God

[ailbhe]

I keep conflating two prayers, although one is not a translation of the other. No idea why.

God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in mine eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at mine end, and at my departing.

Críost liom. Críost romham, Críost im dhíadh, Críost os mo chionnsa agus Críost fúm. Críost ina chónaí i mo chroíse. Críost fós ó dheas díom, Críost ó thuaidh. Ón Tiarna tig slánú, Ón Tiarna tig slánú, Go raibh do shlánú a Thiarna inár measc go saol na saol.

I said elsewhere that Santa is as real to me as God is, and I think that's true; I think that if I believe in any God it is in the Good In People. Not in all people, because I'm pretty sure there are people without any in them, or none they can access, though obviously they had some to begin with - and they still, in case I need to specify this, deserve decent treatment, even if there isn't goodness pouring out of them. It's one reason I'm glad I'm not a defense lawyer of any kind; I'm not good enough to be able to defend the indefensible, and without that there could be no justice.

Ramble ramble. Gawd I'm tired.

Comments

[serene]

I said elsewhere that Santa is as real to me as God is, and I think that's true; I think that if I believe in any God it is in the Good In People. Not in all people, because I'm pretty sure there are people without any in them, or none they can access, though obviously they had some to begin with - and they still, in case I need to specify this, deserve decent treatment, even if there isn't goodness pouring out of them. It's one reason I'm glad I'm not a defense lawyer of any kind; I'm not good enough to be able to defend the indefensible, and without that there could be no justice.

Love love love love love.

[erik]

I'll post it again in a couple of weeks, but here's a post about Santa I wrote a few years ago and repost every year on Christmas.

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

I do believe in God, so this comment may not be of any use whatsoever. But I know a lot of people who don't believe in God but still invest a lot of time and energy in praying (for reasons that I won't inflict on you but am happy to share if you are interested) and their consistent experience is that the prayer works anyway.

[batswing.livejournal.com]

That's very interesting! Do these people 'not believe in God' entirely or do they have some belief but reject the concept or form of 'God' as portrayed as the norm in major religions?

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

Different for different people. But it's explicitly clear that they don't have to believe in God.

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

They do have to be open to the possibility that the prayer will work.

[batswing.livejournal.com]

What does the one on the right mean?

[miriammoules.livejournal.com]

Those two prayers are two I often conflate as well - they are two sides of the same experience of That Which Is.

[whirligigwitch.livejournal.com]

I haven't thought about either of those prayers in years, but I can actually remember conflating them also. I used to love the one on the left, for its simplicity yet scope.