Faith, Hope, and Healing were created knowing that one can never have enough of these qualities. At the onset of any difficulty in life, be it physical, mental, spiritual or emotional, there is always a tendency to lose faith and then lose hope or vice versa. Please allow your heart to be open and your mind to be cleared beginning this moment so that the fullest benefit of your prayers may reach the Divine within each of us.

We are searching for a presence that will calm and ease the storms of life that weigh heavily upon us.

These prayers were chosen specifically with the theme of healing in mind.

Unending Love

We are loved
     by unending love.
We are embraced
     by arms that find us even when we are hidden from ourselves.
We are touched
     by fingers that soothe us.
Even when
     we are too proud for soothing.
We are counseled
     by voices that guide us even when we are too embittered to hear.
We are loved
     by an unending love.
We are supported
     by hands that uplift us even in the midst of a fall.
We are urged on
     by eyes that meet us even when we are too weak for meeting.
We are loved
     by an unending love.
Embraced, touched, soothed, and
     Counseled….
Ours are the arms,
     the fingers, the voices;
Ours are the hands,
     the eyes, the smiles;
We are loved
     by unending love.

Three Directions

A person reaches in three directions:
     Inward, to oneself
     up,to God
     out, to others.

The miracle of life is that
     In truly reaching
     In any one direction,
     One embraces all three.

To Hope Again

The last word has not been spoken,
The last sentence has not been written,
The final verdict is not in.
It is never too late
To change my mind,
My direction,
To say no to the past
And yes to the future,
To offer remorse,
To ask and give forgiveness,
It is never too late to start over again,
To feel again
to love again
to hope again…

Sing a Song

Sing a new song to God!
     Sing to God all the earth!
Let the earth ring out in song to God.
     Sing to God a new song!
Break forth, sing aloud, shout praise!
     Sing to God all the earth!
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice.
     Let the sea roar, and all that fills it.
Let the field exult, and all its creatures.
     Let the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Sing to God all the earth!
     Sing to God a new song!
Let the rivers clap hands.
     Let the mountains sing for joy.
Sing to God all the earth!
     Break forth, sing aloud, shout praise!

Praying for the Sunset Prayer

I'll let you in on a secret
about how one should pray the sunset prayer.
It's a juicy bit of praying,
like strolling on grass,
nobody's chasing you, nobody hurries you.
You walk toward your Creator
with gifts in pure, empty hands.
The words are golden,
their meaning is transparent,
it's as though you're saying them
for the first time.

If you don't catch on
that you should feel a little elevated,
you're not praying the sunset prayer.
The tune is sheer simplicity,
you're just lending a helping hand
to the sinking day.
It's a heavy responsibility.
You take a created day
and you slip it
into the archive of life,
where all our lived-out days are lying together.

The day is departing with a quiet kiss.
It lies open at your feet
while you stand saying the blessings.
You can't create anything yourself, but you
can lead the day to its end and see
clearly the smile of its going down.
See how whole it all is,
not diminished for a second,
how you age with the days
that keep dawning,
how you bring your lived-out day
as a gift to eternity.

Life's Crossroads

Sometimes we come to life's crossroads and view what we think is the end,
But God has a much wider vision and God knows it's only a bend-
The road will go on and get smoother, and after we've stopped for a rest,
The path that lies hidden beyond us is often the part that is best.
So rest and relax and grow stronger
Let go and let God share your load,
And have faith in a brighter tomorrow
You've just come to a bend in the road.

Faith

When you've come to the edge of all the light you know
And are ready to jump off into the darkness of the unknown.
Faith is knowing one of two things will happen.
There will be something solid to stand on
Or you will be taught how to fly.

For what shall we pray?
Let us ask that we be cheerful, kind and friendly;
That we seek the good in all, the enmity in none;
That we try never to criticize, make no promise we cannot keep;
That we be loyal to our temple and to our friends;
That we be calm in time of trouble, think before we
speak, hold onto our temper when things go wrong;
And every day by word and deed, in some unselfish
way, may we try to make someone happy.
And may the Almighty help us see our prayers answered.

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.
I believe in love even when not feeling it.
I believe in God even when God is silent.

Silent Prayer

Prayer invites God to let God's presence suffuse our spirits, to let God prevail in our lives. Prayer cannot bring water to parched fields, or mend a broken bridge, or rebuild a ruined city; but prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart, and rebuild a weakened will.

