Prayer

Prayer is not just the rosary... with the litany of Our Fathers and Hail Mary's. And it's not just because the church tells us to.

Relaxation, meditation and prayer are as important to mental health as weights and cardio are to physical health. Not only that, but every physical feat starts in the mind. Given this lead-in, and the fact that I'm hyperactive and terribly anxious by nature, my absolutely favorite prayer is the Serenity prayer at the left margin of this blog:

Lord, give me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

My second favorite is the Saint Teresa of Avila's prayer, here in its original Spanish and in its translation:

Nada te turbe.
Nada te espanta.
Todo se pasa.
La oracion todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene
nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta.

Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing affright you.
All things are passing.
God alone never changes.
Patience gains all things.
He who has God
wants nothing.
God alone suffices.

Find one you like or need... and keep it handy.


-copyright 2014 by Willy.