Ignatian prayer

I was in a United Methodist Church today in Pennsylvania and came across a prayer attributed to St. Ignatius. I liked it and remembered to look it up on the web when I got home. Here it is.

Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give without counting the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for reward, except to know that I am doing your will.

Amen.

It’s a simply beautiful prayer and I like it. Prior to this afternoon I had not seen this prayer. As I reflected on the prayer I thought of three members of the United Methodist Church who are frequently in the news, Hillary Clinton, Dick Cheney, and President Bush. I did some research and discovered that Geronimo was also a Methodist. As I was leaving the church I spied Upper Room. I stopped for a minute to look at this month’s edition. At one time I subscribed to Weavings which is another Methodist publication. My paternal grandmother was a member of the United Methodist Church. Lots of thoughts have been spawned by that short prayer and my encounter with it today. Peace.

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