Prayer Before The Image Of The Young Jesus

Here is a Litany Prayer I wrote for young people some years ago. Maybe it will help us to pray even if we're not youngsters anymore. All the singular pronouns can be changed to plural if we're thinking: Family, Church, Nation, Community, World.

Jesus, I greet you,

   receive the gift of my love,

   the whisper of my prayer,
   my thanks and praise.

   my desire for what is good.

Jesus, thank you for your Word and

   the wonder of your miracles,

   grow me up,

   make me whole, 
   seal me with your Spirit-Gifts.
   

Jesus, show me what you desire,

   lead me in heart-truth,

   disclose your secrets to me,

   direct my steps,

   illumine my life-path.

Jesus, walk with me,

   forgive the sins of my ignorance,

   transform me from within,

   draw me out of darkness,
   challenge my frivolity.

Jesus, give me a clean heart,

   remove from my mind what is worthless,

   restore me where I am poor and needy,

   brighten my consciousness,

   repair me where I have been abused or forgotten.

Jesus, take the weapons out of my heart,

   draw me out of the shallows,

   recreate me as a reconciler,

   refashion me to be an agent of life,

   keep me safe.

Jesus, strengthen me for my tasks,

   make me to be a good friend to others,

   a companion to the poor,

   protect me from unseen enemies,

   fill me with your good spirit.

Jesus, refresh me,

   release me from enslaved reasonings,

   be a remedy for my discouragement,

   soften what's hardened in my heart,
   melt what's frozen.

Jesus, no more greed or waste,
   teach me to harm no one.

   instruct me to kindness and compassion,
   spark justice in me,

   open me to gratitude. 

Jesus, expand generosity in me,

   quiet the beasts of false-judgments in me,

   tame the inner storms,

   exorcise the spirit of addiction in me,

   scour revenge from me. 

Jesus, establish the peaceable kingdom here,

   be patient with my unbelief,

   increase humility within me,

   free me from resentments that I may love freely,

   raise me from among the dead.

Jesus, awaken me from my inner sleep,

   expand me to a global heart,

   gift me with tears for the sorrows of the world,

   protect and enlighten my family,

   heal my memories.

Jesus, calm my exhausting fears,

   hold me close to your heart,

   show your face,

   build me up in trust,

   increase joy in me.

Jesus, give me the gift of peace.

   lift me up from my stumblings,

   fill me with new purpose,

   transport me beyond externals,
   break the lies.

Jesus, stir up creativity in me,

   confirm me in your friendship,  

   teach me how to love God and other people ~

   that I would be like light.
   Jesus, you can count on me!

Amen.

Christ Pantocrator at a Young Age

Here is an icon titled, Christ Pantocrator at a Young Age. The Greek word Pantocrator means, Ruler of All. Jesus appears as a young man in this 16th century fresco painted over the altar at the Monastery of Koutloumousiou on Mount Athos. God, being born with the human face of Jesus, has become picturable. 

Jesus seems to be in motion here: on his way, setting out with purpose. He is beautiful and full of life. He is wide awake but serene. His face possesses an inner light. 

Christ's head is large ~ filled with the best human-divine thoughts. His eyes remain wide open to all the world's struggles. His nose, elongated and slender, with arched eyebrows suggests a palm tree offering protection, nourishment and consolation. 

The ears of Jesus are easily detected ~ he will hear my prayer, the expression of my heart-longings, my sorrows and joys, my thanks and praise. The line of Jesus' mouth suggests nothing carnal. Presently his mouth is closed, but he will open it with a word spoken to each of us. I will hear him if I am attentive, receptive and still.

The circle of light around Jesus' head keeps my gaze drawn to his face. The cross inside the nimbus forms the Greek initials for the Divine Name revealed to Moses: The Being. Jesus is the God-Man.

There are lively decorations of green and red within the nimbus too. Divine light radiates from the clothing and even the hair of Jesus. We know the old expression, You are what you eat. We might also say, You are what you look at.

Tomorrow there'll be a prayer here that we might enter before this icon. And of course, as with any prayer, poem or hymn found here, we can expand and adapt it as we are inspired.