Here is the first of my reflections on The Prayer as I know it. The original is found at:
https://www.divinetruth.com/www/en/pdf/Prayer/Prayer%20For%20Divine%20Love%20-%20English%20Modern%20Father.pdf
Father, Thou art all holy and loving and merciful…
“Father…” The name Father, in The Prayer, is to me the same as God, or Mother. If God has created us in His image, He must be both masculine and feminine. I doubt that it matters much which I use. I like the part of the song ‘God is God’ by Steve Earle which says,
God of my little understanding don’t care which name I call
Whether or not I believe doesn’t matter at all
I receive the blessings
For now I prefer to stay with ‘Father,’ as it implies an intimacy that I want, and also, because I was more drawn to my earthly father than my mother, I find it easier, for now, to be open to the masculine part of God. I hope that will change as time goes on.
I think of my mother, a devout Catholic, who was very drawn to Mother Mary and would pray mostly to her and Baby Jesus. An honest prayer will reach God no matter ‘which name I call,’ but since I am currently more comfortable in relating to one gender, I'm glad to know that God is still on the receiving end.
“ Thou art all holy and loving and merciful…” In his books, ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ and ‘Sons and Lovers,’ D H Lawrence has his characters, when speaking intimately to a loved one, use the words ‘thee, thou, thine.’ This is why I like to use the words ‘Thou art’ in the prayer. It feels more intimate. If I felt it smacked of old-fashioned church-speak I would reject it for ‘You are…’ God wants an intimate relationship with me, this I feel sure of. Perhaps, for now, the best I can do in return is use words that help me feel the same way, and so I do.
“…all holy…” I have pondered this word for some time. What is ‘holy’ exactly? For now, I have decided that holy means ‘without sin,’ without any imperfection at all. One could write pages on just this word, what it means and what it doesn’t mean, and perhaps I will sometime.
“,,,and loving…” I really have no idea what this word means! My sense is that God’s love is different, softer, purer than human love, and that it is an emotion that doesn’t excuse or ignore my bad behaviour but, in persisting beyond the wrongness in me, helps me to see it better and want to do something about it. No pressure, just a goodness that gives me impetus to change.
“…and merciful…” God is full of mercy. God is not a harsh judge as some Bible writers have portrayed Him, though I do believe that either on earth or after we die, all that is wrong in me does need to be addressed by me, acknowledged and appreciated for how I have affected myself and others. God is also utterly fair. But God’s mercy is, so I believe, seen in the way God allows me to make mistake after mistake, wilful or otherwise, and still does not ever reject me. I believe I feel God to be very near in those moments when I feel very sorry for wrong I have done.
In the next post I would like to talk about the following phrase, “..and I am one of your children…”
Here’s the full text of Steve Earle’s song, written for Joan Baez to sing.
She sings it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8fFX5yn4Ks&spfreload=5
Steve Earle sings it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5oV2bxxU9E
God is God
I believe in prophesy
Some folks see things not everybody can see
And once in a while they pass the secret on to you and me
And I believe in miracles
Something sacred burning in every bush and tree
We can all learn to sing the songs the angels sing
Yeah, I believe in God, and God ain’t me
I’ve travelled round the world
Stood on mighty mountains and gazed across the wilderness
Never seen a line in the sand or a diamond in the dust
And as our fate unfurls
Every bit that passes I’m sure about a little bit less
Even my money keeps telling me it’s God I need to trust
And I believe in God, and God ain’t us.
God of my little understanding don’t care which name I call
Whether or not I believe doesn’t matter at all
I receive the blessings
That every day on earth’s another chance to get it right
Let this little light of mine shine and rage against the night
Just another lesson
Maybe someone’s watching and wondering what I got
Maybe this is why I’m here on earth and maybe not
But I believe in God, and God is God.
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