Bless My Enemies O Lord
Bp. Nikolai Velimirovich
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have.
Friends have bound me to earth, enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world.
They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself.
They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments.
They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself.
They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.
Bless my enemies, O Lord, Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish.
Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf.
Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background.
Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand.
Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep.
Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out.
Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of your garment.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly against me:
so that my fleeing to You may have no return;
so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs;
so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul;
so that my heart may become the grave of my two evil twins, arrogance and anger;
so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven;
ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.
Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself.
One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends.
It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies.
Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and enemies.
A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands.
For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life.
Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them.-From Prayers by the Lake by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, published by the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of New Gracanica, 1999.
22 June 2010
19 June 2010
a stanza or two, almost on a Friday
I was overtaken with studying yesterday and didn't get a chance to post a poem. So here it is.
I am fascinated by this poet, Rabindranath Tagore. I have yet to finish reading his biography, and really want to pick up a book of his poems. Maybe I'll ask for one for my upcoming birthday.
I Cast My Net Into The Sea
In the morning I cast my net into the sea.
I dragged up from the dark abyss things of strange aspect and strange beauty -- some shone like a smile, some glistened like tears, and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride.
When with the day's burden I went home, my love was sitting in the garden idly tearing the leaves of a flower.
I hesitated for a moment, and then placed at her feet all that I had dragged up, and stood silent.
She glanced at them and said, 'What strange things are these? I know not of what use they are!'
I bowed my head in shame and thought, 'I have not fought for these, I did not buy them in the market; they are not fit gifts for her.'
Then the whole night through I flung them one by one into the street.
In the morning travellers came; they picked them up and carried them into far countries.
Rabindranath Tagore
I am fascinated by this poet, Rabindranath Tagore. I have yet to finish reading his biography, and really want to pick up a book of his poems. Maybe I'll ask for one for my upcoming birthday.
I Cast My Net Into The Sea
In the morning I cast my net into the sea.
I dragged up from the dark abyss things of strange aspect and strange beauty -- some shone like a smile, some glistened like tears, and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride.
When with the day's burden I went home, my love was sitting in the garden idly tearing the leaves of a flower.
I hesitated for a moment, and then placed at her feet all that I had dragged up, and stood silent.
She glanced at them and said, 'What strange things are these? I know not of what use they are!'
I bowed my head in shame and thought, 'I have not fought for these, I did not buy them in the market; they are not fit gifts for her.'
Then the whole night through I flung them one by one into the street.
In the morning travellers came; they picked them up and carried them into far countries.
Rabindranath Tagore
11 June 2010
a stanza or two, on a friday
Beggarly Heart
by Rabindranath Tagore
When the heart is hard and parched up,
come upon me with a shower of mercy.
When grace is lost from life,
come with a burst of song.
When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides shutting me out from
beyond, come to me, my lord of silence, with thy peace and rest.
When my beggarly heart sits crouched, shut up in a corner,
break open the door, my king, and come with the ceremony of a king.
When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O thou holy one,
thou wakeful, come with thy light and thy thunder.
by Rabindranath Tagore
When the heart is hard and parched up,
come upon me with a shower of mercy.
When grace is lost from life,
come with a burst of song.
When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides shutting me out from
beyond, come to me, my lord of silence, with thy peace and rest.
When my beggarly heart sits crouched, shut up in a corner,
break open the door, my king, and come with the ceremony of a king.
When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O thou holy one,
thou wakeful, come with thy light and thy thunder.
10 June 2010
03 June 2010
so...
I facebook. I do. Mostly posting (obnoxiously, I am sure) about my smarter, better-looking, higher-achieving kids. Now, all my posts about them may be biased, but, well, I fail at being humble in regards to my children. I think they're awesome and I am proud of them and want everyone to know it.
Back to facebook. Everyone lately with any sense has been posting their positions against BP, how horrible BP is and etc. I really think facebook should NEVER be used for the following three things: evangelizing, political posturing, and marital relations. Making everyone look at the pictures of every single cute thing your kid has ever done, ok. Asking for book recommendations, or sharing homeschool finds, ok. But those other three things? That's why facebook is stupid, because every person with an uninformed opinion uses it to try to share their "Jesus is my girlfriend" views, slander Sarah Palin and BP executives alike, or make syrupy-sweet statements about their love interests (usually TMI to the extreme).
However, even though griping about BP on facebook seems a pointless exercise to me, I saw a few recent comments I agreed with. One woman was posting an address, email and phone number of a BP exec for people to write or call in protest. A man responded to her "call to boycott and go to Kroger or Snucks' gas stations instead" by pointing out that the local Memphis refinery supplies BP stations as well as Kroger and the like. He admonished her to be mad about BP's moves all she wanted, but not to encourage people to do something useless.
The next day, people started "liking" a group titled, "Stop the oil spill by stuffing BP executives into the leaking pipe."
Now that's just funny.
Back to facebook. Everyone lately with any sense has been posting their positions against BP, how horrible BP is and etc. I really think facebook should NEVER be used for the following three things: evangelizing, political posturing, and marital relations. Making everyone look at the pictures of every single cute thing your kid has ever done, ok. Asking for book recommendations, or sharing homeschool finds, ok. But those other three things? That's why facebook is stupid, because every person with an uninformed opinion uses it to try to share their "Jesus is my girlfriend" views, slander Sarah Palin and BP executives alike, or make syrupy-sweet statements about their love interests (usually TMI to the extreme).
However, even though griping about BP on facebook seems a pointless exercise to me, I saw a few recent comments I agreed with. One woman was posting an address, email and phone number of a BP exec for people to write or call in protest. A man responded to her "call to boycott and go to Kroger or Snucks' gas stations instead" by pointing out that the local Memphis refinery supplies BP stations as well as Kroger and the like. He admonished her to be mad about BP's moves all she wanted, but not to encourage people to do something useless.
The next day, people started "liking" a group titled, "Stop the oil spill by stuffing BP executives into the leaking pipe."
Now that's just funny.
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