Prayers for marriage (especially good for ceremony)

These are such good prayers-- they are from the Book of Common Prayer and are very good for a wedding ceremony

Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life,
author of salvation, and giver of all grace:
Look with favor upon the world you have made,
and for which your Son gave his life,
and especially upon this man and this woman
whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony. Amen

Give them wisdom and devotion in the
ordering of their common life,
that each may be to the other
a strength in need,
a counselor in perplexity,
a comfort in sorrow, and
a companion in joy. AMEN

Grant that their wills may be so knit together
in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit,
that they may grow in love
and peace with you and one another all the days of their life.Amen.

Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize
and acknowledge their fault,
and to seek each other's
forgiveness and yours. Amen

Make their life together a sign of Christ's love to this sinful
and broken world,
that unity may overcome estrangement,
forgiveness heal guilt,
and joy conquer despair. Amen.

Bestow on them, if it is your will,
the gift and heritage of children,
and the grace to bring them up to know you,
to love you, and to serve you. Amen

Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that
they may reach out in love and concern for others. Amen

Grant that all married persons who have witnessed these vows
may find their lives strengthened and their loyalties confirmed. AMEN

Grant that the bonds of our common humanity,
by which all your children are united one to another,
and the living to the dead,
may be so transformed by your grace,
that your will may be done on earth as it is in heaven;
where, O Father, with your Son and the Holy Spirit,
you live and reign in perfect unity,
now and for ever. Amen

Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love
in sending Jesus Christ to come among us,
to be born of a human mother,
and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.
We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in
his Name.
By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance
of your blessing upon this man and this woman.
Defend them from every enemy.
Lead them into all peace.
Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts,
a mantle about their shoulders,
and a crown upon their foreheads.
Bless them in their work and in their companionship;
in their sleeping and in their waking;
in their joys and in their sorrows;
in their life and in their death.
Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast
for ever in your heavenly home;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
on God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage
that in it is represented the spiritual unity between
Christ and his Church:
Send therefore your blessing upon these your servants
that they may so love, honor and cherish each other
in faithfulness and patience,
in wisdom and true godliness,
that their home may be a haven of blessing and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.Amen.

prayer/song

I like this--kindof like a prayer and song together.

God's love is a symphony

This song does express how I often fee. God's love is all around me--beneath, over, in, above and through---just like a symphony

memorizing Philippians and song about it

I am memorizing Philippians and I like this song about Philippians

wounds for the wounded

I like this quote

"In today’s Gospel passage from St. John, we have heard again of the appearance of the Risen Christ to his disciples. At that moment he brought to them the fruits of his triumph over death: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of peace. Here too we come to the work of the ordained priest: to pronounce with confidence the forgiveness of God and to bring peace to a troubled soul and a troubled world.

To this service, to this ministry we welcome our three priests today. But we must be attentive to the words of the Gospel. In bestowing these gifts, the Risen Lord also employs an eloquent gesture: he shows them his hands and his side.

He shows them his wounds. The mission they receive, the mission of reconciliation, comes from the wounds of Christ. This is the mission we share and at every Mass we once again gaze on the wounded, broken body of the risen Lord. Our mission is characterised by woundedness: a mission to a wounded world; a mission entrusted to a wounded Church, carried out by wounded disciples. The wounds of sin are our business. The wounds of Christ, even though we have caused them, are also our consolation and strength."

-Archbishop Vincent Nichols at the ordination of three Anglican bishops into the Roman Catholic Church.

Tupperware Christianity

I like what David Robinson says in "Ancient Paths"

"Many people have a "Tupperware" understanding of the spiritual life. In this view, faith and religion are kept in plastic containers with sealed lids. Our faith seldom mixes with the rest of our lives. Such people tend to ignore God at their workplace, in a restaurant, or while making love, or knitting a scarf. Those realms are in their own separate plastic containers called Career, Food, Sex, and Hobbies. Religion is just one more container. Benedict saw the Christian life differently. Spirituality is more like the coolant in the refrigerator. It infuses every container, moving right through the plastic lids and containers, keeping everything fresh and new. The ladder of humility moves us away from a compartmentalized approach to God. We begin to allow God into every aspect of our life, infusing our life with freshness."

Tribulation

A quote from St. Francis de Sales:

"Considered in themselves, trials certainly cannot be loved, but looked at in their origin--that is, in God's Providence and ordaining will--they are worthy of unlimited love.......Tribulations considered in themselves are dreadful things; looked at in God's will , they are things of love and delight. Often have we felt disgust for remedies and medicines when a doctor or apothecary gives them to us, but when offered to us by some loved hand love conquers our loathing and we take them with joy. In fact, love either removes the harsh character of suffering or makes pleasant our experience of it."

"........Afflictions are like that. If we look at them apart from God's will, they are naturally bitter. If we consider them in that eternal good pleasure, we find them all gold and more lovely and precious than can be described."

Well, this is something to think about.....it is easier when I look back on a trial than when I am in one, however!

Spiritual insight by the wee grandkids?

My daughter told us about the conversations of her two kiddies above. One is 4 and one is 2. Rhianwen is the 4 year old girl:

Funny conversation:
Rhianwen to Alden about if God is here with us: "Do you know how to obey without Him?"
Alden: silent
Rhianwen: "Ok, then, He's here!"
Take that, atheists ;0) From the mouth of babes...

Alden to mommy: "Is there food in heaven?"
Mommy: "The Bible says that there's a banquet, so I think so."
Alden: "I like God."

What the miners shirts said!!!

Did you know that one of the first things the miners asked for after they were first found was Bibles. Now look at this video and find out what their shirts said as they came out of the mines!

Blogging Break

I have been on a break in the Mountains. I will return at some point and catch up with you all!!