Sunday 29 March 2020

Sister Eileen's blessing

Some years ago I briefly belonged to an East Sussex group of women called The Servants With Jesus, begun by Sister Eva and Sister Eileen some decades ago.

Sister Eileen used to speak about responding in prayer to difficult situations, or times when things were stuck and hard to move.

She taught us this small blessing, to say over and over again:
I bless you with the love of the Lord.
In any circumstance of life where transformation is needed, it can be prayed as a kind of mantra to bring about renewal, softening, healing and change. It can be prayed into people or situations. 

Just now, the lives of many will have been turned upside down. There will be people sick, grieving, frightened, worried about money — people whose lives will never be the same again. 

There are also our political leaders, some doing their best for us and some merely opportunistic or out of their depth. And there are the key workers, especially hospital staff and people associated with deliveries and grocery supplies, and other essential services, like refuse collection.

As each person, or category of people, or aspect of our present circumstances, comes before our minds, we can say quietly in our hearts:
I bless you with the love of the Lord.
Blessing averts curse, seeds healing, and opens the way to renewal.

5 comments:

Suzan said...

Thank you for this. My youngest, Philippa, is doing it very tough at present so I will carry this with me.

Rebecca said...

Dear One, I bless YOU with the love of the Lord. 💗

Pen Wilcock said...

Suzan — yes! And I bless you with the love of the Lord. I bless Philippa with the love of the Lord. x

Rebecca — thank you! And I bless you with the love of the Lord. x

DaisyAnon said...

Thank you so much Pen for all that you do and your recent writings. I haven't commented much as there seemed nothing to say except 'Me too' to so much. Thank you for this. This style combined with a visualisation of the person being filled and surrounded by the light and love of blessing and healing comprises most of my prayer now. There doesn't seem much more to say. I sometimes wonder if I am being lazy by not doing the lengthy intercessionary style but you have reassured me.

'Lockdown', social distancing and so on hasn't affected me much as it pretty much describes my normal lifestyle. My eccentricities and social dysfuntions have finally come into their own strengths.

Thank you also for the links to the Phillip Carr-Gomm material and course. Fascinating. I have signed up.

Pen Wilcock said...

Waving! It was so lovely to see you at online church this morning. Yes, those of us who prowl life's margins feel right at home in this brave new world! Perhaps we bear a greater responsibility to speak up for a wiser and more equitable future. May you be peaceful, may you be blessed, may you be well. x