Processed by Kateřina Lainová and P. Gorazd
The Carmelite P. Elias Steffen, who this year led the exercises for the brothers in Kostelní Vydří, provided them for contemplation, among other things, with the following short poem. With a note: source unknown. We have now translated it into English and will add a few sentences as an introduction.
It is not hard to notice that it is inspired by the Lord’s word to Moses at the burning bush: “I am who I am” (Ex 3:14). It is interpreted in different ways: either that the Lord does not want to reveal His name so that it is not abused by people. Or even more commonly, there is a double traditional interpretation:
This name expresses both the reality of God’s being (in contrast to the non-existent deities of the pagans), as well as assurance of God’s presence and help: “I am (and will be) here for you, I am with you.”1
The author of this prayer understood the mysterious Lord’s name precisely in the sense of “assurance of God’s presence and power,” so he added the explanatory “here” to the biblical text “I am.” Because an important part of the Carmelite tradition of prayer is also the effort to live in God’s presence, we offer this modest prayer to all readers of our magazine.
I am the Lord, I AM – HERE
Into the darkness of your past and into the uncertainty of your future,
into the blessing of how you help others, and into the misery of your powerlessness
I pronounce to you my: I AM – HERE.Into the play of your feelings and into the seriousness of your thoughts,
into the richness of your silence and into the poverty of your speech
I pronounce to you my: I AM – HERE.Into the full measure of your tasks and into the emptiness of your busyness,
into the diversity of your abilities and to the limits of your gifts
I pronounce to you my: I AM – HERE.Into the wonderful conversations you lead, and into the boredom of your prayers,
into the joy you have from your success,
and into the pain your failures cause you,
I pronounce to you my: I AM – HERE.Into the tightness of your breath and into the stretched breadth of your dreams,
into the weakness with which you do not understand, and into the strength, powerfully flowing through your heart,
I pronounce to you my: I AM – HERE.
