Carefully Considered and Patiently Crafted Prayers - The Gift of Reverence

O thou who art the light of the minds that know thee,

the life of the souls that love thee,

and the strength of the wills that serve thee;

help us to know thee that we may truly love thee,

and so to love thee that we may fully serve thee,

whom to serve is perfect freedom.

Amen    (Augustine of Hippo)

.....................

There are few more decisive arguments on behalf of careful, considered and beautifully crafted prayers than a prayer like this.

When all the valid arguments and reasons for extempore, unrehearsed, informal and immediate prayer are accepted, there is still an absolute necessity, when addressing God, to take care with the beauty of our language.

It reflects the care we take with the shaping of our thoughts and the sharing of our hearts.

And it reflects that essential courtesy that acknowledges the importance of the other by preparation, attention, attentiveness and the offering of that which has taken us some time and trouble.

 

 

The picture is of the rose I bought for Sheila last year - it too is a carefully crafted celebration of beauty, compliments of the Creator!