The Blessings of the Cross - AN EVENING PRAYER
 
Jesus gives the Beatitudes - Matthew 5:1-12
 
Lord, have mercy...Upon the world...This holy season look down with pity upon all the children of men....Upon all who are lonely and blind to God... Upon all who prefer evil to good.... Upon all in high places who forget the height and depth, in this world and in the world to come, belong to Thee... Upon the sick of mind and heart... Upon all who are without Thee...Upon those who pray and those who do not....Upon those who have fallen and those who are penitent...

LORD, have mercy....Upon us who forget the white finger with the red wounds... Who once saw God live with man and die for man...Who now must see again that at last, in all the centuries, the holiness and justice, the purity and truth, the majesty and might of God have been . . .

The Blessings of the Cross - AN EVENING PRAYER
 
Jesus gives the Beatitudes - Matthew 5:1-12
 
Lord, have mercy...Upon the world...This holy season look down with pity upon all the children of men....Upon all who are lonely and blind to God... Upon all who prefer evil to good.... Upon all in high places who forget the height and depth, in this world and in the world to come, belong to Thee... Upon the sick of mind and heart... Upon all who are without Thee...Upon those who pray and those who do not....Upon those who have fallen and those who are penitent...

LORD, have mercy....Upon us who forget the white finger with the red wounds... Who once saw God live with man and die for man...Who now must see again that at last, in all the centuries, the holiness and justice, the purity and truth, the majesty and might of God have been satisfied by a Man on a Cross... That never again, not even in this hour of the world's loneliness, need there be separation between God and man..Upon us... Upon our little world and our great sins.
 
Christian friends, let's shun the hypocrisy of superficially thanking God while deep in our hearts we are dissatisfied with our blessings. Beware of inconsistent prayer.
 
For words without the heart
The LORD will never hear,
Nor will He to those lips attend
Whose prayers are not sincere
 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - It's not enough to say a prayer-we have to live it too.