Inhumanity reigns Everyone, each and all Climbing and scraping Shouting and reacting! These words are tried, And they're never enough. Those actions, too Recycled through and through. Desire simplicity, A most intimate space. Speaking candidly To a higher face. Not as a slave and In absence of fear. Without shame and Devoid of guilt. Filled with innocence And complete with trust. It is always a surprise, Just how familiar it is. This is prayer, A conversation with God, A cont

The sun is setting in your eyes I can see it on your face. Your head is bowed And your back low. The brightness of your Illumination Is lost in the darkness of your Consternation. Were you not there When the waters of life poured From your head To your soul? Do you not remember When the eternal light Scorched your past And lit a path? Feet of clay are expected Not of heart Not of spirit Not from you. Arise My spiritual child Arise!

You are the Alpha and the Omega. I trust you are behind me I trust you are ahead of me. It's this middle thing We call life That I don't trust so much - At least half of it anyway. To my right I see the angels and the saints Interceding and protecting Praying and encouraging. To my left I see the demons and the detractors Interrupting and attacking Sneering and antagonizing. This path makes me tired. I hurt all over. And why not? It did the same to You. The Via Dolorosa They

I try to understand How it is That You are So near to me? I want to know why? I want to know how? But why do I want to know? Is it so that I can understand it? Is it so I can explain it to others? You fill me. You surround me. You are above me. You raise me up. You keep me grounded. You use my hands to bless. ...to anoint. ...to absolve. ...to commune. ...to immerse. You use my mouth to taste Your sacrifice. ...my eyes to see Your presence. ...my ears to hear Your heavenly ho

You fill me With Divine Love You surround me With Divine Fire You sustain me With Divine Waters You lead me With Divine Light I am not worthy of this Yet Here you are Never letting go Always reminding me I am in the world, But not of the world. I love you With every ounce of my being. Save me from myself and Sanctify me. An 18th c. icon of Pentecost from a private collection via Wikimedia Commons.

Mary, Most Holy, and Mother of my God. My model, My refuge, and My love. I seek, and With humility, I ask To approach your Life-Giving Spring? With all my heart, I pray... Revive, Restore, and Renew me. "O Lady graced by God, you reward me by letting gush forth, beyond reason, the ever-flowing waters of your grace from your perpetual Spring. I entreat you, who bore the Logos, in a manner beyond comprehension, to refresh me in your grace that I may cry out, 'Hail redemptive wa

Head bowed And hair soaked, My fingers grasp The woolen rope on my hand. Ebb of sin Flow of prayer, My mind in heart The knots move my fingers. Eyes closed And body still, My soul receives The silence nearer my spirit. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me, A sinner. Sounds of rain in my ears And cracks of thunder in my soul, Is praying in the rain Another Baptism, but of tears?

"Your birth, O Christ our God, dawned the light of knowledge upon the earth. For by Your birth those who adored stars were taught by a star to worship You, the Sun of Justice, and to know You, Orient from on High." O Lord, glory to You. - From the Apolytikion (a dismissal hymn) of the Feast of the Nativity - Icon of the Adoration of the Magi (from the Menologion of Basil II, 10th-11th c.)

In order for a person to serve others authentically, they must first be at peace with God and themselves. An icon of Moses at the Burning Bush

During this time of isolation, I encourage you to learn more about your inner life with God. If you do so in all earnest, you will taste His spiritual sweetness and find true rest in Him. "16. Therefore, O beloved brethren, since such good things have been offered to us and such wonderful promises have been made to us by the Lord, let us get rid of all obstacles. Let us renounce all love for the world and devote ourselves to that one good by a thorough seeking and yearning so