Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Francis . . .an Instrument of God's Grace . . .
| Dancing Francis ~ Viterbo University campus |
We will seek daily to promote forgiveness and healing in our hearts, our families, and our world. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; Where there is injury, let us cultivate peace.
Fear and distance prevent people from recognizing all as brothers and sisters;
tensions lead to violence and mistrust; We will strive to honor the dignity that God places in each and every human person.
Grant that we may not seek to be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. Our failure to understand the other can create exclusion in all its negative forms – racism, marginalization of those who are poor, sick, the immigrant;
it can also create situations of domination, occupation, oppression and war.
We pledge to seek the way of solidarity, to create hearts, homes, and communities
where all people will experience inclusion, hospitality, and understanding.
For it is in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned and in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Let us Pray:
Lord God, create in us:
-the Capacity to hear and understand the voices of those who suffer from
every form of violence, injustice, and dehumanization;
-the Openness to receive and honor people from other cultures, languages,
religious traditions, and geographical regions;
-the Creativity to explore new ways of communication and dialogue through
music, poetry, performing arts, and the mass media;
-the Audacity to undertake the building of communities of forgiveness, healing,
and reconciliation.
To God who is above all and in all are the glory and the honor. Amen
Francis - Turning the World into Fire!
 |
| Artist Unknown |
Today we celebrate Francis of Assisi, who not only turned into fire but set the world on fire with his generosity, creativity, imagination, dedication to the poor and his austere living of the Gospel. He had a profound faith, a deep prayer life and an abiding love of God and creation. Many commentators have called Francis “a Second Christ,” because he tried in so many ways to be exactly like Jesus.
He was born in the Tuscan country side of Assisi in 1181 to a wealthy cloth merchant. Francis enjoyed a very rich easy life growing up; he received little formal education and during his early years he was preoccupied with having fun. Today, we would perhaps say he is among the bold and the beautiful, the rich and famous, and the young and the restless! As a young man, he was popular, charming, enjoyed practical jokes and was usually the life of the party. He was good at business, but wanted to become a troubadour and write poetry. Everyone loved Francis. He was constantly happy, a dreamer and a born leader.
When he was twenty years old he was eager to be a knight and took part in a battle of a nearby country, yet his townspeople were defeated and he spent a year in prison. After his return to Assisi, he became seriously ill and dissatisfied with his way of life.
He endured a spiritual crisis and devoted himself to solitude, prayer and service of the poor. One of the many conversion experiences of his life that is told was when he was riding one day; he came face to face with a leper who begged for money. Francis had always had disgust for lepers, and turning his face, he rode on; but immediately he had a change of heart and returned to the leper and gave him all the money he had and kissed his hand. As he rode off, he turned around for a last glance, and saw that the leper had disappeared. From that day on he dressed in rags and gave himself to the service of the lepers and the poor.
Another conversion moment is told when he was in the nearby Church of San Damiano. While he was praying, he heard Christ on the cross speak to him. “Francis, repair my church.” With this mandate and with the words of the Gospel, “The kingdom of God is at hand, cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out devils; freely have you received, freely give. Carry neither gold nor silver nor money, nor bag, nor two coats, nor sandals. . .”
Francis, then at once felt that this was his vocation and proceeded to preach to the poor. In time, 12 others joined him in preaching the Gospel and working among the poor. They took literally the words of Christ when he sent his disciples out to preach. They would have no money and not property, individually or collectively.
Their task was to preach declaring the love of God by their words and actions. Francis called his order the “Order of Friars Minor” or the order of lesser brothers. They were to live as brothers of all, to reveal by their love that all human beings are sisters and brothers. Francis did not live in a monastery but among the people, and in that world, he sought and found God.
His approach was an Incarnational approach – God was a loving Father/Creator and all that Francis had was gift, Christ was his Brother and the Spirit of that love lived and burned in him. Following the Gospel literally, Francis and his companions at first frightened their listeners as these men dressed in rags talking about God’s love. But soon the people noticed that these barefoot beggars wearing sacks seemed filled with constant joy. They celebrated life.
