The Serenity Prayer

Sometimes, life’s burdens just become too heavy to bear. And these are the times when I just want to ask for serenity. Serenity is almost equated to simplicity and humility of heart. Sounds easy… but it is such a difficult feat to achieve. It is only when I put my trust completely in God that I am able to throw down my worries and anxieties at the foot of His cross, knowing that His power and His love is so much more than my human capacity.

My dear friend, think about it. Surrendering doesn’t really mean that you are weak, that you are backing off; trusting in an unseen Higher Power is not always blind discipleship or lack of logical thinking. It may sound stupid by this world’s standards, but sometimes, we have to learn how to quit in order to succeed. Just as humility never really means weakness; faith can never be equated to desperation.

I hope in the Lord. My strength is in Him. In my human weakness, as I hold His hand, I may let go of Him and go on my own way; but if I will only allow Him to hold my hand instead, I know that He will never let me go.

“God is too wise to be mistaken,

He is too good to be unkind.”

Today, let me share with you this wonderful prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr and be very blessed.

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

–Reinhold Niebuhr

The Romero Prayer: Prophets of A Future Not Our Own

Today, let me share with you this beautiful prayer which was composed in honor of Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, a genuine bishop of the poor.

Source: http://www.uscatholic.org/culture/social-justice/2009/02/oscar-romero-bishop-poor#comment-1132

Prophets of A Future Not Our Own

The Romero Prayer

It helps now and then to step back and take the long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expreses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
That is what we are about: We plant seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not Master Builders, ministers, not Messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.

- Bishop Ken Untener