Holy Cross 
So, how is it going? Has your Lenten practice faded like a New Year’s resolution the third week of January? Are you still searching for a Lenten practice? For any, it is giving up something or taking on something. This year I’ve chosen to do neither. I’ve chosen to work on communication. To really listen and to be present in my encounters. Really present. To not impulsively slide in a statement like a baseball player slidinginto home plate. To think before I speak. It is not as easy as one might think. To be mindful of all of one’s daily interactions and encounters no matter how big or small they might be. I recently became re-acquainted with St. Augustine’s Prayer Book (pages 41-42). This was a gift given to Stacy and me by a dear couple in our former parish. The book was still in its original box. Still sparklingly new. Paging through the text, I came across this prayer. I thought I would share it as a devotional as a new way to pray.
In God’s Presence, think through the day ahead:
the work you will do, the people you will encounter,
the dangers or uncertainties you face,
the possibilities for joy and acts of kindness,
any particular resolutions you need to renew,
consider what might draw you from the love of God and neighbor,
the opportunities you will have to know and serve God and to grow in virtue,
remember those closest to you and all for whom you have agreed to pray,
ask God’s blessings, guidance, and strength in all that lies before you.
Gather up these thoughts and reflections in the words of Our Savior taught us to say:
"Our Father, who art in heaven..."
And may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep my heart and mind in the
knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, My Lord; and the blessing of God
Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with me now and always. Amen (St.
Augustine Prayer Book, 193)
Footnote:
St. Augustine Prayer Book, (2022) Forward Movement, Sixth Printing (2014)