Even Sir Galahad Required Inner Peace
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ”
Since High School, when I was first introduced to King Arthur and the Round Table, I’ve enjoyed various aspects of the myth of the Quest for the Holy Grail. I still appreciate the Grail stories nearly 50 years later because the chivalry and longing for God and something greater than oneself remain essential for meaning in this life and beyond. Rather than bristle at the Medieval language, I find it speaks to the mythic splendor and otherworldly feel of the stories, speaking to the soul as well as the mind.
So, I was excited when I purchased a new book entitled Galahad and the Grail, by Malcolm Guite. Guite’s Grail story is written in a poetic style and is intended to be read aloud. While I just started reading Galahad and the Grail, I am already touched by its dedication to faith guiding life decisions. Listen to the hermit Nacien’s prayer for 15-year-old Galahad and his mother Elaine, as Galahad begins his journey as a knight.
“He prayed for their protection,
he prayed for inner peace,
he prayed that they might seize the hour,
might know the Spirit’s shaping power,
that as the fruit forms from the flower,
God’s love might find release.”
The prayer begins with a request for inner peace because without a calm inner spirit, we constantly react, rather than respond to divine guidance. Without inner peace, we cannot focus or seize the moment. Prayer invites the Holy Spirit to shape us for the tasks ahead. Finally, I love Guite’s poetic description, which helps us picture how God releases loving power.
Guite continues:
“Let nerve be strong and heart be stout-
Whatever clamour lies without,
Keep harmony within.”
We keep our nerve amid adversity through the “harmony within,” which takes us back to the desire for “inner peace.” As people of faith, God calls us to begin each day striving for inner peace. Thankfully, God doesn’t expect us to create inner peace on our own. Inner peace is available when we ask God to enter our heart and mind, providing eternal perspective and renewing the promise that we never walk life’s journey alone. We may not be searching for the chalice Jesus Christ used, but we are called to live our faith and seek God in all we say and do. God gives us what we need for the journey, now and for all eternity.
