Over A Glass Of Wine
O Giver of wine to make glad the heart of man,
O genial and generous Lord of Cana,
O Giver of wisdom and wit
and ease and laughter with our friends,
we thank You
for the winking beauty of this glass,
for this common humorous laughter
at our too-brittle overseriousness,
for this shedding of pretense and pose
in the loving raillery of cordial confidence.
Give us the grace to enjoy Your good gift
without fear
and without excess.
And give us courage to forgo it
when we must,
when our own weakness
or another's stumbling step
makes giving up this good and wholesome gift
something more precious
than Your cordial wine.
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