A call to risky living: Part I (inspired by St. Brendan the Navigator)

Shall I abandon the comforts and benefits of my home,
seeking the island of promise our fathers knew long ago,
sail on the face of the deep where no riches or fame
or weapons protect you, and nobody honours your name?
Shall I take leave of my friends
and my beautiful native land,
tears in my eyes
as my knees mark my final prayer in the sand?
Christ of the mysteries, can I trust You on the sea?

Christ of the heavens,
and Christ of the ravenous ocean wave,
I will hold fast to my course
through the dangers I must be brave.
King of the mysteries, angels will watch over me,
Christ of the mysteries, when I trust You on the sea.

Have I the courage to leave the familiar
and journey into the unknown?
to journey beyond the way I have prayed,
the life I have lived, the sensible and the secure?
to trust God to take me beyond these familiar shores?

Christ of the mysteries, can I trust You on the sea?

--from Celtic Daily Prayer, Book One: the Journey Begins, "Follow the Example: Brendan the Navigator (486-575), p. 303.



Photo: From the Mountains to the Sea, a Promise, Monteverde, Costa Rica, March 2018, by Leslie Scoopmire.