Syriac Prayer (3)

Direct the course of our lives, Lord, straight towards you, so that in you we may reach you, and so that in you we may find you. Make us worthy to attain to you, in you; and let us behold nothing beside you. Hide everything from our mind’s vision by means of the manifestation of your glorious Light.

For whoever gazes upon you does not need to look upon anything else; but whoever does not gaze upon you is in need of all kinds of other sources of illumination in order to be able to see.

Praise to you for you are the Light, and in you our souls have illumination. You illumine all with knowledge of yourself. Draw back the veil of falsehood from our souls so that we can see your Light clearly, for our minds are not totally dark owing to love of you.

— John of Apamea, in, “The Syriac Fathers On Prayer And The Spiritual Life,” translated from the original Syriac-Aramaic by Sebastian Brock, Cistercian Publications.

Stolen from a Christian Mysticism list.