In the spirit of St. Patrick, I offer this
Prayer for Starting the Morning Fire
I will rekindle my fire this morning
In presence of the holy angles [sic] of heaven,
God, kindle Thou my heart within
A flame of love to my neighbour,
To my foe, to my friend, to my kindred all,
To the brave, to the knave, to the thrall . . . .*
Not many of us kindle our own fire in the morning but we might turn up the thermostat. This morning I flipped on the switch that starts my gas fireplace and as I did I prayed this prayer.
It is a prayer I need to pray more often. It is not easy to love my neighbour. It is much easier to love and protect myself. It is easy to find fault with my neighbour. “God, kindle Thou my heart within – A flame of love to my neighbor.”
*From the Carmina Gadelica as quoted in George G. Hunter III, The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West. . . Again (Nashville: Abingdon Press) p. 33.