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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SIGN UP NOW to receive an e-email alert each week directing you to Fr. Hays' prayer reflections.
Want to know more about Fr. Ed Hays?
--Read a profile on Fr. Hays
Visit Ave Maria Press for a full selection of books by Fr. Hays.
