INSPIRATIONS

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; 

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

 

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

 

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;

Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;

Thou my soul's Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:

Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

 

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,

Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

 

High King of Heaven, my victory won,

May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heav’n's Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

~ old Irish hymn by St. Dallan, trans. by Mary Bryne; into verse by Eleanor Hull

 Lord God of power and might, nothing is good which is against your will, and all is of value which comes from your hand. Place in our hearts a desire to please you and fill our minds with insight into your love, so that every thought may grow in wisdom and all our efforts may be filled with your peace. ~ from the Collect, Week 22, Ordinary Time

Almighty and ever-present Father, your watchful care reaches from end to end and orders all things in such power that even the tensions and tragedies of sin cannot frustrate your loving plans. Help us to embrace your will, give us the strength to follow your call, so that your truth may live in our hearts and reflect peace to those who believe in your love. ~ from the Collect, Week 2, Ordinary Time

And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazel nut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, ‘What may this be?’ And it was answered generally thus, ‘It is all that is made.’ I marveled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nothing for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and ever shall, for God loves it. And so have all things their beginning by the love of God.

In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it. The second that God loves it. And the third, that God keeps it. ~ Dame Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

My Lord and my God, take from me everything that keeps me from you.  My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you.  My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to bring me nearer to you. ~ St. Nicholas of Flüe

You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. ~ St. Augustine, Confessions Bk.1, Ch.1:1

 interior intimo meo et superior summo meo,  You were more inward to me than my most inward part; and higher than my highest. ~ St. Augustine, Confessions Bk.3, Ch.6:11

You are everywhere whom no place encompasses, You alone are near even to those that remove far from You. ~ St. Augustine, Confessions Bk.5, Ch.2:2

 You are there in their hearts, in the hearts of those who confess to You ... Thou, Lord, who made, remakest and comfortest them. And where was I when I was seeking You?  And You were before me, but I had gone away even from myself; nor did I find myself, much less You! ~ St. Augustine, Confessions Bk.5, Ch.2:2