A 17th Century Nun's Prayer

This well-known prayer is one that might be of benefit to all of us as we negotiate our way through life and try to avoid collisions along the way. As it is put we don't expect to be saints but it would be nice to have a few friends at the end. The prayer is preceded by settling down words and a period of one minute to allow you to come into the present moment. Enjoy.

Transcript

Dear friends,

In this series we will have a short settling down introduction,

Followed by a prayer.

I hope that whatever your own beliefs,

You will find some benefit in hearing these well known words which have been a support to others over many years.

We begin by seeing if we can become really present,

Bringing body and mind into the same place.

You might like to close your eyes,

Take a deep breath,

Relax,

Just relax,

Remember to drop the shoulders,

All is well in the here and the now.

Today I have for you a 17th century nun's prayer.

Lord,

Thou knowest better than I know myself,

That I am growing older,

And some day will be old.

Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.

Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody's affairs.

Make me thoughtful but not moody,

Helpful but not bossy.

With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all,

But thou knowest Lord,

That I want a few friends at the end.

Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details.

Give me wings to get to the point.

Seal my lips on my aches and pains,

They are increasing and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others' pains,

But help me to endure them with patience.

I dare not ask for improved memory,

But for a growing humility and lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet.

I do not want to be a saint,

Some of them are so hard to live with,

But a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.

Give me the ability to see the good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people.

And give me O Lord,

The grace to tell them so.

Amen.

That was a 17th century nun's prayer.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Namaste.

Reviews

I smile broadly each time I hear this. I see myself in her requests and embrace her mirth with gratitude, that we should not take ourselves too seriously, but keep moving with humility and grace. 🙏 Thank you 🙏

I love her self-depricating authenticity. I detected a sense of humor or at least a bit of good natured self-forgiveness as she prayed to be a better person. I learned more about her in that short prayer than I do spending hours with others. Wonderful! Thanks for sharing that 🙏🕊️💜

I loved that! Thank you for sharing it with us!
❤️🙏💐

I absolutely see the significance of an old prayer in newer times. I can totally relate to this as an older person. I’m going to write it down and use it regular,y. Thank you!

I didn’t know what to expect. I hope it’s okay to smile and giggle during prayer and meditation. 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you so much for sharing this prayer. I feel a kinship with this 17th century sister through her prayer and your reading. It truly touched my heart. Thank you!

Spot on. absolutely lovely. I will come back to this. Thank you.🩵🙏

Thank you! A perfect start to my day, even chuckled a little at the wisdom! Perhaps this will replace “A Blessing for You “, that was removed recently. We’ll see! Namaste ☮️🙏

Thank you Tony🙏my late father’s parents were from county Cork & county Sligo 🇮🇪☘️🙏
I really like this nun’s prayer 🫶12 years of Catholic school and the nuns were some of my favorite teachers !

That was Beautiful, I did Enjoy it very much. Thanks a million 🙏🌹

I love this! It was just what I needed today with the holiday gatherings that can be tiring and taxing !

Solid, timeless, practical, and actionable advice/thoughts. Thanks to whomever it was that wrote that and thank you Tony for passing it along. Respectfully, Neil ☯️😃

What an awesome ego check first thing in the morning. I needed the reminder and kick in the pants. Thank you.

Fantastic! A newfound experience to burst out laughing aloud repeatedly while practicing these mindful minutes, through your delightful reading of a nun’s wise (and witty) words that effectively resonate humor and humility hundreds of years later , thank you

Wonderful Brought several chuckles to mind. I’m grateful ❤️

Very powerful thank you for that it set me up for the day ahead 😉

So powerful for such a short practice. Amazing how resonent today. Thank you. 🙏

I enjoyed this immensely!! I wasn't expecting to laugh with recognition based on this segment's name. It would benefit me, my colleagues, and my partner if I listened to this every single day. 😊 Thank you!

Oh my Lord what a wonderful sense of humor she must have had!

It felt like a cheeky pray with a lot of truth to reflect on. Made me smile at myself… 😇🙏