Context: Yesterday I was able to pray silently for a while, which has been impossible since I became ill with Covid.
The day before I had felt very sad not to have died, but yesterday I saw that as long as God wants me to live, I will live, however exhausted I am, and that when God wants me to die, I will die. So now my only aim is to say, “Yes” to God, and to give thanks for everything God sends. Whether I live or die, I want to embrace God’s will completely.
As part of this realisation, some verses swiftly arrived to crystallise my thinking. Today’s blog owes a great deal to a special prayer I say every day. It’s used by the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, and is quoted in full below the references.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us (Luke 11:4; NLT).
Lord,
Forgive my sins,
Though they are many,
As I forgive the people
Who’ve hurt me.
I’m ready now to live, Lord,
At your pleasure;
I’m ready, now, to die,
When you decree.
No matter what you send
May I give thanks, Lord;
No matter what you take
May I say, Yes –
Today, and every hour,
And every moment,
With steadfast faith, hope, love,
And humbleness.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6; NIV).
References
I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; RSV).
The LORD gives both death and life (1 Samuel 2:6; NLT).
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).
Put on mercy, kindness, gentleness, humbleness of mind, meekness [and] patience (Colossians 3:12; LB).
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3; NIV).
Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NLT).
COLW prayer:
O Mary, teach us always
To say YES to the Lord,
Every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always
To give THANKS to the Lord,
Every moment of our life.
(Page 17, Community of Our Lady of Walsingham Prayer Book, Verbum Publications, 2019).