Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,
Last Spring we created a prayer cycle with audio podcasts to accompany my book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal. I am delighted to share the first companion video podcasts lovingly produced by Betsey Beckman. We will release the video podcast series weekly over the next seven weeks. The full text and audio for the prayer cycle is available here.
Each day of the prayer cycle focuses on the thematic and archetypal energies associated with a different name for Mary. Today’s video podcast for Day 1 Morning and Evening Prayer is on the theme Queen of Angels and Virgin. As Queen of Angels Mary invites us to an awareness of the abiding love and support available at all times. In her aspect as Virgin, Mary calls us to honour our wholeness and say “yes” to the divine spark within.
The following prayers are excerpted from Day 1 Morning and Evening Prayer.
OPENING PRAYER (Morning)
We gather this morning to join with the heavenly choir of angels and give thanks for their abiding love. Mary, Queen of Angels, summon the support of the heavenly hosts to guide us on our human journey as we live fully into our holy nature and remember that we are not alone.
PRAYER OF CONCERN (Morning)
Creator God, we thank you that you created angels who can act as messengers, bringing words of life and possibility to us. Forgive us when we expect divine beings to look a certain way and so miss annunciations along our path. Help us to have eyes that can see beyond the surface of things and show us when we are entertaining angels unawares.
READING OF THE NIGHT: Mariann Burke (Evening)
How does the virgin birth happen in each of us as a psychic reality? It happens as we respond throughout life to what urges us to our fullest humanity. What is the Mary ‘part’ within us? . . . . It is the place where God is ‘born’ in us and where we begin to discover and live out of our deepest center.
We are blessed to work with a gifted team of artists and contemplatives to bring this prayer cycle to you and pray it nourishes you as you journey with Mary and birth the holy in your own life. If you would like to help support us financially in creating this free resource, we gratefully receive contributions.
Join Simon tomorrow for his monthly Taizé-inspired Sacred Chant service.
With great and growing love,
Christine
Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE
Block Print © Kreg Yingst
Prayer of Concern written by Polly Paton-Brown
