This Time . . .

 

To everything a season, a time for every purpose under heaven

and yet this time out of all other times is special

A moment of grace,

A Kairos time,

A time for urgency when there is no time

A window opened on eternity where all is possible

For those with eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to understand

A time to risk all that has not been risked before

so that we might flow with all that God intends.

 

A time to seize because it will not come again.

A time to place our lives where words have been.

A time for bridges to be built and others crossed, and others burned,

because there is no going back.

A time to leave the past behind because the present, this precious “now,”

is Holy Ground and from it the future beckons.

To leave the past, and not to do so lightly.

To take it out and dare to look and name what has been done and cannot be undone.

 

To allow the pain to surface.

To give voice to silent wounding, that, hearing, and being heard,

we might with due and holy reverence allow the dying to take place,

and, picking up the pieces that give life, to travel on;

our burden now a cleansed and sanctified inheritance;

one that puts into our step a spring and into our hearts

a flame of hope that cannot be extinguished.

 

This time so fragile and so priceless, gift of God to you and me

to grasp and to embrace, to give it all we’ve got;

and, in the giving and receiving, to learn to celebrate the Presence of the One who in mercy and grace has given one more time.

(Adapted)

~Reverend Ruth Patterson

Ruth Patterson, A Farther Shore (Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2000), pp. 116-119.

Image by Doris Klein, CSA

Let’s work for the Common Good:

 

   

The Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026 

June 14, 2026

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

Exodus 19:2-6; Psalm 100; Romans 5:6-11; Matthew 9:36-10:8

 

 

The reason for calling these first twelve men as his disciples was this line: his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned. Jesus responded compassionately to the emotional and spiritual needs of the people. In the first reading, God’s heart is likewise moved by the plight of the Israelites and takes them under his care. We get a glimpse of God’s emotions and God’s desire to care for us as a parent does a child. Because of this care, the Israelites and the Disciples are called to greater matters. They are called to care for humanity.

 

Pope Leo introduced his first encyclical called “Magnificent Humanity” so that he could call us to greater behavior. We are called to care for others, which is the reason he relies upon Catholic Social Teaching with four points. (1.) The letter calls us to build a civilization of humanity built upon the common good by having a foundational relationship with God. (2.) Building the common good means accepting the limits and weaknesses of humanity without considering them an error to be corrected. True fulfillment is not achieved by eliminating weakness but through harmonious growth. (3.) Building a world where everyone can flourish requires shared responsibility and courage. Tensions and differences are welcome because they can become the creative forces when guided by shared responsibility. (4.) Building the common good requires respectful language. We are to avoid humiliating or antagonistic words. Instead, we need to choose clarity that sheds light on our issues, and we need frank discussions that unlock new possibilities. 

 

The Pope’s letter says that we need to set standards for discernment, especially upon these issues – the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods like food and basic necessities, including health care, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home, and peace between neighbors. The Pope writes, “True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence that is willing to listen, and to a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates.” 

 

Back to Scripture, we see that God raised the Israelites to a new relationship and that Jesus raised twelve men to a ministerial responsibility. We must discern how the Spirit, through Pope Leo’s words, are raising us up to a new form of discipleship. We are invited to become builders of communion. We are to be servants with God’s project for the world instead of those who lord it over others. We are asked to adopt the heart of a shepherd and a loving parent to help others to join forces to build up the common good, so that humanity, in the face of today’s challenges, will never lose its beauty, and that the world once again will recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell. Are you ready to respond, “yes?”

 

Love Calls . . .

The Sisters of St. Agnes have been praying this prayer as a community in preparation for Chapter 2026 which will take place June 14-25.

Love calls...

Transitions mark our lives.

God of Beginnings, you call us to live our vowed life in community

authentically and passionately.

Together, we accompany those whose faith life or human

dignity is threatened.

Empowering Spirit, embolden us to be channels of Your love

and compassion in a world of fear and division.

God of Vulnerability, break open our hearts to see and release all

that limits our vision.