To everything there is a season,
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal,
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silent, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

As I Breathe, May I Receive

As I breathe, may I receive.
May I be surrounded in the protective
glow of Divine light
May I allow myself to feel and absorb this
Divine presence.
As I breathe, may I receive.
May it awaken within me the force of my
vitality and the strength of my own will.
As I breathe, may I receive.
May my willingness to believe in my own
well-being be enhanced, embellished and enriched.
May my faith in my own healing powers
Be renewed.
As I breathe, may I receive.
May I cherish and love myself for who I
Really am:
     Weak and strong;
     selfish and selfless;
     learner and teacher;
     prideful and humble;
     believer and non-believer.

As I breathe, may I receive.
May this love for self merge with God's love
And with the love of all humanity.

As I breathe, may I receive.
May I feel this love, acknowledge it, and
Take it in, knowing and recognizing that
Love and God's presence is always there.
As I breathe, may I receive
As I breathe, may I believe.

My Soul Thirsted for Thee

O God, thou art my God, earnestly will I seek thee;
My soul thirsted for thee,
My flesh longeth for thee,
In a dry and weary land, where no water is.
So I have looked for thee in the sanctuary,
To see thy power and thy glory.

For thy loving-kindness is better than life;
My lips shall praise thee.
So will I bless thee as long as I live;
In thy name will I lift up my hands.

For thou hast been my help,
And in the shadow of thy wings do I rejoice.
My soul cleaveth unto thee;
Thy right hand holdeth me fast.

Oriental Rugs

Oriental rugs which are found in many homes are all woven by hand. Usually, there will be a group of people waving a single rug together under the directions of an artist who issues instructions to the rest. He determines the choice of colors and the nature of the pattern.

It often happens that one of the weavers inserts the wrong color thread. The artist may have called for blue and instead black was used. If you examine an oriental rug carefully, you may be able to detect such irregularities. What is significant about them is that they were not removed. The skillful artist just proceeded to weave them into the pattern.

Here is a wise procedure that we can follow in life. We should like the patterns of our lives to be woven exclusively of bright-colored threads. But every now and then, a dark thread steals into the fabric. If we are true artists of life, we can weave even this thread into the pattern and make it contribute its share to the beauty of the world.

We pray that we might know before whom we stand: The Power whose gift is life, who quickens those who have forgotten how to live.

We pray for winds to disperse the choking air of sadness, for cleansing rains to make parched hopes flower, and to give all of us the strength to rise up towards the sun.

We pray for love to encompass us for no other reason save that we are human—that we may all blossom into persons who have gained power over our lives.

We pray to stand upright, we fallen; to be healed, we sufferers; we pray to break the bonds that keep us from the world of beauty; we pray for opened eyes, we who are blind to our authentic selves.

We pray that we may walk in the garden of a purposeful life, our own powers in touch with the power of the world.

Praise to the God whose gift is life, whose cleansing rains let parched men and women flower toward the sun.

A Litany for Healing

We pray for those who are now ill.
     Source of Life, we pray: Heal them.
We pray for those who are affected by illness, anguish and pain.
     Heal them.
Grant courage to those whose bodies, holy proof of Your creative goodness, are violated by illness and the pain of illness.
     Encourage them.
Grant strength and compassion to families and friends who give their loving care, support and help to overcome despair.
     Strengthen them.
Grant wisdom to those who probe the deepest complexities of your world as they labor in the search for treatment and cures.
     Inspire them.
Grant clarity of vision and strength of purpose to the leaders of our institutions and our government. May they be moved to act with justice and compassion and find the courage to overcome fear and hatred.
     Guide them and bless us all.

A Benediction

My heart rises and falls in time to each breath I take.
Each breath brings expansion and contraction of some aspect of my life.
I breathe in love and breathe out hate
I breathe in calm and breathe out stress.
I breathe in acceptance and breathe out the need to judge.
I breathe in patience and understanding and breathe out confusion.
I breathe in compassion and breathe out anger.
Each breath lightens my daily burdens and fills me with love and happiness.

Prayer

I ask God for health that I might do great things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for strength that I might lead,
I was given weakness that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for riches that I might be happy,
I was given poverty so that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of people,
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life,
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for,
But everything that I hoped for.
Almost despite myself,
My unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all people most richly blessed.