I recently came across this ancient prayer, written 800 years ago by Mechthild of Magdeburg.
O sweet and loving God,
When I stay asleep too long
Oblivious to all Your many blessings,
Then please wake me up,
And sing to me Your joyful song.
It is a song without noise or notes.
It is a song of love beyond words,
Of faith beyond the power of human telling.
I can hear it in my soul,
When you awaken me to Your presence.
I am amazed that these clear, contemporary-sounding words were written so long ago. What did Mechthild of Magdeburg experience to speak so intimately to God? The stream of faith has been running down down through the centuries and I know so little about it!
What voices from our century will still be heard in the future? In our scientific and technologically-focused society - where knowledge is quickly outdated - have we closed the door to the knowledge expressed in this simple, sensitive conversation with God?
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