The Photographer's Prayers

The thoughts that follow are those of a writer photographer who views life as a soldier at the front observing and preserving different details from each day; discovering the significence of each day, each moment as he tries to live a life filled with love and mercy like Christ’s. There are moments when I have felt like a soldier lost during a major battle, between two opposing sides slowly approaching my location; a decision must be made. Are we to speak of Jesus Christ’s teachings in the present tense or in the past? We know of his birth, his ministry, his death: since each of us have attended Mass we have heard about the star, the shepherds, the manger, swaddling clothes, his baptism in the Jordan, his temptation, the parables, his curing the sick, his miracles, his prayers, his persecution, the crown of thorns, the cross, his death, his resurrection. And each day I strive for goodness, hope for a little more wisdom and holiness than I had the previous day; remembering that all floors can be mud-stained because of outside forces, I remember charity, humility, and obedience. I endeavor to live obedience, humility, charity each day but there are moments when I fail, when I am selfish and completely self-centered, forgetting the beauty of mud-stained envelopes protecting old photographs and handwritten letters. Humility reminds me that each life contains days and moments of tear-stained eyes, announcing the advance of love, mercy, and hope; being Christian implies working to protect and encourage goodness in yourself and others by creating a foundation of charity, humility, and obedience within each of our lives. We must understand that temptation and sin will not completely vanish from our lives, what a neighbor they do attempt to become with all types of glittering, seductive lights and scents; but we must remember the weight of the forty days, patience, silence and the necessity and beauty of daily prayer and reflection. Each day should be lived with humility and self examination as we learn how to allow more goodness to develop and be shared within our daily lives. For those who are humble, patient, and silent before the Lord if their hearts are clean and pure will learn wisdom and holiness naturally! But for me now, each day, is a moment to look for God’s goodness and mercy in the world around me, and to patiently look for hints of holiness in others!