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PDF versionPrayer for a Garden
by Ed Hays on May. 08, 2009
Blessing Prayer for a Garden
Lord of Creation,
who planted Your own garden called Eden,
come and bless this soil
which is to be our garden.
All that dies becomes earth,
and so it lives again.
May this garden soil
be both womb and tomb,
a home for death and life,
so that seeds of living things—
of plants, of food and flowers—
may die and resurrect
here in our garden.
Ancient earth,
our mystical mother,
teach us, your children,
that all things die
to nourish life.
Gentle earth,
be blessed with our love
as we work in you.
Make us mindful that one day
you will be our final bed
of love and ecstasy.
Amen
The garden may be sprinkled with water, and a simple
cross of sticks or some other religious symbol may be placed
in the soil.
From Prayers for the Domestic Church by Ed Hays
The Seed Sowing Psalm
Divine Mystery, assist me
to be a wise gardener,
who, with great care, will sow
only goood seeds this day,
those deeds and attitutdes
that truly will give you glory.
If by habit, sloth or accident,
I might sow an evil seed,
in haste, before it takes root,
may I pluck it up at once,
lest it grow an evil harvest.
Every word, deed and hidden thought
is a seed whose DNA insures
a fruit unfolding to ripe maturity
that someday will be
my life-harvest returned to me.
May it be, O Holy One, a harvest of Life.
From Pslams for Zero Gravity by Ed Hays
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer action suggestion:
Plant a seed in a garden or a flower pot. Nurture it as it grows.
Tread lightly on the earth so that future seeds have an earth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Please sing me up for
Please sing me up for reflections
thanks for this father. my
thanks for this father. my garden is not doing so good this year, perhaps because i forgot to ask god bless my efforts!
Tomorrow I will go up to my
Tomorrow I will go up to my new home and bury my dog there. She is a dog, not a human, but a part of my life anyway. I know she'll become a part of the earth that makes up my garden there. I know this no matter what, but reading it this morning the way Fr. Hays writes about death I can read this over her grave and feel I've given her something special.
I don't know how Fr. Hays feels about dogs. I've talked to St. Francis so I feel St. Francis had something to do with my getting this beautiful message for us gardeners this morning.
God blesses you, Fr Hays.
"She is a dog, not a human."
"She is a dog, not a human." I know the church seems to think animals won't reside with us in heaven but they didn't think the earth revolved around the sun as just one of the many planets and they thought the earth was flat and owning people was okay. So,perhaps mankind isn't the only type of beings God regards as special either.
I hope you enjoy your memories of your dog.
I am going out right now with
I am going out right now with a small cross and this blessing prayer
I believe about to catch
I believe about to catch right. My business is certain. Let’s go over the idea
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When we pray, much like when
When we pray, much like when we garden, we cultivate a relationship with God that thrives with our love, attention, and prudent pruning. As we strengthen our prayer lives, our words and thoughts rise from the fertile soil of our souls to the heavens, becoming fruitful and faith-full extensions of ourselves. And, just as rain and sun are essential elements to successful gardening, the challenges and gifts in our lives also nurture us and result in even more bountiful blessings.
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