A few years ago, at the commencement ceremonies of the Jesuit high school where I teach and work, a colleague of mine addressed the graduating class and closed with words -- a prayer, really -- attributed to Sir Francis Drake (I have not been able to verify whether Drake is in fact the author). In this month of speechmaking and advice giving, I find that these few lines continue to move me, keeping me from seeking a false comfort and reminding me that faith, as Christ says, calls us out into the deep.
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
