Saturday 5 September 2020

Blessing

These past couple of weeks, I have thinking about Blessings - partly from reading John O'Donohue's Benedictus and partly due to the new A Blessing chapter just released by the Presence Project.
 
This week, as my children return to school, I have also been thinking about routine. I like patterns, I like to have structure in my day, to divide things into manageable chunks (and to be able to achieve something within those periods). And I have always found something attractive about the monastic way of life, not that I have any desire to be a monk/nun, but the idea of a regular pattern of drawing aside for prayer and worship - matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers, compline - marking the passing of time throughout the day with an awareness of God's presence. The blessing I wrote below has arisen from this idea.

 
May you wake to the sound of singing as day dawns,
a chorus of praise rising from creation,
And know that you are surrounded.
 
May you feel the warmth of the sun on your face as you rise,
the gentle kiss of your heavenly mother,
And know that you are loved.
 
May you pause in your busyness,
at intervals throughout the day,
cease your toil,
and lift your head.
May your eyes be opened to the wonder of life,
bestowed by the creator on his created,
And know that you are included.
 
May you not hesitate to lay aside your doing as dusk falls,
rest from your striving and simply be,
And know that you are accepted.
 
May you lie down with tranquility at the end of the day,
cradled in your heavenly father's arms,
And know that you are safe.