess our souls in patience, however we are tempted and provoked, and not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
Enable us, O God of patience, to bear one another's burdens, and to forbear one another in love.
Oh, teach and help us all to live in peace and to love in truth, following peace with all men and walking in love, as Christ loved us, of whom let us learn such meekness and lowliness of heart that in Him we may find rest for our souls.
Subdue all bitter resentments in our minds, and let the law of kindness be in our tongues, and a meek and quiet spirit in all our lives. Make us so gentle and peaceable that we may be followers of Thee as dear children, that Thou, the God of peace, mayest dwell with us forevermore - Amen.

-- BENJAMIN JENKS (1646-1724)

April The Twenty-Ninth

MAY hopefulness dwell in our thoughts and every bad thought be dispelled.
May we always look toward a future of our making that is better than the past.
May we dwell together in the spirit of friendship and quiet respect that is due every man, woman and child.
May we offer a portion of what we have to those who have less or nothing.
May we be a light to someone suffering the dark.
May we be a joy to someone needing that comfort.
May we always give more than asked and ask for less.

- by the blog author

April The Twenty-Eighth

O LORD, who lovest the stranger, defend and nourish, we entreat Thee, all sojourners in strange lands and poor helpless persons, that they may glorify Thee out of grateful hearts; and to such men as are tyrannical and oppressive give searchings of spirit and amendment of ways, that Thou mayest shew mercy on them also - Amen.

- CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI

April The Twenty-Seventh

FATHER, The path ahead is dark,
And we know not where Thou wouldst have us to go.
Give us, oh, give us, Thy gracious guidance
And a tranquil trust in Thy love,
That we may walk forward through the gloom,
Unfaltering, fearless, and confident,
Having within us that divine light
Which maketh clear as day the darkest midnight,
Guiding the traveller who shall trust in Thee
Safe through impenetrable forests and over trackless mountains - Amen.

-JOHN S. BOYLAND

April The Twenty-Sixth

TODAY let me sense the beauty in ordinary things
Like the earth between my fingers nourishing the plants I've put in the ground.
The tiger lily, the camas flower, the columbine.
Let me admire and appreciate the loveliness of clear, sparkling water
Falling from the bucket I hold tilted
As it descends in a silver chain onto the plant
Small ... green ... ready to become something more.

Like me, the plant senses the earth is important
And holy.
The earth whirls through space
Our time here passes
And the eternities pile one upon another.

Let me sense the beauty of eternity
And the eternity of life of all sorts
And the love others have had for me
And I have had - and do have - for others.

Love, water, sunshine
Let them all work their magic
On me and the plants
I placed in the soil today.

- by the blog author

Photo:

Venus Barnett trying to raise vegetables in garden of family farm in the Dust Bowl. This is her second planting. A windstorm blew the first seedlings away. Life magazine photo, Oklahoma, 1942, by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt.

April The Twenty-Fifth

MAY the blessing of light be on you - light without and light within. May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire, so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it. And may light shine out of the two eyes of you, like a candle set in the window of a house, bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm. And may the blessing of the rain be on you, may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines, and sometimes a star. And may the blessing of the earth be on you, soft under your feet as you pass along the roads, soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day; and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it. May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly; up and off and on its way to God. And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly. Amen.

—Scottish Blessing

April The Twenty-Fourth

WE MOST earnestly beseech Thee, O Thou Lover of mankind, to bless all Thy people, the flocks of Thy fold. Send down into our hearts the peace of heaven, and grant us also the peace of this life. Give life to the souls of all of us, and let no deadly sin prevail against us, or any of Thy people. Deliver all who are in trouble, for Thou art our God, who settest the captives free; who givest hope to the hopeless, and help to the helpless; who liftest up the fallen; and who art the Haven of the shipwrecked. Give Thy pity, pardon, and refreshment to every Christian soul, whether in affliction or error. Preserve us, in our pilgrimage through this life from hurt and danger, and grant that we may end our lives as Christians (Editor note: or believe in a higher power), well-pleasing to Thee and free from sin, and that we may have our portion and lot with all Thy saints. - Amen.

