Divine Mystery,
You are the silent source of life and love.
I believe you are supremely trustworthy,
Yet I do not always know how to trust you.
I too readily give in to fear, anxiety, and worry.
There is so much suffering in the world,
So much division, and so much anger.
Sometimes I cannot help but feel that the turmoil
In others requires me to yield to the turmoil in me.
Help me to understand, to see, and to walk
The contemplative path of peace, trust, and service.
Help me to center my heart in your felicity and joy,
So that serenity and gladness may inspire me
To embody your humble and confident power
For fostering justice, mercy, inclusion, and care.
Most of all, teach me to trust you generously,
Lavishly, and cheerfully, so that through this
Generous trust, I may truly be your beacon of light.
Resting in your timeless presence I pray,
Amen.
Julian of Norwich had this to say about her fourteenth showing or vision: “our lord God is ground of our beseking. Herein was seen two fair properties: that one is rightful prayer, that other is seker trust, which he will both be alike large.”1 Rendered into today’s English: the Holy One is the ground of our prayer, and herein we see two fair qualities: one is attentive prayer, the other is secure trust, and we are called to be generous with both.
This sentence of Julian’s has been deeply meaningful to me over the years, as I have sought to weave generosity, trust and prayer together as a braid of grace in my life. This prayer I wrote this morning was inspired by Julian’s wisdom. I hope it may be of some use to you as well.
From the AnamChara archive: This article was first published on November 6, 2024. I’m reposting it especially to share with new readers, while trusting that longtime subscribers will enjoy revisiting it.
Nicholas Watson & Jacqueline Jenkins, eds., The Writings of Julian of Norwich: A Vision Showed to a Devout Woman and A Revelation of Love (Penn State Press, 2006), p. 125.