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| Prayers to Pray by Heart: Collect for Purity |
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Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
from
Read more memorable prayers
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| Questions of Faith and Doubt |
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How can I know
what God wants me to do with my life?
The call of God is always for us to live with
noble purpose, with love as our highest
motivation.
Read more
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| Without a Doubt… |
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The Communion of Saints |
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Looking through the
lens of Celtic
Christianity, the communion of saints is
downright homey. Following the
witness of the
early church, the stories and prayers from
the churches of Ireland, Scotland, Wales,
Brittany and Cornwall offer us a sense of the
nearness and familiarity of the saints.
These are holy presences who walk with us,
guide us, befriend us, pray for us. We are
never alone. We are never without the
intercession of the saints in Christ. We are
never without their company. We are
continually within a reality in which the
saints are close at hand.
from
Keeping House Among the Cloud of Saints
by Mary Earle
 Praying by Heart
St. Francis very often prayed by heart, which
means that the words of prayers reverberated
inside of him. He memorized them, or he
simply remembered them as a result of
repetition, so that their words could be
easily on his lips, and so that in mystical
ways, they would pray themselves for him,
inside of him, like our heart, which also
beats involuntarily. We can do the same.
Read
St. Francis' favorite prayers
Enduring Ties
Maybe you know of some stories about the
remembered or sensed presence of someone now
dead who seemed to bring courage or hope to
someone alive. Maybe there are some who
inspired you and whom you would not want to
disappoint. Although they may be far away or
no longer alive, you sense an enduring tie of
obligation to them. Maybe there are stories
of those who have been models of inspiration
to you. You would like to be like them.
from What
We Can Learn from the Saints
by Molly Wolf & Lowell Grisham
For more information on Celtic spirituality, read Holy
Companions: Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints
by frequent explorefaith contritbutors Mary C. Earle and
Sylvia Maddox.
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