As we begin this New Year, I was conscious that I wanted to begin with a prayer. I wondered whether or not I should try to compose something myself or turn to a favorite. I was leaning heavily towards the Prayer of St. Francis when my friend, Tom McGrath, proposed one of Thomas Merton’s prayers. Especially given our parlous economic climate, it was the perfect suggestion:
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 know myself, and the fact that I think that 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 perils alone.From Thoughts in Solitude
Happy New Year!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Eric 01.01.09 at 11:00 am
Paul,
What a beautiful, meaningful prayer! It not only encourages those suffering economic woes, but also those of us who are ill, those who live in the midst of war, those who are hungry, those who are alone, and it might be a call to change for those whose lives are only about themselves.
Eric
Paul 01.01.09 at 4:47 pm
Eric,
I confess that you were very much on my mind as I chose this prayer. I’m glad that it spoke to you.
Paul
Gloria 01.04.09 at 12:32 am
After being involved with so many different religions in my lifetime I feel as if this was in a way written for me to find. I’m in the RCIA program now and still have many of those thoughts in mind.
Paul 01.05.09 at 8:01 am
Gloria,
Welcome onboard (to the blog and to the RCIA program)! I’m glad you liked the New Year’s Prayer. As I mentioned, I can take no credit because it was Tom McGrath who suggested it.
If you don’t know the author of the prayer, Thomas Merton, I strongly recommend that you pick up his spiritual autobiography, “The 7 Storey Mountain,” which is a modern spiritual classic. A convert to Catholicism, Merton had a complicated and often frustrating relationship with the Church. His monastic call, however, shines through everything.
Paul