Praying
with Your Heart
St. Francis very often prayed by heart, which means that the words of prayers
like those that follow 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. Here are some basic prayers for learning by heart. Each dates
from the early centuries of the Christian Church and is today found
in various forms throughout the world.
COLLECT
FOR PURITY
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.
THE
DOXOLOGY
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
--Excerpted
from The St. Francis Prayer Book
by Jon M. Sweeney
|