4 min
Shepherd of our souls: Spirit of Prayer part 1 track 6 Ruach Breath of Life
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- Religion & Spirituality
Celtic 1 by Francis Cummings
Lord Jesus by Your birth
You earthed eternal love
and sparked something new in each heart that You touched.
The heart of the downcast disciples burned within them
as You joined them on the road to Emmaus.
Just so do You shepherd our souls,
exalting the humble
but leaving the proud to stumble;
for nine times out of ten
the essence of judgement lies less in some external act
than in the silent shrivelling of the soul.
Not knowing all You can do in the hearts of excluded ones,
the teachers of the law browbeat those they regarded as scum;
but You exalted them to be the salt and light of the world.
Since You delight to evoke some higher way of seeing
help us to tease out hidden gifts and talents
in the hearts of valiant souls.
It is the way of love,
and its deepest pain,
that one partner often loves more than the other –
and this is still more true for You, Lord.
Help me play my part to requite,
at least in part, this love
that never shrinks from pouring out
so much in return for so little.
Lord Jesus, You know what I must do
to further Your work in my soul.
Don’t let me skimp on spending time with You,
or walk with a spiritual limp;
If I have allowed anything to die within my soul,
reclaim that ground and fan the gift into flames –
for You are my pilot through all my reefs and griefs.
Lord Jesus, You know what You must do
to further Your work in the heart of the Church.
Don’t let us skimp on spending time with You,
or walk with a spiritual limp;
We dedicate the projects You would have us undertake –
orchestrate them to Your pulsating glory;
for You are our pilot through all our reefs and griefs.
Increase the scope of our concern
and send us where You will –
but may we always have a special heart
for the oppressed, misunderstood,
excluded ones.
And when our particular race is run,
You will welcome us to our place,
removing every trace of all that is misplaced;
for everything goes deeper
as we deepen by Your grace.
Celtic 1 by Francis Cummings
Lord Jesus by Your birth
You earthed eternal love
and sparked something new in each heart that You touched.
The heart of the downcast disciples burned within them
as You joined them on the road to Emmaus.
Just so do You shepherd our souls,
exalting the humble
but leaving the proud to stumble;
for nine times out of ten
the essence of judgement lies less in some external act
than in the silent shrivelling of the soul.
Not knowing all You can do in the hearts of excluded ones,
the teachers of the law browbeat those they regarded as scum;
but You exalted them to be the salt and light of the world.
Since You delight to evoke some higher way of seeing
help us to tease out hidden gifts and talents
in the hearts of valiant souls.
It is the way of love,
and its deepest pain,
that one partner often loves more than the other –
and this is still more true for You, Lord.
Help me play my part to requite,
at least in part, this love
that never shrinks from pouring out
so much in return for so little.
Lord Jesus, You know what I must do
to further Your work in my soul.
Don’t let me skimp on spending time with You,
or walk with a spiritual limp;
If I have allowed anything to die within my soul,
reclaim that ground and fan the gift into flames –
for You are my pilot through all my reefs and griefs.
Lord Jesus, You know what You must do
to further Your work in the heart of the Church.
Don’t let us skimp on spending time with You,
or walk with a spiritual limp;
We dedicate the projects You would have us undertake –
orchestrate them to Your pulsating glory;
for You are our pilot through all our reefs and griefs.
Increase the scope of our concern
and send us where You will –
but may we always have a special heart
for the oppressed, misunderstood,
excluded ones.
And when our particular race is run,
You will welcome us to our place,
removing every trace of all that is misplaced;
for everything goes deeper
as we deepen by Your grace.
4 min