A Soulful Journey

"Stand upon a lonely cliff and watch the timeless sea, Watch it seethe and boil and rage against the sand, Watch it tear the land apart and bury the earth in its depths. Then, small speck, turn and pray to God."    - G. Cummings

"The object of most prayers is to wangle an advance on good intentions." -Robert Brault

“As long as you know you are praying, you are not praying properly.”   -Benedictine Monk, Brother David Steindl-Rast

“In the Middle Ages a particular pope was so deeply revered that once a year he paraded through Rome’s streets wearing a ridiculous hat to discourage excessive veneration.   In our children’s eyes, we are always wearing such hats, but especially on our 50 th birthdays, when we have long ceased to be young and are a long way from being venerable.”   -George Will

The Baal Shem Tov once said, Imagine a man whose business propels him through a maze of streets and across the marketplace through the long day.   He almost forgets that there is a Maker of the world. Only when he realizes that it is time for Minha, the afternoon prayer, does he stop to remember that he must daven. Then, from the depths of his heart, he sighs.   In that moment he is full of regret that he has spent the full day on vain, idle matters.   He moves into a side street, stands still and prays.   God holds him very dear and his prayer pierces the firmament.

Hasidim equated the one who prays with the very prayer that is offered: "You are the prayer." -Rabbi Larry Kushner

“Startle us, O God Startle us with the wild improbability of what we say we believe. Startle us with the incredible beauty and goodness of the affirmations of this place, And our being in it this morning.”  – John M Buchanan