- LITURGY OF ST. MARK (175-254?)

April The Twenty-Third

ACCEPT the work of this day, O Lord, as we lay it at Thy feet. Thou knowest its imperfections, and we know. Of the brave purposes of the morning only a few have found their fulfillment. We bless Thee that Thou art no hard taskmaster, watching grimly the stint of work we bring, but the father and teacher of men, who rejoices with us as we learn to work.
We have naught to boast before Thee, but we do not feat Thy face. Thou knowest all things and Thou art love. Accept every right intention however brokenly fulfilled, but grant that ere our life is done we may under Thy tuition become true master workmen, who know the art of a just and valiant life. - Amen.

- WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH

April The Twenty-Second

SHOW Thyself, O Lord, and have pity on Thy child, and bring his steps into the way of peace.
Thou that knowest our thoughts, make Thyself known to our hearts; Thou that art from everlasting, let us behond Thy truth. Hast Thou not made our souls in Thy likeness? Take away stain from the glass, and let us behold in it Thine image. When Thou willest, Thy word goeth forth; Thou breathest forth Thy love, and our souls are joined to Thee. Take away from me shame and rebuke; renew in me Thy strength, and show me the way to peace. Turn me again, and I shall be turned; take away the darkness which hideth Thee, and in the light of the living God let me see light - Amen.

- ROWLAND WILLIAMS

April The Twenty-First

AND NOW, Lord, what is my hope?
Truly, my hope is even in Thee. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet I will fear no evil. Lord, Thou knowest whereof we are but dust. I am Thine, Oh, save me! Behold, O Lord, how that I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid; Thine unprofitable servant, yet Thy servant; Thy lost prodigal child, yet Thy child.
Into Thy hands I commend myself as unto a faithful Creator. Lord, I am created in Thine own image. Suffer not Thine own image to be utterly defaced, but renew it again in righteousness and true holiness. Into Thine hands I commend myself, for Thou hast redeemed me, Thou God of Truth - Amen.

- LANCELOT ANDREWES (1555-1626)

April The Twentieth

ACCOMPLISH Thy perfect work in our souls, O Father. Bless, animate, and sustain us, and raise us mightily above all that would distract us, to Thyself and the consciousness of Thy fellowship which gives joy to all who dwell therein.
As yet we are bound with many chains; we tarry among things seen and temporal, and feel their oppression; we are exposed to the storms of the outer world, and are wrestling with its ills. But we are not dismayed, for we are more than earth and dust, we are akin to Thee, O Spirit of the Lord, and can experience Thy heavenly influence. Unite us ever more closely to the company of faithful hearts whom Thou art sanctifying and preparing for heaven; fill us with their faith and love and hope - Amen.

- V.R. REINHARD (1753-1812)

April The Nineteenth

O GOD, the true Light of believers, the eternal Glory of the just, whose light never setteth, and whose brightness knoweth no bounds; grant us to live in Thy glory, and to enter into Thine eternity; that, as Thou hast brought us through the night and granted us to see the morning, so Thou mayest bid us come to that blessed and everlasting day, where night is no more, and Thou dwellest in light, glorified by Thy saints, and adored by all them that believe; through Jesus Christ our Lord - Amen.

- AMBROSIAN SACRAMENTARY

April the Eighteenth

THANK you for today
With flowers, birds and sunshine.
For work to do and play to enjoy.
For friends in many places, near and far,
To talk to and learn from.
Thank you to our guiding spirits
Who encourage us and provide a sense of meaningful worth in this world.
Thank you most especially for the joy of music and the sweet harmony a beautiful tune,
Well written, well sung - can render.

- by the blog author

April the Seventeeth

WITH THEE, O Christ, I would arise indeed to newness of life, I beseech Thee to make all things new to me. Let the old duties, the old work, the old burdens, the old friendships, be transfigured as Thou dost touch them. Let Easter joy lift me from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness. I would fain live the risen life, my Jesus. Help me by Thy call, by Thy message, by Thy beauty, by Thy goodness, to be Thy true child, looking to Thee, and serving Thee until at last I see Thee face to face - Amen.