Together, we welcome the truths that nest within each of us.

Empowering Spirit, keep us clear-sighted and honest in

confronting the injustices that demean Your image in

our sisters, our brothers, ourselves, and all creation.

God of Resurrection, you call us to be joyful witnesses of the

Risen Christ.

Together, we traverse the Good Friday terrain in our country,

church, and world.

Empowering Spirit, strengthen us to respond to the

transitions that mark our lives with humility, courage,

and whole heartedness.

Love calls...

Statue of St. Agnes in Motherhouse lobby

Sacred Life!

 

Litany Prayer ~ Chief Seattle

Every part of the earth is sacred,
every shining pine needle, every sandy shore.
every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy.

The rocky crest, the juices of the meadow, the beasts and all the people,
all belong to the same family.

Teach your children that the earth is our mother;
whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth.

The water’s murmur is the voice of our father’s father,
we are part of the earth, and the earth is part of us.

The rivers are our brothers; they quench our thirst.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters.

The air is precious, for all of us share the same breath.
The wind that gave our grandparents breath
also receives their last sigh.

The wind gave our children the spirit of life.
This we know: the earth does not belong to us;
we belong to the earth.

This we know: all things are connected, like the blood which unites one family.
All things are connected. Our God is the same God,
whose compassion is equal for all.

For we did not weave the web of life: we are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
Let us give thanks for the web in the circle that connects us.
Thanks be to God, the God of all.

Printed in CRCN/CiRCLe M Newsletter May 2011

From Rising to Setting . . .be light!

 

Blessed Are You Who Bear The Light 



Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.

Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes ___
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith,
in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.

(Author: Jan Richardson
From Circle of Grace) 

 http://www.janrichardson.com/index.htmlichardson.com 
©Jan Richardson. janrichardson.com

 

God, hear our prayer

God of No-sides Prayer!

God of our side, and God of our enemies’ side,
hear our prayer:
we need your help here on planet earth.
With heavy hearts we confess
the brokenness of our beautiful blue planet
which is spinning out of control.

Hear the sound of gunfire,
see the bomb craters,
taste the bitterness of people hating people,
smell the fear that permeates our lives,
touch the hearts of the wounded.

Hear the sound of children being hurt,
see people running away from their homes,
taste the hopelessness of shattered communities,
smell the despair of refugee camps,
touch the inconsolable on both sides.

Feel our pain as we spin through space.
Touch the pulse of the earth as it beats wildly.
God of our side, and God of our enemies’ side,
you are the God of no sides at all.

You call us to a new place,
to step with faith outside this world of taking sides.
You lead us to an inside out world,
an upside down kingdom,
where our enemy is our brother,
where our foe can be our  fondest friend.

You call us from the sidelines,
to centre stage,
to be a community of global resurrection,
firm believers in love that cannot die,
love that cannot be killed,
love that never lets us go.

You call us to be firm believers
in the one who crossed heaven and earth
to show us that even between God and human beings
there are no sides.

It is in the name of Jesus Christ,
whose arms embrace us all,
that we pray for peace today.
Amen.

Carol Penner - A Mennonite Voice
 Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com

Happiness

                 

Several Times in the Last Week
by  Hafiz

Ever since Happiness heard your name,
It has been running through the streets
Trying to find you.
And several times in the last week,
God has even come to my door –
Asking me for your address!

Once I said,
“God,
I thought You knew everything.
Why are You asking me
Where Your lovers live?”
And the Beloved replied,
Indeed, I do know Everything –
But it is fun playing dumb once in a while.
And I love intimate chat
And the warmth of your heart’s fire.

Maybe we should make this poem into a song –
I think it has potential!
How does this refrain sound,
For I know it is a Truth:
Ever since Happiness heard your name,
It has been running through the streets
Trying to find you.

And several times in the last week,
God has come to my door –
So sweetly asking for your address,
Wanting the beautiful warmth of your heart’s fire.

I Heard God Laughing –
Renderings of Hafiz
By Daniel Ladinsky