Fire in the Soul. Richard L. Morgan

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СКАЧАТЬ of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:3).

      Blaise Pascal had an experience of God’s presence in 1654, which he described as “fire.”He sewed the words of his prayer into the lining of his jacket next to his heart, where it was found at his death. At a society in Aldersgate Street where he heard read Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans, John Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed, and the evangelical revival followed. Catherine of Siena knew the fire. She wrote,

      Your fire surpasses all fire, because your fire alone burns without destroying. The flames of your fire reach into the soul. . . . But far from damaging the soul, your fire sets it ablaze with love.¹

      In the later years, as the passion and ardor of youth wanes and as the warmth of summer fades into the shadows of autumn, we must seek to discover this sacred fire of faith through prayer.

      As you meditate on these prayers, may these words of Charles Wesley become your own:

      O Thou who camest from above,

       The pure celestial fire to impart,

       Kindle a flame of sacred love

       Upon the mean altar of my heart!

      There let it for thy glory burn

       with inextinguishable blaze,

       and trembling to its source return,

       in humble prayer and fervent praise.

      Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire

       to work and speak and think for thee;

       Still let me guard the holy fire,

       And still stir up thy gift in me.

      ¹ Book of Prayers, compiled by Robert Van de Weyer (New York: HarperCollins, 1993), 88.

      For a Christian in old age

       only one thing can be at the

       core of life—prayer.

      —Romano Guardini

I.

       DISCERNING GOD’S CALL AT RETIREMENT

      Not that I have already obtained this, or have already reached the goal.... But this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

      —Philippians 3:12–14

       AT RETIREMENT

      You love me, eternal God, when I leave the world of work and lose the identity I acquired through years of labor. Keep me sensitive to your will for me now. Remind me of Abraham and Sarah, Anna and Simeon, to whom your call came later in life. Give me grace to enjoy my new freedom, to cherish my leisure time, and to care for others. Above all, help me not to rush about, or rust out, but to rest in you. Amen.

       FOR COURAGE AND GRATITUDE

      Lord God of Israel, how much I admire Caleb. At eighty-five he was not content to settle down to an easy life in Canaan or to be put out to pasture, but was ready to fight for the land promised him. I need his spirit in these early days of retirement, when all I think about are my entitlements and benefits. Help me to realize that even as I accept these gifts I have earned, I owe much to your grace, which is unearned. Amen.

       FOR DISCERNMENT

      Grant me, O Lord, to know what is worth knowing,

      to love what is worth loving,

      to praise what delights you most,

      to value what is precious in your sight,

      to hate what is offensive to you.

      Do not let me judge by what I see,

      nor pass sentence according to what I hear,

      but to judge rightly between things that differ,

      and above all to search out and to do what pleases you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

      —Thomas à Kempis, 1380–1471

       THOSE EARLY DAYS

      Surprising God, I need my second wind in these retirement years. Athletes seem to get it when they have spent themselves. After expending all their energies, just when it seems they have run out of gas, they get that new burst of energy. Well, Lord, I admit I am worn out. The years have taken their toll. I need to press on for your high calling in these retirement years, but I need that second wind of your spirit to carry me beyond my fatigue. Amen.

       THERE IS STILL WONDER

      Ancient of Days, even this new freedom is too short for me to appreciate all the wonders of your world. I now have more time for reflection and contemplation. Grant me a holy curiosity about life. Help me never to feel that life is over and all that is left is a rocking chair on the porch. Give me grace to explore new scenes, revisit old memories. Show me each day the miracle of the moment, and direct my footsteps to quiet libraries, still waters, and the laughter of children. Amen.

       WHEN THE HONEYMOON ENDS

      Dear Lord, the first exciting days of retirement are gone, and now the reality has hit home. It was nice to do nothing for awhile. It felt like playing hooky from school. I laughed when they handcuffed me at my retirement party and gave me the keys. What doors do they open? Or do they keep me locked to the past? I know my life is not over. But the honeymoon has ended. I long to know what is next in this puzzling journey. Help me to trust when I cannot see. Amen.

       AMPLIUS

      (A Poem That Becomes a Prayer)

      I must make my way to the mountains, and find a path to the sea,

      let the far and silent places become a part of me,

      for my world has grown so small, that there is no room at all

      for my spirit twisting, turning to be free.

      I must dwell awhile in the desert or walk beside a lake,

      for something asleep within me is trying to come awake,

      and my life has dwindled down to a single, little town

      and my spirit is twisting, turning to be free.

      I will go beyond horizon, trace a western star,

      rest my eyes on a prairie reaching wide and far.

      For this journey, I have no guide save what seems inside, where

      my spirit is twisting, turning to be free.

      I may come once more to freedom СКАЧАТЬ