On Prayer to God

"The purpose of the prayers and the meditations [of Anselm] is to stir up the mind of the reader to the love or fear of God, or to self-examination. The are not to be read in a turmoil, but quietly, not skimmed or hurried through, but taken a little at a time, with a deep and thoughtful meditation" (pg. 89)

Almighty God, merciful Father, and my good Lord,

have mercy on me, a sinner.

Grant me forgiveness of my sins.

Make me guard against and overcome

all snares, temptations, and harmful pleasures. (5)

May I shun utterly in word and indeed,

whatever you forbid,

and do and keep whatever you command.

Let me believe and hope, love and live,

according to your purpose and your will. (10)

Give me heart-piercing goodness and humility;

discerning abstinence and mortification of the flesh.

Help me to love and pray to you,

praise you and meditate upon you.

May I act and think in all things according to your will (15)

purely, soberly, devoutly,

and with a true and effective mind.

Let me know your commandments, and love them,

carry them out readily, and bring them into effect.

Always, Lord, let me go on with humility to better things (20)

and never grow slack.

Lord, do not give me over

either to my human ignorance and weakness

or to my own deserts,

or to anything, other than your loving dealing with me.

Do you yourself in kindness dispose of me, (25)

my thoughts and actions, according to your good pleasure,

so that your will may always be done

by me and in me and concerning me.

Deliver me from evil (30)

and lead me to eternal life

through the Lord.

St. Anselm, "Prayer to God," trans. Sister Benedicta Ward, S.L.G. (1973).

On Grace, Worship And Love

I was blessed to remember this hymn.

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear!

What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.

O what a peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer!

- Joseph Scriven, "What A Friend We Have in Jesus," 1855.

C.f. Jesus' words to his disciples:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

- John 15:16f

On Election, Joy, Glory, Love And The Supremacy Of Christ

Jesus makes clear the connections between election, glory, love, the joy of heaven and the supremacy of Christ for us. Jesus prayed:

Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

- John 17:24

On Prayers, The Heart, And Love

Laredo Day 59: People always say that prayers are often windows to one's heart. When a 9 year old prays for his mother it begins with "thank you Lord for my mother, she's so pretty..."

On Early Birds

Laredo Day 57: today David and I went to early morning prayer. I get home and lay down. What's the first thing a 9 year old does when he gets home? He goes and wakes up his brother and then runs into his parents room to wake them up. Sorry :(

On God, Holiness, And Humility

"Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD;"

- Genesis 19:27

What will I see?

On Joy, Worship, And God

‎"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

- Psalm 118:24

On The Depravity Of Man, God's Mercy, And The Freedom of Man

Today I was reading through Psalm 81 and came across vvs. 11f. Needless to say, my mind immediately thought of Paul's words in Romans 1:24-27. Consider:

So I gave them over to their stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices

- Psalm 81:12

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

- Romans 1:24

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.

- Romans 1:26

Needless to say, if one desires a practical illustration of Psalm 81:12, one only has to read Romans 1:18-32. It also raises the question, "What is the natural state of the heart of man?" Scripture seems to be clear, the devices of man are sin, and the heart of man appears to be naturally stubborn and in a state of rebellion against the Lord.

Lord as I read your word, Father, help me to have a repentant and soft heart. That, when I hear your Word that Your Holy Spirit would grant my heart faith, hope and love that would spring forth obedience in order to walk according to Your ways living by faith in the Son of God, Jesus, who lives in me.

On Anselm: Remembering, Thinking, And Loving

I know Anselm takes some flack for the ontological argument. But it is really only from a partial reading from Chapter 2 of the Proslogion. However, if you reads the intro to the Proslogion you might agree: Anselm would have been appalled at the use of his work in "proving" God. Follow the argument from the prologue and perhaps you might see a different voice from Anselm. Chapters 16-26 are amazing. It's a short work; give it a go and let me know what you think. Anyways, the point is this: Anselm truly loved God, and I sometimes find myself reiterating his thoughts. Consider this excerpts from Chapter 1; they read like a prayer:

"Let me seek you in loving you; let me love you in finding you. Let me find you in loving you; let me love you in finding you. "I acknowledge, Lord, and I thank you, that you have created in me this image of you so that I may remember you, think of you, and love you. Yet this image is so eroded by my vices, so clouded by the smoke of my sins, that it cannot do what i twas created to do unless you renew and refashion it."

- St. Anselm, Proslogion, trans. Thomas Williams (Indianapolis: Hacket Publishing Co.1995).

On The Angelic Salutation And Faith

The Angelic Salutation:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

Blessed art thou among women,

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,

Now and at the hour of our death.

Amen

Ave Maria gratia plena Dominus tecum

Benedicta tu in mulieribus

Et benedictus Fructus uentris tui Iesus

Sancta Maria mater Dei ora pro nobis peccatoribus

Nunc et in hora mortis

Amen

C.f. Luke 11:28f

While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

On Prayer, Wine, And The Soul

I am humbled by Hannah's prayer. Moreover, I love her response to the Priest, Eli, who thought she was drunk. Hannah replied with, in my opinion, an interesting play on words that highlights a disposition of her soul that is worthy of reflection.

"I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord."
- 1Samuel 1:15b (emphasis added)

Indeed, she did not pour wine and drink in her distress and bitter weeping, but instead she poured out her soul before the Lord in prayer. I am thankful for a God who is sovereign of creation, life and my soul -Soli deo gloria.

On Pope Leo XIII's Prayer To St. Michael

In 1947 Father Domenico Pechenino related what he had witnessed over six decades before.

