Book of a Thousand Prayers

Seeking GodYou will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.DEUTERONOMY 4:291 O God, you are my God,early will I seek you.My flesh longs for you,my soul thirsts for you,in a barren and dry land where there is no water.Psalm 63:12 Late have I loved you,O Beauty so ancient and so new.You called, and broke through my defences,and now I long for you.You breathed your fragrance on me,and I drew in my breathand now I pant for you.I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst for you.You touched me,and I burn for your peace.St Augustine of Hippo (354-430)3 Lord Jesus, I am not an eagle. All I have are the eyes and theheart of one. In spite of my littleness, I dare to gaze at the sunof love, and I long to fly towards it.St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)4 Holy Spiritdwell in me,that I may become prayer.Whether I sleep or wake,eat or drink,labour or rest,may the fragrance of prayerrise, without effort, in my heart.Purify my soul and never leave me,so that the movements of my heart and mindmay, with voices full of sweetness,sing in secret to God.after St Isaac the Syrian (seventh century)5 O sweetest love of God, too little known,whoever has found you will be at rest.Let everything change, O my God,that I may rest in you.How sweet to me is your presence,you who are the sovereign good!I will draw near to you in silence,and will uncover your feet,that it may please you to unite me with yourself,making my soul your bride.I will rejoice in nothing until I am in your arms;O Lord, I beseech you, leave me not for a moment.St John of the Cross (1542-1591)6 Lord,this moment is yours;mine for you,and yours for me.I need you,I cannot survive without you;and yet I go on rushing through lifeas if I could do everything in my own strength.Forgive me.I knowthat you care for me at all times,and that I am always in your hands;but I still need to pauseand let my heart and spiritbe loved by youinto loving you again.A.A.Ashwin, Angela is the author of 'Book of a Thousand Prayers' with ISBN 9780310248729 and ISBN 0310248728.