Celtic Odyssey

O G‑d, I am unprepared for the task at hand, but you know the end from the beginning. I’m at a loss, O G‑d, but you are my Rescuer. I see only white paper before me, but you, O G‑d, are the Word. My thoughts are lost in darkness, but darkness is as the noonday to you, O G‑d. Map out my path, O G‑d, and set my feet upon The Way. Speak to me your words, O G‑d and open my ears to your whispers. Give strength to my hands, O G‑d, so that I may move my pen across the page. Breathe your Life into me, and rekindle the Light of Creation buried within me.

In class last night, our session was “Praying with Icons.” I’ve never done this before and wasn’t too sure what to think about it. But there was one thing I was sure of and that’s the idea of “communion with the saints.” That is, someone explained it to me like this — “Did you ask your Mom to prayer for you when she was in this world?” “Of course,” I replied. “Then why wouldn’t you continue to ask her to pray for you now that she’s in the Otherworld?” See, for me, it was about my belief in the resurrection. Do I really believe that my loved ones are alive? Jesus was asked a similar question in Mark 12.18-27 . There, he responded — “As for the resurrection from the dead, haven’t you read in the scroll from Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how G‑d said to Moses, I am the G‑d of Abraham, the G‑d of Isaac, and the G‑d of Jacob? Yahweh isn’t the G‑d of the dead but of the living. You’re seriously mistaken.” (vv. 26-27; adapted). So, what does this have to do with ...

Last time , I wrote about a book I had stumbled upon, Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness by Nan Merrill. In that post, I explained how the Psalms bother me at times, specifically when they’re violent. As an example, I quoted this section of Psalm 139: Psalm 139.19ff (GNT*; adapted): O G‑d, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone! They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name. O Yahweh , how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you! I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies. Examine me, O G‑d, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way. I then went through and gave various examples of how Psalms for Praying removes the violent passages and focuses inwardly. That is, instead of seeing the “wicked” as someone “out there,” Merrill recognizes the fal...

I’ve had a really hard time with the Psalms for a while now. Some of them are fantastic but others turn my stomach. For example: Psalm 139.19-22 (GNT*; adapted): O G‑d, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone! They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name. O Yahweh , how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you! I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies. Ugh… While I get that this is a reflection of the poet’s heart (and our hearts at times), it just bothers me to read that in my Daily Prayers, especially when I don’t feel that way (which is a lot of the time). Furthermore, if my intention in my prayers is to move beyond those feelings, to be more like Christ — that is, to be loving and forgiving all — saying them in my most intimate times with the Beloved is very upsetting to me. However, last weekend at the Grace Garden Yoga Retreat, I stu...