APPRECIATION: BRETON FISHERMAN’S PRAYER

“O, GOD, THY SEA IS SO GREAT AND MY BOAT IS SO SMALL”

– Breton Fisherman’s Prayer

I want a painting that portrays this. Big ocean. Dramatic clouds. Swirling colors of joy and despair. Small boat. I ran across this prayer in some book, and I keep running across it. Apparently JFK had a plaque on his desk that said this. It was a gift that an Admiral would give new submarine captains. (Do a quick search to find an image of it.)

Breton relates to Brittany, a region in France. I love the brevity, the specifics, and the sentiment. I love that the prayer is associated with a specific group of fishermen, and would love to hear brief variations of this from all the fishermen of the world. And it’s only a start, the request is implied, and the statement is a taking account of reality, a recognition of the immensity and futility of the task. It is existentially profound. It is a starting place.

In the Orthodox tradition there is a prayer called the Jesus Prayer or the “prayer of the heart” that some constantly repeat. I like it too:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

– Jesus Prayer

This one makes a few theological points, and is asking more directly for something. Both prayers, the Breton Fisherman’s and the Jesus Prayer, are starting places. It’s fun to be able to internalize something like:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13

It’s fun to claim it and believe it and try to live it. But most days, for me, start with something less triumphant. The Jesus Prayer is nice, but it’s missing the beauty of the ocean. I don’t feel it in the same way. Sometimes I think I know. Sometimes I think I could explain why. Rarely do I know what to do about this or that, or believe I have all it takes. I know that this short sentence is not a finish line, but a start. And the way it feels, all of it, well, it feels like this:

“O, GOD, THY SEA IS SO GREAT AND MY BOAT IS SO SMALL”