Memorial Day - Let us do as much as we can!!

Story:
“Prisoner at the bar,” said the judge, “I find you guilty on twenty-three counts.  I therefore sentence you to a total of one hundred and seventy-five years.” The prisoner was an old man.  He burst into tears.  The judge’s facial expression softened.  “I did not mean to be harsh,” he said. “I know the sentence I have imposed is a very severe one. You don’t really have to serve the whole of it.”  The prisoner’s eyes brightened with hope.  “That’s right,” said the judge. “Just do as much as you can!” (Source Unknown)

No doubt, we are all called to “do as much as we can” in our little corner of the world to be peacemakers.  I recall a phone call I received some years ago from a woman who went daily to church for liturgy with her neighbors, friends, and others from the surrounding towns.  She told me that she was calling because she was very concerned about the way the people at liturgy were treating her. She went on to tell me that at the “sign of peace” when everyone reaches out with the gesture of a handshake or even a hug, she has decided not to reach out and she does not want to receive the handshake of peace.

She continued her story with the details of how people approach her in her bench and extend their hand and she turns away from them. She explained that after liturgy, people even had the audacity to follow her to her car in the parking lot and offer her a handshake of peace.  Again, she spoke of how she hurried to enter her car, roll up the windows, and lock the doors – not wanting to share this sign of peace with anyone. Her question to me was, “ Aren't they wrong?  How can I get them to leave me alone?”

As I listened I prayed for insight as to how to proceed.  After she was finished describing her concern, I then spoke. I told her that the liturgy is not a private experience. We gather as a people of God – praying together in song – listening to the Word, breaking the bread and sharing the cup.  It is a ritual of communion and union!  Then I said that the handshake of peace is meant to be a sign of our willingness to live in harmony and right-relationship with each other and to let it be a prayer sent across the world for peace throughout the universe!  She hung up on me!! I just did as much as I could to have her consider a conversion to being a peacemaker or “peace-hand-shaker.”

This weekend, we observe Memorial Day. Three years after the Civil War ended on May 5, 1868, it was established as Decoration Day – a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the ward dead with flowers.  The proclamation by Gen. John Logan’s orders reads thus:  “We are organized for the purpose, among other things, of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion.  What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foe?”

Let us observe this Memorial Day by doing as much as we can - remembering our power and capacity to gather as peacemakers; to strengthen our spirits and vision; to decorate our hearts with the flowers of nonviolence.  It is a day of gathering with those who mourn at monuments, graves, and memorials. A day of gathering with those who stand in confusion, anger, shame, guilt, and vulnerability.  A day of gathering to remember sacrifices and great losses. A day of gathering to remember ones still held captive throughout the world, or suffering mental anguish from the trauma of terrorism and the ravages of war. It is a day of gathering with those who stand with pride for courage demonstrated and for freedoms won.  Finally, let us do as much as we can to pray, assist, give comfort, express understanding and support to all those who have chosen to reach out in peace, and to those willing to  make sacrifices through service to their country – and may we cherish tenderly the memory of our heroic deceased women and men.

“Suffering arises from the simple circumstances of life itself.  Sometimes human suffering is dramatic and horrifying.  More often it is ordinary, humble, and quiet.  But neither way is it ‘God’s Will.’ The divine presence doesn't intend us to suffer, but is instead WITH us in all the experiences of life, in both suffering and joy.  And that presence is always inviting us toward greater freedom and love.” (Gerald G. May, M.D.)

JoAnn Melina Lopez Preaches for Trinity Sunday (5/30/2021)

The time is NOW . . .

 May the God of Now, the Divine "I AM," invite you into each moment, into each circumstance and experience of your life. May you enter the NOW of your life and stand with the God who is already there. May you become aware that you are never alone and may you share this Now God with all those who are searching. May the God of Now, the God of Presence, bless you.

--Maxine Shonk, OP

From Confusion to Clarity . . .

 

May God enter into all that confuses you and holds you in unrest and unknowing. May you be blessed with the willingness to abide in the confusion long enough to allow God to be revealed there. May this God who, at the beginning of time, brought beauty and order out of chaos and darkness, bring you to a deep calm and a holy understanding of divine purpose. 

May the God of Clarity bless you always.

 --Maxine Shonk, OP

https://www.grdominicans.org/

An A-blazing Blessing!

Image courtesy of Doris Klein, CSA

Blessing That Undoes Us

On the day you are wearing

your certainty like a cloak

and your sureness goes before you

like a shield or like a sword,

 

may the sound of God’s name

spill from your lips as you have never

heard it before.

