The Lenten Season is a time of intense prayer. Those who give steady attention to these days before Easter tend to immerse themselves in repetitive prayers of confession. These prayers often state—over and over again—the same sins, shortcomings and failures. Jesuit Brother, Michael Moynahan, calls these prayers broken records. In the book, Hearts on Fire: Praying with the Jesuits, Moynahan shares a prayer titled ‘Broken Record.’ He encourages Christians to stop the self-effacing stutter and listen for God’s voice. He imagines God might speak these words to us…if God could get a word in edgewise…
“I love you
because I can’t do
anything else.
I made you, every last part of you:
all that’s hidden and all that’s revealed,
all that’s muddled and even all that’s clear.
You are,
at the risk
of repeating myself,
dear to me.
You are precious
in my eyes
because…
just because you are mine.
That’s enough for me.
And it will have to do for you.
Wrestle with it until you get tired
and then relax and give in.
Take a deep breath and enjoy.”
In the middle of your confessions, in the middle of this Lenten Season, stop and listen for God’s voice. You might be delighted by what you hear.
—Jim