February
14
“O, most merciful God incline your
loving ears to our prayers, and illuminate the hearts of those called by you, with
the grace of the Holy Spirit, that they may be enabled worthily to minister to
your mysteries, and to love you with an everlasting love, and to attain
everlasting joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” Charlemagne
They say you cannot write if you are
not a reader, and I have come to understand why. We need examples of how beautifully words can
be used. And I have also come to understand
that it is easier to pray when you listen, or read, the prayers of other
people.
It has been well over thirty years
since I listened to Howard Horton pray in church, not as the pastor, but as a
layman, praying out loud in church. For
all the world, it sounded as though I was eavesdropping on a conversation
between two cherished friends. It was so
beautiful and intimate and real – no artificiality, just an exchange between
two people who knew each other very well.
Then today, I read the words of
Charlemagne’s prayer, written and prayed over 1200 years ago, and I was struck
with the beauty of it and the simplicity and I wondered if we cheat ourselves
when we do not immerse ourselves in the prayers of other believers. Like writers learn from other writers, could
we who pray, not learn from others who pray?
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