Alone Together
Three Verses for Hard Times
The volatile state of the world, the circumstances of my life and of people around me, have made me thoughtful these days ; and in this mood, these three verses have settled in my awareness and daily practice. They address certain seemingly interwoven questions : namely, how do we rightly respond to
- Our ancient and ongoing vulnerabilities to illness, death and evil ?
- The very real possibility of attack, from any number of directions ?
- Our own "human, all too human" inclinations to cause harm, both to ourselves and others ?
These three verses have been helpful to me recently as a kind of "prayer organism" to address these vulnerabilities/facts/tendencies. Thanks to painter Irma Stropeni for giving me room to explore this, and for two of the images below.
New Testament Verse
Three Verses for Hard Times
The volatile state of the world, the circumstances of my life and of people around me, have made me thoughtful these days ; and in this mood, these three verses have settled in my awareness and daily practice. They address certain seemingly interwoven questions : namely, how do we rightly respond to
- Our ancient and ongoing vulnerabilities to illness, death and evil ?
- The very real possibility of attack, from any number of directions ?
- Our own "human, all too human" inclinations to cause harm, both to ourselves and others ?
These three verses have been helpful to me recently as a kind of "prayer organism" to address these vulnerabilities/facts/tendencies. Thanks to painter Irma Stropeni for giving me room to explore this, and for two of the images below.
New Testament Verse
Painting by : Irma Stropeni
Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me
For I am meek and lowly in heart
And I will give you rest unto your souls ;
For my yoke is easy
And my burden is light.
- Matthew 11 : 28-30
A Wall Hinder My Error
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me
For I am meek and lowly in heart
And I will give you rest unto your souls ;
For my yoke is easy
And my burden is light.
- Matthew 11 : 28-30
A Wall Hinder My Error
Painting : Christ Carrying the Cross
School of Hieronymous Bosch
School of Hieronymous Bosch
For me, the image above and poem and prayer below have always gone closely together.
Poem 92
no time ago
or else a life
walking in the dark
i met christ
jesus) my heart
flopped over
and lay still
while he passed (as
close as i’m to you
yes closer
made of nothing
except loneliness
- e.e. cummings
Poem 92
no time ago
or else a life
walking in the dark
i met christ
jesus) my heart
flopped over
and lay still
while he passed (as
close as i’m to you
yes closer
made of nothing
except loneliness
- e.e. cummings
Prayer of Consecration
Before my mouth the threshold be guarded
A wall hinder my error from streaming around me.
All evil be taken from my words, and good will pour into them.
In the offering be borne the fire of love, creative of being
and the flame beget timeless existence
that the good endure.
Yes, so be it.
- From The Act of Consecration of Man
Communion service of The Christian Community
Movement for Religious Renewal
Our Best Qualities Surround Us
Before my mouth the threshold be guarded
A wall hinder my error from streaming around me.
All evil be taken from my words, and good will pour into them.
In the offering be borne the fire of love, creative of being
and the flame beget timeless existence
that the good endure.
Yes, so be it.
- From The Act of Consecration of Man
Communion service of The Christian Community
Movement for Religious Renewal
Our Best Qualities Surround Us
Painting by : Irma Stropeni
A Verse in Times of Danger
In North and South and East and West
In all worlds high and low ;
In movement and in stillness
In speaking and in silence
Our best qualities surround us.
This is my own verse as it grew from a very short verse or prayer for moments of sudden danger, given by Rudolf Steiner - simply : "My best qualities surround me."
I added the extension to "us", in the spirit of the "Our", "we" and "us" in The Lord's Prayer ; which expands it's scope, particularly in these times, beyond "my" and "me" to all humanity - including, importantly, our "enemies", in the same sense that the Lord's Prayer includes "our debtors" and "those who trespass against us". The verse can be helpful not just in emergencies, but in everyday life.
Working With a Verse
In North and South and East and West
In all worlds high and low ;
In movement and in stillness
In speaking and in silence
Our best qualities surround us.
This is my own verse as it grew from a very short verse or prayer for moments of sudden danger, given by Rudolf Steiner - simply : "My best qualities surround me."
I added the extension to "us", in the spirit of the "Our", "we" and "us" in The Lord's Prayer ; which expands it's scope, particularly in these times, beyond "my" and "me" to all humanity - including, importantly, our "enemies", in the same sense that the Lord's Prayer includes "our debtors" and "those who trespass against us". The verse can be helpful not just in emergencies, but in everyday life.
Working With a Verse
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