A Praying Crane

When we see a crane standing motionless on the side of a tank or lake, we may suppose from his attitude that he is musing on the glory of God or the excellent quality of the water. But no such thing! He stand there motionless for hours, but the moment he catches sight of a frog or small fish he springs upon it and gulps it down. Just such is the attitude and method of many with regard to prayer and religious meditation. Seated by the shore of the boundless ocean of God, they give no thought to His majesty and love, or to His divine nature that cleanses from sin and satisfies the hungry soul, but are wrapped up in the thought of acquiring some specially desired object, by means of which they may more fully indulge in the delights of this fleeting world. Thus they turn away from the fountain of true peace, and, immersing themselves in the fading joys of this world, with them also die and pass away.


Sadhu Sundar Singh

the poorest, the lowliest, and the lost.

Here is thy footstool and there rest thy feet

 where live the poorest, and lowliest, and lost.

When I try to bow to thee, 

my obeisance cannot reacb down to the depth

 where thy feet rest among the poorest, and lowliest, and lost.

Pride can never approach to where thou walkest 

in the clothes of the humble among 

the poorest, and lowliest, and lost.

My heart can never find its way to where thou keepest

 company with the companionless among

 the poorest, the lowliest, and the lost.

Rabindranath

Let only that little be left of me whereby I may name thee my all.

Let only that little be left of my will whereby I may feel thee on every side, and come to thee in everything, and offer to thee my love every moment.

Let only that little be left of me whereby I may never hide thee.

Let only that little of my fetters be left whereby I am bound with thy will, and thy purpose is carried out in my life-and that is the fetter of thy love.

Rabindranath

Clouds heap upon clouds and it darkens. 
Ah, love, why dost thou let me wait outside at the door all alone?

In the busy moments of the noontide work I am with the crowd, 

but on this dark lonely day it is only for thee that I hope.

If thou showest me not thy face, 

if thou leavest me wholly aside,

I know not how I am to pass these long, rainy hours.

I keep gazing on the far away gloom of the sky,

 and my heart wanders wailing with the restless wind.

Rabindranath

The time that my journey takes

The time that my journey takes is long

 and the way of it long.

I came out on the chariot of the first gleam of light,

 and pursued my voyage through the wildernesses of worlds leaving my track on many a star and planet.

It is the most distant course that comes nearest to thyself, and that training is the most intricate which leads to the utter simplicity of a tune.

The traveller has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end.

My eyes strayed far and wide before I shut them and said 'Here art thou!'

The question and the cry 'Oh, where?' Melt into tears of a thousand streams and deluge the world with the blood of the assurance 'I am!'

Rabindranath

This jewelled chain on my neck.

It decks me only to mock me, this
jewelled chain of mine.
It bruises me when on my neck, it
strangles me when I struggle to tear
it off.
It grips my throat, it chokes my
singing.
Could I but offer it to your hand,
my Lord, I would be saved.
Take it from me, and in exchange
bind me to you with a garland, for I
am ashamed to stand before you with
this jewelled chain on my neck.


Rabindranath

Food for spiritual journey

He who wants to cross the spiritual sea is long-suffering, humble, vigilant and selfcontrolled.
If he impetuously embarks on it without these four virtues, he agitates his heart, but cannot cross.

 Stillness helps us by making evil inoperative. If it also takes to itself these four virtues in prayer, it is the most direct support in attaining dispassion.


Afflictions that come to us are the result of our own sins. But if we accept them patiently through prayer, we shall again find blessings.


The intellect cannot be still unless the body is still also; and the wall between them cannot be demolished without stillness and prayer.

The flesh with its desire is opposed to the spirit, and the spirit opposed to the flesh,and those who live in the spirit will not carry out the desire of the flesh 


Whatever we do without prayer and without hope in God turns out afterwards to be harmful and defective.


There is a sin which is always ‘unto death’ (1Jn 5:16): the sin for which we do not, repent. For this sin even a saint’s prayers will not be heard.


The sign of sincere love is to forgive wrongs done to us. It was with such love that the Lord loved the world.

We cannot with all our heart forgive someone who does us wrong unless we possess real knowledge. For this knowledge shows us that we deserve all we experience.


A passion which we allow to grow active within us through our own choice afterwards forces itself upon us against our will.


Saint Mark the Ascetic