 

May your knowing be undone.

May mystery confound your

understanding.

 

May the Divine rain down

in strange syllables

yet with an ancient familiarity,

a knowing borne in the blood,

the ear, the tongue,

bringing the clarity that comes

not in stone

or in steel

but in fire, in flame.

 

May there come one searing word –

enough to bare you to the bone,

enough to set your heart ablaze,

enough to make you

whole again.

https://www.janrichardson.com/ By Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace

Litany of the Spirit

 

          Come, Spirit, as light in darkness

          Come, Spirit, as rain in drought

          Come, Spirit, as warmth in winter

          Come, Spirit, and bail us out.

          Come, visit the unenlightened

          Come, slake our staggering thirst

          Come, establish the ways of justice

          Come, be with us through the worst,

          Come, Spirit, as healing and wholeness

          Come Spirit, as life-giving food

          Come, Spirit, as hope in oppression

          Come Spirit as all that is good.

          Come, banish discrimination

          Come, wash the wounds away

          Come, break the bread of freedom

          Come, declare a holy day

          Come, Spirit, you are the victory

          Come, Spirit, you are the grace

          Come, Spirit, you are the reason

          This gathering is a holy place

 

Come Holy Spirit . . .

 

Image Courtesy of Doris Klein, CSA

Come, Holy Spirit ~

Replace the tension within me with a holy relaxation,

Replace the turbulence within me with a sacred calm,

Replace the anxiety within me with a quiet confidence,

Replace the fear within me with a strong faith,

Replace the bitterness within me with the sweetness of grace,

Replace the darkness within me with a gentle light,

Replace the coldness within me with a loving warmth,

Replace the night within me with Your day,

Replace the winter within me with Your spring,

Straighten my crookedness, fill my emptiness,

Dull the edge of my pride, sharpen the edge of my humility,

Light the fires of my love, quench within me the flames of envy,

Let me see myself as You see me, that I may see You as You have promised ~

And be fortunate according to Your word, “Blessed are the pure of heart,

for they shall see God.”                                                                                                      

(Anonymous)

Ascending . . .

 

In The Leaving

 

In the leaving,

in the letting go,

let there be this

to hold onto

at the last:

 

the enduring of love,

the persisting of hope,

the remembering of joy,

 

the offering of gratitude,

the receiving of grace,

the blessing of peace.

Author: Jan Richardson

https://www.janrichardson.com/

 

Megan Effron Preaches for the Solemnity of the Ascension (5/16/2021)

"Your grief will become joy." (John 16:16-20)

The story is told that in Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great discoverer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain’s motto for centuries. 

Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought  they had reached the outer limits of earth.  Thus, their motto was ‘Ne Plus Ultra,’ which means, ‘No More Beyond.” The word being torn away by the lion is ‘Ne’ or ‘No’ thus it reads ‘Plus Ultra.’ Columbus had proven that there was indeed ‘more beyond.’ 

 In the same way, in our readings today, Jesus also proclaims that there is ‘more beyond.’  The Ascension is part of what we call the Pascal Mystery.  There are 4 interrelated parts: suffering and death, resurrection, ascension and the sending of the Spirit. 

These sacred events are closely interlocked as one reality.  As the resurrection proclaims that Jesus is alive, the Ascension asserts that Jesus has entered into glory.  In this celebration of the Ascension, we are invited to let go of our linear thinking and stand in the space of accepting and embracing Mystery. 

Jesus did not ride up into the sky in Shepherd 1.  For we know that heaven is not a place but a relationship with God – Jesus is totally and forever reunited with God.  Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension and the coming of the Spirit form a ‘seamless garment’ so to speak, one single movement - the passing of Jesus through death to life and to the more beyond!  

On the feast of the Ascension, we remember, we celebrate, and we believe - the more beyond.  The more beyond pain and suffering; the more beyond doubt and death; the more beyond grieving and loss. 

We are invited into embracing the mystery of the “more beyond” which Jesus reveals as an intimate forever, eternal, everlasting, never ending, timeless, priceless, unconditional love relationship with our God in which Jesus will be with us until the end of the age . . . and into the more beyond.

Jesus promised that we would never be left alone.  The ascension of Jesus was not the end of his presence with us, but a new way of being intimately present.  As St. Augustine writes, “You ascended before our eyes, and we turned back grieving, only to find you in our hearts.”

