04 February 2010

St Gregory's Prayer for a Safe Journey


Today I depart, God willing, for Memphis, where Owen White (the Ochlophobist) will join me and my friend, James Kelley, to head up to the Climacus Conference in Louisville that I mentioned here. As I do not have time for a proper post—and may not for several days—I shall simply offer St Gregory the Theologian’s Poem 1.1.37, Alia de prospero itinere precatio, ‘Another Prayer for a Safe Journey’:

Not a step is lifted without you,
Christ the Lord, who to your own human kind
are all good things, and, in everything, have fashioned a right way.
Trusting in you, I too keep to this path; but escort me
uninjured, and ferry all the things my heart has sought,
and, Lord, lead me back again to my humble home
where, night and day, I may supplicate you freely.

From St Gregory the Theologian, On God & Man: The Theological Poetry of St Gregory of Nazianzus, tr. Peter Gilbert (Crestwood, NY: SVS, 2001), p. 87.

3 comments:

St. Matthew the Apostle Orthodox Church said...

God bless you in your travels!

I'll be especially interested on your reflections on Prof. Guroian's talk.

In Christ's Peace,

Fr Mark

Aaron Taylor said...

Thanks, Father. I'll see what I can do!

Ian Climacus said...

A beautiful prayer; thank you for sharing.

And my humble prayers and best wishes for safe travel and an edifying and enjoyable conference and meeting of friends.