- FLOYD W. TOMKINS

April The Sixteenth

I AM NOT resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.

Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains, - but the best is lost.

The answers quick & keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,
They are gone. They have gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

- EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

April The Fifteenth

IN confidence of Thy goodness and great mercy, O Lord, I draw near unto Thee, as a sick person to the Healer, as one hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of life, a creature to the Creator, a desolate soul to my own tender Comforter. Behold, in Thee is all whatsoever I can or ought to desire; Thou art my Salvation and my Redemption, my Hope and my Strength. Rejoice therefore this day the soul of Thy servant; for unto Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul - Amen.

- THOMAS A' KEMPIS

April the Fourteenth

O LORD, prepare my heart, I beseech Thee, to reverence Thee, to adore Thee, to love Thee; to hate, for love of Thee, all my sins, imperfections, shortcomings, whatever in me Thou lovest, and whom Thou lovest. Give me, Lord, fervor of love, shame for my unthankfulness, sorrow for my sings, longing for They grace, and to be wholly united with Thee. Let my very coldness call for the glow of Thy love; let my emptiness and dryness, like a barren and thirsty land, thirst for Thee, call on Thee to come into my soul, who refreshest those who are weary. Let my heart ache to Thee and for Thee, who stillest the aching of the heart. Let my mute longings praise Thee, crave to Thee, who satisfiest the empty soul, that waits on Thee - Amen.

- E.B. PUSEY

April The Thirteenth

O GOD our Father, Good beyond all that is good, Fair beyond all that is fair, in whom is calmness and peace; do Thou make up the dissensions which divide us from each other, and bring us back into an unity of love, which may bear some likeness to Thy sublime nature. Grant that we may be spiritually one, as well in ourselves as in each other, through that peace of Thine which maketh all things peaceful, and through the grace, mercy, and tenderness of Thine only Son - Amen.

- JACOBITE LITURGY OF ST. DIONYSIUS

April The Twelfth

O LORD, mercifully incline Thine ears to hear our prayers, and, of Thy loving kindness, enlighten the depths of our hearts, that no evil desires may rule them - Amen.

- TREASURY OF DEVOTION

April The Eleventh

I LIVED a life without love, and saw the being
I loved on every branch; then that bare tree
Stood up with all its branches up, a great harp
Growing straight out of the ground, and there I saw
A squadron of bright birds clothing the bare limbs;
The music notes sat on the harp; it was all love.

This was the heart inside the starved body;
Love grew images like cactus, and planted roses
On the walls of the mirage, and the garden grew
Shining with perfume and the senses dwindled to dew,
The century was rolled into one formation aloft,
A cloud, like St. Veronica's handkerchief of love.

- OSCAR WILLIAMS

April The Tenth

O LORD, Thy hands have formed us, and Thou hast sent us into this world, that we may walk in the way that leads to heaven and Thyself, and may find a lasting rest in Thee who art the Source and Centre of our souls. Look in pity on us poor pilgrims in the narrow way; let us not go astray, but reach at last our true home where our Father dwells.
Guide and govern us from day to day, and bestow on us food and strength for body and soul, that we may journey on in peace. Forgive us for having hitherto so often wavered or looked back, and let us henceforward march straight on in the way of Thy laws, and may our last step be a safe and peaceful passage to the arms of Thy love, and the blessed fellowship of the saints in light. Hear us, O Lord, and glorify Thy name in us that we may glorify Thee for ever and ever - Amen.

GERHARD TERSTEEGEN (1697-1769)

April The Ninth

THANK GOODNESS for the things that work out.
Thank the beings that shelter us from catastrophe for allowing us to see a mistake at the very last moment so we might avoid it.
Thank the goddess for giving women friends to all of us - men and women, alike. Women friends are the solace that make life bearable, too many times to mention.
Thank my friends for looking in on me from time to time and not allowing me to wallow in my self-doubt and feelings of insecurity and guilt.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. My new mantra.