The four Gospels do not end with Jesus’ absence, but with his continuing presence.  Mark writes that Jesus was taken up into heaven and then adds “the disciples went forth and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message with signs.”  Luke ends with Jesus ascending into heaven in order to send the promise of the Spirit.  In the Gospel of Matthew, he does not mention the Ascension.  His gospel ends with Jesus saying, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In John, Jesus is saying to Peter and to us, “Follow me.”

Jesus continues his presence with us in Eucharist, in the Scriptures, in our assembly here, and in our hearts.  Through us and in all believers of this Mystery, Jesus continues to heal and to comfort, to forgive and to include.  It is in all hearts of believers of this Mystery, that beyond this space of bread and wine, word and ritual that his love and compassion continues to be found.

We are not to stand and stare up at the clouds but to risk entering into the uncertainties of life, and to truly see God’s presence in each other, in the eyes of the poor, the marginalized, and in the needs and hearts of the “last, the least and the lost.”

Ascension tells us that if we are looking for Jesus, we need a new way of seeing, a new way of following.  It is walking in faith and to trust that there is a more beyond.

+++

The story is told that once a young boy was about to have open-heart surgery.  To prepare him the surgeon said, ‘Tomorrow I will look at your heart.’  Smiling, the boy interrupted, ‘You’ll find Jesus there.’  Ignoring his remark, the surgeon continued, ‘After I have seen your heart I will try to repair the damage.’  Again, the boy insisted.’ You are going to find Jesus in my heart.’ 

The surgeon who had suffered losses in his own family, and was still in pain from a broken marriage, felt very distant from God. He replied in a chilling tone, ‘No, what I’ll find is damaged tissue, constricted arteries and weakened muscle.’

The next day he cut open the boy’s chest and exposed his heart.  It was worse than he expected; a ravaged aorta, torn tissue, swollen muscles and arteries.  There was no hope of a cure, not even the possibility of a transplant.  His icy anger at God began to surface as he thought, ‘Where is God? Why did God do this?  Why is God letting this boy suffer and cursing him to an early death?’

As he gazed on the boy’s heart he suddenly thought of the pierced heart of Jesus and it seemed to him that the boy and Jesus shared one heart, a heart that was suffering for all those in the world experiencing pain and loss; a heart that was redeeming the world by love. 

Struck with awe at such goodness, such redemptive unconditional love, tears began rolling down the surgeons’ cheeks, hot tears of compassion for the boy.  Later, when the child awoke, he whispered, ‘Did you see my heart?’ ‘Yes,’ said the surgeon.  ‘What did you find?’ the boy asked. The surgeon replied, ‘I found Jesus there.’

+++

So today, let us pray in this liturgy that we will be open to the graces of these powerful readings as we seek to find Jesus in all hearts especially in this time when we live in a world of great chaos, fear, violence, indifference, retaliation, anxiety and anger.

May we have the courage to be witnesses of Jesus’ message for we have been given a Spirit of wisdom and knowledge. 

Let us then embrace this mystery so that the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened, and that we may know the surpassing greatness of God’s power for all who believe. 

And finally, may we truly and intimately know the hope that belongs to God’s call now and into the more beyond!

 

The Divine Gardener!

 

Story:  A woman went into a marketplace, looked around, and saw a sign that read “God’s Fruit Stand.”  “Thank goodness. It’s about time,” the woman said to herself.
She went inside and she said, “I would like a perfect banana, a perfect cantaloupe, a perfect strawberry, and a perfect peach.”  God, who was behind the counter, shrugged and said, “I’m sorry.  I sell only seeds.” (John Shea)

In the northern hemisphere, spring has arrived and is struggling to consistently entertain the warm winds of the south.  With only the slightest caress of a lukewarm breeze upon the face of wannabe gardeners, the garden centers are experiencing “flash mobs” of “earth-mid-wives.” People buy flower or vegetable plants and then invite the challenge of nurturing the plants with just the right amount of water, sunlight, or fertilizer so that one day they will rejoice in their accomplishment of growing their own vegetables and beautiful flowers.  Gardens can be seen in flower boxes outside windows, on rooftops among skyscrapers, and even in large fields shared by a community.

However, God offers us only seeds – this process takes longer, more tending, patience, and the gift of surprise.  I’d like to think that God was the first organic gardener who did not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.  Organic gardeners think of the whole system – the soil, water supply, the people, wildlife, and even the insects.  Organic gardeners are concerned about building healthy soil and nurturing the connectedness of all things.  And so it is with the Divine Gardener – offering us seeds of hope, integrity, risk, resiliency, dreams, purpose, passion, and call.  It is up to all of us to offer these seeds just the right or best environment for germination so we will carry on the creativity and love of the Divine Gardener – and we need not be perfect at this – just willing!

