The psalmist first dons the mantel of a lyric poet and then of a wise man.
His heart leaps with joy as he gazes on the beauty of creation. He sees the sun as a bridegroom coming forth “from his wedding canopy” (NRSV translation), and then traces its progress from one end of the heavens to the other.
His...
Even people who don’t follow sports have heard of Tim Tebow. Many have seen a picture of him kneeling on a football field in an attitude of prayer. Some ridicule him. Others admire him. We don’t know the content of his prayer, but we can be sure he is not expecting God to intervene and direct an errant...
Some may find in our litanies a helpful source of prayer. Not only can we pray a litany straight through, but we can just pick out one or the other invocation to open our hearts to God. In the litany of the Sacred Heart, for instance, we might pick out “Burning furnace of charity.” The image of Jesus’...
A marvelous beginning: “I love….” Only one other psalm begins with these words—Psalm 116. They bespeak an open heart, a joyful appreciation of God’s goodness. They are the main reason I was first attracted to this psalm. I have since found many more attractive traits. Three levels I find in...
My own take on golf is expressed in the statement: “It’s a terrible way to ruin a good walk.” But my brother-in-law tells me that when he gets on the golf course and takes his first swing, he forgets all his worries and troubles.
Maybe that is what prayer can be.
With the first nudge of the Holy...