“I do not remember the exact year. One morning the great Pope Leo XIII had celebrated a Mass and, as usual, was attending a Mass of thanksgiving. Suddenly, we saw him raise his head and stare at something above the celebrant’s head. He was staring motionlessly, without batting an eye. His expression was one of horror and awe; the colour and look on his face changing rapidly. Something unusual and grave was happening in him.

“Finally, as though coming to his senses, he lightly but firmly tapped his hand and rose to his feet. He headed for his private office. His retinue followed anxiously and solicitously, whispering: ‘Holy Father, are you not feeling well? Do you need anything?’ He answered: ‘Nothing, nothing.’ About half an hour later, he called for the Secretary of the Congregation of Rites and, handing him a sheet of paper, requested that it be printed and sent to all the ordinaries around the world. What was that paper? It was the prayer that we recite with the people at the end of every Mass. It is the plea to Mary and the passionate request to the Prince of the heavenly host, (St. Michael: Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle) beseeching God to send Satan back to hell.”

Cardinal Giovanni Batista Nassalli Rocca di Corneiliano wrote in his Pastoral Letters on Lent: “the sentence ‘The evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls’ has a historical explanation that was many times repeated by his private secretary, Monsignor Rinaldo Angeli. Leo XIII truly saw, in a vision, demonic spirits who were congregating on the Eternal City (Rome). The prayer that he asked all the Church to recite was the fruit of that experience. He would recite that prayer with strong, powerful voice: we heard it many a time in the Vatican Basilica. Leo XIII also personally wrote an exorcism that is included in the Roman Ritual. He recommended that bishops and priests read these exorcisms often in their dioceses and parishes. He himself would recite them often throughout the day.”

The Prayer written by the Pope is of course the famous prayer to Saint Michael:

Sancte Michael Archangele,
defende nos in proelio;

contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.

Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:

tuque, Princeps militiae Caelestis,

satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,

qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,

divina virtute in infernum detrude.
Amen.

This is the version I learned as a boy:

Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in the battle.

Be our protection against the malice and snares of the Devil.

We humbly beseech God to command him.

And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,

by the powers of God,

cast into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits

who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

http://the-american-catholic.com/2010/01/24/pope-leo-and-saint-michael-the-archangel/

On God's Faithfulness

My prayer:

"Father, give me strength this weekend to glorify you by exalting the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit in all things, for the joy of all peoples."

My Response:

Lord you are faithful. Thank you for the work of your Spirit in the preaching of Christ. Thank you for the relationships you have given me. Lord you are faithful. Keep me faithful to you.

On The Value Of Godliness

Dr. Mitchell was talking with me today about his life -specifically about God's faithfulness. God opens doors and uses those who are faithful to Him. Truly, we are to work hard and are to be faithful to God. However, God is the one who cares for us. He is the faithful one. Over the course of the discussion, in my heart, the concept of godliness began to take root. I began to ask: Why have I have cheapened my desires with anything less than the desire for Jesus Christ? Have I set before me idols of school and knowledge? Where is the passion for godliness? Shall I not pursue faithfulness to God alone? Paul's words offer sobriety from the slavish concoction of secularism:

"But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the dpresent life and also for the life to come."

- 1 Timothy 4:7

Lord, I confess, the virtue of scholasticism rests teleologically in proportion to its subordination and expedience of godliness. Indeed, I must work hard and not be lazy. But I must work hard in my faithfulness to you first. To be sure, I must make sure, I am serving the only true God our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hear the notions: Do not value wisdom and knowledge for its own sake. Such is empty and vain. Will I not strive for godliness? Will not godliness direct my steps? Is not godliness supreme in my heart? Is there not an ultimate passion for the glory of God? Is all my joy not found in you alone? Lord help me to transcend beyond notional assent; may I taste your goodness. I confess my wayward idolatry. Forgive me Lord. I renounce worldly wisdom and its fleeting temptation. Father, guide me and conform me to your Son, Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit in my body, soul and - especially today -in my mind.

On Particular Grants

Actiones Nostras

“Direct, we beseech, O Lord, our actions by your holy inspirations, and carry them on by your gracious assistance, that every prayer and work of ours may begin always with you, and through you be happily ended.”

- From Enchiridion of Indulgences 1968.

On Pain, Prayer, Jesus and Missions

I was listening to a sermon by John Piper on missions, evangelism and the sovereignty of God given to Native American missionaries. In it he talked about John Eliot. There was a phrase that was especially impactful. First, hear Paul as he writes:

"I can do all things through [Christ] who gives me strength"
- Philippians 4:13

Now compare to John Eliot:

"Prayers and pain through faith in Christ will do anything."
- John Eliot (1604-1690)

On Corporate Repentance

"Almighty God, we are unworthy to come into Your presence, because of our many sins. We do not deserve any grace or mercy from You, if You dealt with us as we deserve. We have sinned against You, O Lord, and we have offended You. And yet, O Lord, as we acknowledge our sins and offenses, so also do we acknowledge You to be a merciful God, a loving and favorable Father, to all who turn to You. And so we humbly ask You, for the sake of Christ Your Son, to show mercy to us, and forgive us all our offenses. Forgive the sins of our youth, and the sins of our old age. By Your Spirit, O God, take possession of our hearts, so that, not only the actions of our lives, but also the words of our mouths, and the smallest thought of our minds, may be guided and governed by You. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with You and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen."

- Corporate Prayer of Repentance at Christ The King, August 23, 2009.