So what is the Good News for us today?  Let us ponder these quotes:
·         The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?  Jack Kornfield

·         Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers.  May Sarton

·         An ordinary favor we do for someone or any compassionate reaching out may seem to be going nowhere at first, but may be planting a seed we can't see right now. Sometimes we need to just do the best we can and then trust in an unfolding we can't design or ordain.
Sharon Salzberg

·         Love is the seed of all hope. It is the enticement to trust, to risk, to try, to go on. 
 Gloria Gaither

·         Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed.  Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. Henry David Thoreau

Jane Mellett Preaches for the Sixth Sunday of Easter (5/9/2021)

Erma Bombeck: If I Had My Life to Live Over... (For Mother's Day)

The Secret Recipe (In honor of Mother’s Day – U.S.A)

Previously posted: May 2013

When God created mothers, it was well into overtime on the sixth day. An angel dropped by and commented, ‘God, you are taking your time over this creature!’

God replied, ‘You should see the special requirements in the specification! She has to be easy to maintain, but not made of plastic or have any artificial components. She has one hundred and sixty movable parts, and nerves of steel, with a lap big enough for ten children to sit on it at once, but she herself has to be able to fit into a kiddies’ chair. She has to have a back that can carry everything that is loaded onto it. She has to be able to mend everything, from a grazed knee to a broken heart. And she’s supposed to have six pairs of hands’

The angel shook her head. ‘Six pairs of hands? No way!’ ‘The hands are easy,’ God said. ‘But I’m still working on the three pairs of eyes that she needs.’ ‘Is this the standard model?’ the angel asked.

God nodded: ‘Oh, yes. One pair to look through closed doors, while she asks, “What are you doing?” even though she already knows the answer. A second pair at the back of her head, to see what she’s not meant to see, but needs to know about. And, of course, the pair at the front that can look at her child, let him know that he is misbehaving and had better change his ways, while at the same time letting him see how much she loves and understands him.’

‘I think you should go to bed now, God, and get some sleep,’ said the angel. ‘I can’t do that,’ said God. ‘I’m almost there. I have nearly created a being who heals herself when she’s ill, who can delight thirty children with one little birthday cake, who can persuade a three-year-old to use his feet to walk and not to kick.’

The angel walked slowly around the prototype Mother. ‘It’s too soft,’ she said. ‘But tough,’ God retorted. ‘You wouldn't believe the wear and tear this Mother will tolerate.’
‘Can she think?’ asked the angel. ‘Not only think, but reach wise judgments and essential compromises,’ said God. ‘And she can do more than that. She can forget!’
Finally, the angel ran her finger across the model’s cheek. ‘There’s a leak,’ she said. ‘I warned you that you were trying to get too much into her.’

‘That’s not a leak,’ said God. ‘That’s a tear.’ ‘What’s that for?’ asked the angel. ‘It flows whenever she feels joy or grief, disappointment or pride, pain or loneliness, or the depths of love.’

‘You’re a genius,’ said the angel. God looked again at this work of art, with pleasure and pride. ‘The tear,’ God said, ‘is her overflow valve.’ (Source Unknown)

Prayer for Cinco de Mayo

 

But with all their problems Mexico is still a wonderful, beautiful country, with a rich and glorious history, filled with hospitable, hardworking and creative people. God has blessed Mexico with a deep spiritual passion as well. Her people have a rich faith in God. Few people on earth can worship with as much abandonment, can pray with as much faith, and can serve with as much graciousness as our brothers and sisters in Mexico. Today, we lift our voices in prayer that God’s destiny for Mexico and Mexicans would be realized.

 

“God, today is Cinco de Mayo and we join with Mexico and Mexican’s around the world, thanking you for this nation and her people and asking for your blessing on them. You have made Mexico a rich and healing, where healing is necessarily.

May your power purge Mexico from corruption and an abuse of power. May you do battle against the drug cartels and may this blight of violence be shattered by your own hand. We pray for a growing balance of provision in Mexico. May those who have much learn to open their hearts and hands to those who have little.

May those who suffer in poverty have the faith and courage and wisdom to rise up and take hold of the opportunities available to them to rise above their lot. God, we bless the spiritual life of Mexico. Bring revival to their love and knowledge of you. Bring your Kingdom, Jesus, into the life and heart of Mexico. As they remember this day as a sign of your provision and protection, may they also look to you as their only true hero and the author and protector of their destiny. God, we bless Mexico today. Let your Kingdom come… In Jesus we pray.”

(CSA Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation)