Thursday, April 14, 2011

Awaking the Dawn at 9:00 AM

I'll bet that monastics are already getting ready for mid-morning Daytime prayer when I'm just getting to Morning Prayer. Although I tell myself that someday I should wake up half an hour before the kids and get morning prayer done while the sun is rising, it ain't happening.

But that's okay. There's room for flexibility with the Divine Office. So I don't crack a breviary open until after the kids have left for school and I've had breakfast. Then I sit down with my morning coffee (hence the adorable name of this blog) and awake the dawn between 8:30 and 9:00 AM.

Here's some very motivational, energizing, rise-and-shine verses from Psalm 57 in today's Morning Prayer:

My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.
I will sing, I will sing your praise.
Awake my soul,
awake, lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn...
I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples,
among that nations I will praise you
for your love reaches to the heavens
and your truth to the skies.
O God arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!

And that's something to take away and pray for the rest of the day: My heart is ready, O God.  Ready to face whatever it is you send me: overdue bills, a sick child, spilled milk, car repairs, spring sunshine, the song of the redwing blackbird. Ready to accept and make of it an offering back to You.  My heart is ready.