As life around us becomes ever more bizarre and secular and the pace of living increasingly manic, and the comment box fills up with words uncharitable, it is good to stop, pray and reflect.
I found a rather overlooked book on my bookshelf; it is called ‘Mysteries of the Mass in Reasoned Prayers’ written by Father W Roche SJ and published in 1928 when, perhaps, the Jesuit order was rather better structured than it is today.
Fr Roche in his foreword tells us that this is not a book of poetry, but of plain, continuous prose. Each part refers to a distinct part of the Mass and the ‘broken lines’ of Fr Roche’s prose are intended to make the reader proceed slowly, pausing frequently and giving each prayer its full due.
This extract is from the section on Preparation for Communion and it is called ‘Pray for Peace with Yourself’ - something that I guess we could all do with:
Pax Domini
O Lord God Almighty,
through this most Holy Sacrifice
which renews the memory of the Angels’ song
at Thy Son’s birth in Bethlehem
and recalls His promise and bequest of peace
the night before He died,
and its actual gift on the day of His resurrection;
through this sublime worship
which in its prayers
sums up all the blessings in the gift of peace,
listen to my petition,
I ask the grace of a threefold peace;
peace with myself,
with my neighbour,
with Thee.
With myself, in my own heart, I ask to be at one,
guided by clear and fixed and holy principles,
not troubled by conflicting aims
nor led by shifting whims and fancies,
nor disturbed by vain regrets or foolish fears;
nor perplexed by passionate desires
but tranquil, single-minded,
cincere and straight,
consistent with myself.
Give me, for Jesus’ sake, such inward peace,
as comes of one chief aim and purpose
and consciousness of duty done.
I ask not for repose and idleness
but the active arduous peace
of poise and balance in a disordered world,
amid rival and conflicting influences.
Amen
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