- by the blog author

April the Eighth

O LORD my God, for life and reason, nurture, preservation, guidance, education; for Thy gifts of grace and nature, for Thy calling, recalling, manifold recalling me again and again; for Thy forbearance, long-suffering, and long long-suffering toward me, even until now; for all from whom I have received any good or help; for the use of Thy present good things; for Thy promise, and my hope, of good things to come; for all these things, and for all other, which I know, which I know not, manifest or secret, remembered or forgotten by me, I praise Thee, I bless Thee, I give Thee thanks; and I will praise, and bless, and give Thee thanks, all the days of my life. What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits to me? Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power - Amen.

LANCELOT ANDREWES (1555-1626)

April The Seventh

O LORD, we praise Thee for our sister, the Night, who folds all the tired folk of the earth in her comfortable robe of darkness and gives them sleep. Release now the strained limbs of toil and smooth the brow of care. Grant us the refreshing draught of forgetfulness, that we may rise in the morning with a smile on our face. Comfort and ease those who toss wakeful on a bed of pain, or whose aching nerves crave sleep and find it not. Save them from evil or despondent thoughts in the long darkness, and teach them so to lean on Thy all-pervading life and love, that their souls may grow tranquil and their bodies, too, may rest. And now, through Thee we send Good Night to all our brothers and sisters near and far, and pray for peace upon all the earth - Amen.

WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH

April The Sixth

O GOD, the Consolation of all such as be sorrowful, and the Salvation of all them that put their trust in Thee, grant unto us, in this dying life, that peace for which we humbly pray, and hereafter to attain unto everlasting joy in Thy presence, through our Lord Jesus Christ - AMEN.

ROMAN BREVIARY

O LORD, make us to love Thee, and each other in Thee, and to meet before Thee to dwell in Thine everlasting love - AMEN.

E.B. PUSEY

April The Fifth

O LORD, make us to love Thee, and each other in Thee, and to meet before Thee to dwell in Thine everlasting love - AMEN.

E.B. Pusey

April The Fourth

THE day returns and brings us the petty round of irritating concerns and duties. Help us to play the man, help us to perform them with laughter and kind faces, let cheerfulness abound with industry. Give us to go blithely on our business all this day, bring us to our resting beds, weary and content and undishonored, and grant us in the end the gift of sleep. - AMEN.

R.L. STEVENSON

April The Third

THEN the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting; neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him, innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
- He delivereth and rescueth and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions -

DANIEL, 6 - 16-23 AND 27

April The Second

O ALMIGHTY FATHER, who, in Thy divine mercy, dost cover the earth with the curtain of night, that all the weary may rest; grant to us, and to all men, rest in Thee this night. Let Thy grace, we beseech Thee, comfort and support all those that are to spend it in sorrow or in fear. Let no shadow from the sins of this day darken our souls, but let the light of Thy countenance make a perpetual day within us, that so, when the night is past, and the light of day returned, we may rise with cheerful strength and gladness, to serve Thee in all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Amen.

LAWRENCE TUTTIETT

April The First

BLESSED BE your breath. May your breathing be deep and relaxed. May you breathe in power with every breath you take. Blessed Be each breath you take.

Blessed be the fire inside you. May your will be unbroken. And may it be as strong as fire, and as supple. May your will be as strong as water, and as supple. May your passions burn truly and free. Blessed Be your fire, may it burn strong.
Blessed be the waters of your life. May your blood be strong. May the flow from your loin be joyful and fertile.
Blessed Be all your life-waters. Blessed Be the earth of your body. May your muscles be strong and fearless. May your heart beat with love, soul, vigour and courage. Blessed Be your body which is the body of the Gods and Goddesses.
Blessed Be your spirit. May you always have health in spirit. May you be whole. Blessed Be your spirit.

May you always have community.
May you be prosperous in all ways.
May you love and be loved.
May your voice - both your complaints and your special offerings to the world - be truly heard.
May you always be surrounded by the warmth of family and community. May you know the innate goodness of your being.

Blessed Be.

Francesca De Grandis, copyright 1996