This is the prayer, read so wonderfully by the lovely Kev, at Rich's Celebration. It is bringing me strength and joy and helping me through this time as events unfold. It is a wonderful prayer, and I know that I am not small, I am not alone, and I *can* change the world through my hidden acts.
The Prayer of St Barbara, the patron saint of armourers, military engineers, gunsmiths, and those who work with cannon and explosives.
Prayer of him who suffers
Saint Barbara, many people around me lie. Teach me to resemble you by hating falsehood and treachery, and preferring everything to them – even social failure, even humiliation, even poverty,.
Saint Barbara, many people around me hate. Teach me to be like you by returning good for evil and by praying for those who hate me, remembering that Christ said: “If you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven”, and “The measure you use will be the measure used for you”.
Saint Barbara, I am crushed with suffering, and cannot bear any more. Teach me that suffering offered with love is alms, and that it can save a soul. Christ offered me such alms on the cross, and you imitated him in the torture chamber. This is how he saved the world, and how you converted your country.
Help me to remember under what conditions you lived: It will give me courage. Then I will see that I too, can achieve great things with that I have, and that if I do not like what is happening. I can change it by my hidden acts – even though I am small, even though I am alone.
Amen
Rich hated liars, he prefered to hear nothing than to hear a lie, he had stopped hating, and never hated some of the people he was accused of hating, he never deliberately tried to hurt or harm anyone, he suffered because of the acts of others, and he was brave, strong, and full of courage. He did change the world through his hidden acts, both my world and the world around him for the better.
I love him.
AC loves him.
BG loves him.
He loves us.
Those things will never change.
