Prayer of St. Augustine

O God, by whose laws the poles revolve,

The stars follow their courses,

The sun rules the day

And the moon presides over the night;

And all the world maintains,

As far as this world of sense allows,

The wondrous stability of things

By means of the orders and recurrences of seasons:

Through the days by the changing of light and darkness,

Through the months by the moon's progressions and declines,

Through the years by the successions of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter,

Through the cycles by the completion of the sun's course,

Through the great eras of time by the return of the stars to their starting points.

God of life,

There are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders

And wear us down;

When the road seems dreary and endless,

The skies grey and threatening,

When our lives have no music in them,

And our hearts are lonely,

And our souls have lost their courage.

Flood the path with light, we beseech you;

Turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise.

Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in you.