collect for purity
A good friend and I were discussing the need for good spiritual practices this past weekend (I was speaking and he was leading music for a winter retreat for teenagers). As we were talking around a nice fire on a cold afternoon he reminded me of this old prayer and the value of regularly repeating it from the heart - it could do a world of good.
Hopefully I will follow this sage advice!
A Collect for Purity
Almighty God,
unto whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden
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 Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Funny… I was remembering that very thing at the same time, Doug!
Thanks for your words and your presence. It was beyond awesome!
That is one of my favorite prayers and I actually have it written on the inside of my Bible. I read it in the Cloud of Unknowing. I’m sure you’re familiar with that book.
Another good spiritual practice is daily centering prayer. It is recommended to practice it for 20 minutes in the morning after a reading of God’s Word and 20 minutes in the afternoon before dinner.
Peace and Joy,
Darius
Darius - thanks for stopping by!
The Cloud of Unknowing is definitely one of the most challenging and mysterious of books - yet truly a valuable treasure to carefully and slowly consider and meditate on.
Yes, Centering Prayer is definitely a worthy practice. A great modern approach to help individuals become quiet, still, and available to be and to wait and be holy useless. This was formerly the goal of Lectio Divina the reader was to move from the text to being with and before God.