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The following prayers are from the beautiful book: The Bridge
of Stars, by Marcus Baybrooke, Duncan Baird Publishers,
London 2001 (The numbers before are the prayer numbers, not pages.)
273 The abolition of resentment -
I have forgotten where the hatchet is buried.
-Modern meditation from New Mexico, USA
274 One pure heart -
The prayer of one pure heart, I think, has the power to atone for
many.
-Sophocles (c496-406 bce), Athens
275 Transgressions -
All that we ought to have thought and have not thought; All that
we ought to have Spoken and have not spoken; All that we ought to
have done and have not done; All that we ought not to have thought
and yet have thought; All that we ought not to have spoken and yet
have spoken; All that we oughtnot to have done and yet have done;
| For thoughts, words and works, pray we, 0 God, for forgiveness,
And repent with penance.
- From the Zend-Avesta (6th century BCE), a Zoroastrian text, Persia
276 O Lord, forgive Our insensitivity to the needs of others, 0
Lord, forgive. Our prejudice and fear that prevent us from loving,
0 Lord, forgive. The narrowness of our vision and our shrinking
from your demands, 0 Lord, forgive. Our resentment against those
who have hurt us, 0 Lord, forgive. Our desire to do your work in
our way, 0 Lord, forgive. Our impatiance with those who are different
from us, 0 Lord, forgive. Our failure to listen properly to other
points of view, 0 Lord, forgive. Our fear of coming out of the fortress
of our own souls into fuller life and deeper love, 0 Lord, forgive.
- Modern prayer from Toronto, Canada
277 The Magician -
We admire the magician who makes doves disappear. In defiance of
what some people call common sense, and what other people call being
true to one's feelings, I make my grievances disappear. I do not
admire myself for this, nor expect anyone else to admire me.
- Modern affirmation from Helsinki, Finland
278 Prayer for Guidance -
Forgive, 0 Lord, what we have been, Direct what we are, And order
what we shall be, For your mercy's sake.
- Modern prayer, anonymous
279 Love in Forgiveness -
I forgive you for what you have said and done. I forgive you for
what you believe to be true. I forgive you for making light of the
hurt you have caused. I forgive you for not saying sorry. I do not
withhold my love. If I ever do so, please forgive, me.
- Modern prayer from Tel Aviv, Israel
280 The Inner Temple -
First, I enter my inner temple, sprinkle waters from the sacred
basin in a pure act of forgiveness. Next, to complete my forgiveness,
I open wide the doors of my inner temple to the one I have forgiven.
- Modern prayer from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The following prayers are from:
A Chaplain's Companion,
by Judith Joseph, 2002b (This is a book highly recommended for chaplains
of all types.)
Islamic Forgiveness prayer :
O God! Behold, I beg of Thee peace in this world and the Hereafter.
0 God! Behold, I beg of Thee forgiveness and safety in my faith,
in my world, in my household and in my wealth. 0 God! Cover my defects,
and give me peace from my apprehension.
O God! Forgive me my delinquency and my ignorance, my immoderation
in my concerns, and also that fault of mine whereof Thou art better
aware than myself. 0 God! Forgive me my earnestness and my sport,
my error and my design. All these failings are in me. 0 God! Forgive
me for that which I hasten and for that which I defer, for that
which I conceal and for that which I reveal; also for that fault
of mine whereof Thou art better aware than myself. Thou art the
Deferrer, and over all things Thou art Omnipotent.
From the Koran:
The servants of God are those who show patience, firmness and self-control,
who are true in word and deed, who worship devoutly, who spend time
in the way of God; and so pray for forgiveness in the early hours
of morning.
- Qur'an 3:15 &o 17
Christian Confession of Sin-
Almighty
and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways
like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires
of our own hearts, we have offended against they holy laws, we have
left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have
done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, 0 Lord,
have mercy on us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore
thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared
unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, 0 most merciful
Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous,
and sober life, to the glory of they holy Name. Amen.
A Jain Prayer for Forgiveness -
For violence I have committed mentally, For violence I have committed
verbally, For violence I have committed physically, I ask forgiveness.
From: Prayers For All People, by Mary Ford-Grabowsky,
Doubleday, 1995, P217
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