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A Psalm of New Wineskins
by Ed Hays on Dec. 04, 2009
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Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionComfortable and well-worn are my daily paths
whose edges have grown gray
with constant use.
My daily speech is a collection of old words
worn down at the heels
by repeated use.
Anthanan@dreamstimeMy language and deeds, addicted to habit,
prefer the taste of old wine,
the feel of weathered skin.
Come and awaken me, Sprit of the new.
Come and refresh me, Creator of green life.
Come and inspire me, Risen Son,
you who make all things new:
I am too young to be dead,
to be stagnant in spirit.
High are the walls that guard the old,
the tried and secure ways of yesterday
that protect me from the dreaded plague,
the feared heresy of change.
For all change is a danger to the trusted order,
the threadbare traditions that are maintained
by the narrow ruts of rituals.
Yet how can an everlastingly new covenant
retain its freshness and vitality
without injections of the new,
the daring, the untried?
Come, O you who are ever-new,
wrap my heart in new skin,
ever flexible to be reformed by your Spirit.
Set my feet to fresh paths this day:
inspire me to speak original and life-giving words
and to creatively give shape to the new.
Come and teach me how to dance with delight
whenever you send a new melody my way.
From Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim by Ed Hays
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer action suggestion:
Experiment with change. Be stretched to new skin.
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precisely the psalm of our
precisely the psalm of our Church at this present juncture, to avoid rupture, to rise, to converge, to bring new life in Jesus Christ, the Risen Son, the new skin.
magnificent .. .it was
magnificent .. .it was written for me, I believe
Once again Fr. Ed Hays has
Once again Fr. Ed Hays has touched the marrow of our spiritual beings. How difficult it is to shed what is comfortable yet how necessary for growth.
I pray that the hand that had
I pray that the hand that had made me may help me.
"Come, O you who are ever-new,
wrap my heart in new skin,
ever flexible to be reformed by your Spirit."
St. Ephrem's homilies were in
St. Ephrem's homilies were in verse. Poems like this make me wish that sometimes they still were.
How beautifully refresing.
How beautifully refresing. Your message gives me a new freshness to my day.
Any chance of getting this
Any chance of getting this over to Rome?
Beautiful, this psalm touched
Beautiful, this psalm touched my heart. Thank you Fr. Hayes, I will share this, treasure it, read and re-read it, and pray along with Jack M and so many others that Rome "gets" it.
I think also if Rome doesn't "get" it, these corrupt structures will collapse of their own ineptitude. Just when, who knows? Who could have predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall even 3 years before it happened?
I plan to use this poem as a
I plan to use this poem as a basis for our Advent Contemplative Prayer Group. Much to consider. Thank you!
How difficult it is to shed
How difficult it is to shed what is comfortable yet how necessary for growth. Fr. Ed Hays has touched the marrow of our spiritual beings. Thank you Fr. Hayes.
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What can I say about this
What can I say about this one,whether it's a prayer or an inspirational thoughts,you decide yourself.residential mailboxes for sale
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