Thursday, March 15, 2007

More Pictures

Due to popular demand (from Adam), here are some more pics from our vacation to Montana and Wyoming, including the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.









Yup, that's a little grizzly bear...

...and a moose!
Check out the reflection.







In addition, I was quite struck by the second reading from the Office of Readings for today. The topic was prayer and I thought I'd include a few excerpts...
From the treatise On Prayer by Tertullian, priest

The spiritual offering of prayer

Prayer is the offering in spirit that has done away with the sacrifices of old... Prayer is an offering that belongs to God and is acceptable to him: it is the offering he has asked for, the offering he planned as his own.We must dedicate this offering with our whole heart, we must fatten it on faith, tend it by truth, keep it unblemished through innocence and clean through chastity, and crown it with love. We must escort it to the altar of God in a procession of good works to the sound of psalms and hymns. Then it will gain for us all that we ask of God. Since God asks for prayer offered in spirit and in truth, how can he deny anything to this kind of prayer? How great is the evidence of its power, as we read and hear and believe. Of old, prayer was able to rescue from fire and beasts and hunger, even before it received its perfection from Christ. How much greater then is the power of Christian prayer...it gives the armour of patience to those who suffer, who feel pain, who are distressed. It strengthens the power of grace, so that faith may know what is gaining from the Lord, and understand what it is suffering for the name of God... Prayer is the one thing that can conquer God. But Christ has willed that it should work no evil, and has given it all power over good. Its only art is to call back the souls of the dead from the very journey into death, to give strength to the weak, to heal the sick, to exorcise the possessed, to open prison cells, to free the innocent from their chains. Prayer cleanses from sin, drives away temptations, stamps out persecutions, comforts the fainthearted, gives new strength to the courageous, brings travellers safely home, calms the waves, confounds robbers, feeds the poor, overrules the rich, lifts up the fallen, supports those who are falling, sustains those who stand firm.All the angels pray. Every creature prays...Even the Lord himself prayed. To him be honour and power for ever and ever. Amen.

4 comments:

Jesse Ray said...

Wow. Just Wow.
What beautiful pictures. You'll have to tell me where you traveled so the Rays can go there someday too.

Adam A said...

Yep, wow is the right word! I really want to go back to the States now!

Reenie said...

beautiful pictures :) its a pretty part of the world for sure. seriously, when i grow up, Michigan will have mountains :D Hi to Maak and Max from me and the BOC.

the observer said...

Thanks for posting the pictures! So neat! How do you post so many at a time? I have so far been limited to 4, under 8 MB total. Share you secrets :)