Past Prayers of The Day
December 2002
Week of December 23, 2002
The blessings we ask for this season
Aren't the kind that come wrapped with a bow;
We're asking for gifts from the heart,
Ones we need and never outgrow.
May we see in these bright decorations
With their colors and lights all aglow,
The beauty and wonder of life
That God's world was created to show.
Let the peace and goodwill of this season
Be feelings that we can extend
Far into the following year
To our neighbors, our family, and friends.
Most of all, may we always remember
To open our hearts every day
And share all the love and the joy
In a special and meaningful way.
- Source
Week of December 16, 2002
Once upon a time, the king of a great empire was taken gravely ill. His servants
called every doctor in the land, but none was able to help the king. Finally,
a wise old sage was brought in for advice.
Upon examining the king, the sage said, "For the king to be cured, he must
wear the shirt of a truly happy man. Find such a man and bring his shirt
back to the king."
The servants immediately set out on the search. They traveled through the
wealthiest part of the kingdom first, expecting the to find a happy man right
away. But as they passed by the houses of the wealthy, they heard complaining
and fighting coming from every house they passed by. The people were complaining
about clothes they didn't have, that their house was not as nice as their
neighbor's, or not having the finest foods.
Disheartened, the servants continued searching the kingdom, but to no avail.
When they were about to give up, they passed by a small, simple cottege.
From inside they heard a man's voice in prayer. "Thank you, Father in Heaven,"
he said, "for today I was able to get up and go to work and provide for my
family. We had just enough to eat and a shelter over our heads. We have all
the love we need from you and eachother. And now I can lie down and sleep
in peace. What more could one man ask for?"
Now overjoyed, the king's servants rushed into the house to ask the man
for his shirt. However, when they got into the home, the saw that the happy
man was so poor, he had no shirt.
- Based on a selection from
The Moral Compass by William J. Bennet
(I'm not sure of any other origins).
Week of December 9, 2002
I have no other wish than a close fusion with nature
and I desire no other fate
than to have worked and lived in harmony with her laws.
- Claude Monet
Week of December 2, 2002
Seven Deadly Social Sins:
Politics without principle.
Wealth without work.
Commerce without morality.
Pleasure without conscience.
Education without character.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
- Gandhi
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