Twentieth Century Prayers

Long prayers are not needed in order to smile at
Christ in the smallest details of daily life.

The Telephone
I have just hung up; why did they telephone?
I don’t know… Oh I get it… I talked a lot and
Listened very little. Forgive me Lord.
It was a monologue and not a dialogue
Since I didn’t listen I did not help
Since I didn’t listen we didn’t communicate.
Forgive me Lord.
We were connected and now we are cut off.

The Brick
The bricklayer laid a brick on the bed of cement
And then he laid another. The foundations
Grew visibly. The building rose tall and strong.
I thought, Lord, of that brick
Buried in darkness at the base of that large building.
No-one sees it but it accomplishes its task
And the other bricks need it.
Lord, what difference whether I am on the rooftop
Or in the foundations of your building
As long as I stand faithfully at the right place?

Time
All of us run after Time, Lord.
We spend our time running, overburdened, frantic,
And we never get there.
Time is a gift that you give us, Lord,
But a perishable gift, a gift that does not keep.
Yet I have all the time that you gave me Lord,
To fill quietly and calmly, to offer it to you to make
A rich wine as you did once in Cana of Galilee.

Thanks
Thank you for the tranquil night and for the stars,
Thank you for being there, Lord, for listening and for gathering
My gifts into your hands to offer them to the Father.
Thank You.

Chosen by EMB