Revelation

I arise today; Through the strength of Heaven,
Light of the sun, Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightening, Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea, Stability of the Earth, Firmness of the rock.

I arise today, Through God’s strength to pilot me,
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me, Afar and near, Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today, against wounding,
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in in the ear that hears me.

I arise today, Through the mighty strength,
Of the Lord of creation.

—Prayer of St. Patrick

“Made for spirituality, we wallow in introspection. Made for joy, we settle for pleasure. Made for justice, we clamor for vengeance. Made for relationships, we insist on our own way. Made for beauty, we are satisfied with sentiment. But new creation has already begun. The sun has begun to rise. Christians are called to leave behind, in the tomb of Jesus Christ, all that belongs to the brokenness and incompleteness of the present world. It is time, in the power of the Spirit, to take up our proper role, our fully human role, as agents, heralds, and stewards of the new day that is dawning. That, quite simply, is what it means to be Christian: to follow Jesus Christ into the new world, God’s new world, which he has thrown open before us.”—N.T. Wright, Simply Christian, 237.

“Only under great duress does a religious person admit they have sinned—because their only hope is their moral goodness. But in the gospel, the knowledge of our acceptance in Christ makes it easier to admit we are flawed (because we know we won’t be cast off if we confess the true depths of our sinfulness). Our hope is in Christ’s righteousness, not our own—so it is not so traumatic to admit our weaknesses and lapses. In religion, we repent less and less often. But the more accepted and loved in the gospel we feel, the more and more often we will be repenting. And though, of course there is always some bitterness in any repentance, in the gospel there is ultimately a sweetness. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. The more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more you are able to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions of your sin. The sin under all other sins is a lack of joy in Christ.”—Tim Keller, All of Life is Repentance

The glory of God is man fully alive. —Saint Irenaeus

The way through the world is more difficult to find than the way beyond it. —Wallace Stevens

You are never a great man when you have more mind than heart. —Beauchene

Wallowing in shame, remorse, self-hatred, and guilt over real or   imagined failings in our past lives … shows that we have not  accepted the acceptance of Jesus Christ and thus have rejected the total sufficiency of his redeeming work … In order to grow in trust, we must allow God to see us and love us precisely as we are. The best way to do that is through prayer. As we pray, the unrestricted love of God gradually transforms us. —Brennan Manning

“I am very easy of belief when the Creed pleases me.”—Charlotte Bronte

“We carry a terrible wound: alienation from our embodied life. Your flesh shall become a great poem.”—Walt Whitman

Almost everyone is acutely aware of how the incessant clamorings of their body defeat their intentions to “be spiritual.” The Apostle Paul explains that, “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” (Gal. 5:17) And Jesus’s words, “The spirit is willing but the body is weak”, are generally accepted as a final verdict on what human life must be like until we escape the body through death.

On the other hand, if the body is simply beyond redemption, then ordinary life is too. Many Christians seem prepared to accept this — at least in practice. But then “spiritual formation” really becomes impossible. That would be a defeat of major proportions for Christ’s cause, and could never be reconciled with the call to godly living that both permeates the Bible from end to end and  resonates with the deep-seated human need to live as one ought. —Dallas Willard, The Human Body and Spiritual Growth