An early biographer gives an account of Francis’ physical appearance. “In stature he was rather on the short side, his head of moderate size and round, his face long, his forehead smooth and low, his eyes of medium size, black and candid, his hair dark, his eyebrows straight, his nose even-shaped, thin and straight, his ears prominent but delicate.
In conversation he was agreeable, ardent and penetrating, his voice firm, sweet-toned and clearly audible, his lips delicate, his beard black and rather sparse, his neck slender, his shoulders straight, his arms short, his hands small, with long fingers, his feet small, his skin tender, his clothing rough, his sleep brief and his bounty most liberal.”
Francis’ brotherhood included all of God’s creation. He had a deep love for animals and a special fondness for birds. He liked to refer to animals as his brothers and sisters.
In one famous story, Francis preached to hundreds of birds about being thankful to God for their wonderful clothes, for their independence, and for God’s care. The story tells us the birds stood still as he walked among them, only flying off when he said they could leave.
Another famous story involves the wolf of Gubbio. Out of hunger, the wolf took to attacking the people of Gubbio as they worked in their fields. The people were so frightened of the wolf they didn’t dare go out into the fields without armed protection. Francis said to them, “Let me go out to talk with the wolf.” So he went out to meet the wolf and spoke with him, who became docile at his approach and so the wolf returned with Francis to meet the people of Gubbio. Francis arranged a peace pact between the people and the wolf. The people would feed the wolf and in return the wolf would live peacefully with them.
Francis’ final years were filled with much suffering. Praying to share in Christ’s passion he had a vision and received the stigmata, the marks of the nails and the lance wounds that Christ suffered.
Years of poverty and wandering had made Francis ill. In his final months of his life, being blind and enduring intense suffering, he joyfully and with cheerfulness wrote his beautiful Canticle of the Sun that expresses his brotherhood with creation in praising God. He died at the age of 45 and at which time there were now several thousand members throughout Europe to carry on his mission and call. He was canonized two years later.
So what is the Good News for us today?
• Francis speaks to us to live with joy, simplicity and faithfulness to the Gospels. Let us dare to search for meaning and fulfillment in our relationship to God even when we may look a little foolish or even when it may call us to make drastic changes in our attitudes and behaviors.
• How do we go about doing this? Francis’ words are these . . .
“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
• Then we will be turned into fire!
Presented:
St. Francis Feast October 2015 Jean Hinderer, CSA
Blessing
What we choose changes us.
Who we love transforms us.
How we create remakes us.
Where we live reshapes
us.
So in all our choosing,
O God, make us wise;
in all our loving,
O Christ, make us bold;
in all our creating,
O Spirit, give us courage;
in all our living
may we become whole.
(Author: Jan Richardson)
http://www.janrichardson.com/index.htmlichardson.com
janrichardson.com
Monday, September 27, 2021
Morning Musings . . .
Today in my morning prayer, the Scriptures were from Luke, in which the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. I looked up from my book and viewed the maple tree beyond my patio. Slowly, lovingly, and with inner knowing it was giving a nod to each falling leaf that it was time to let go. Truly, my patio companion was teaching me how to pray!
Oh, how I visited this view often in the spring to watch the buds take shape and birth forth the fragile beauty of the new leaves unfolding. I remember how each leaf participated in the dance of the April ice storm, the summer intense sun and rains, and the rush of tornadic winds . . . Now it's time to pray them in gratitude for their journey of resiliency and faithfulness.
And so with each falling leaf, I am being taught how to pray. To pray in gratitude for what was, for what is, and to pray in openness and hope for what will be.
I prayed in gratitude . . .
• for each person I have met along my summer journey as I listened to the joyful and sorrowful mysteries of their lives.
• for each memory of the tragedies of nature – floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, and volcanoes . . . learning once again, that with some things there is no control, but only honoring our understanding to be in partnership with earth as its stewards.
• for each moment I gathered with friends to celebrate thresholds, turning points, anniversaries, jubilees, professions, passings, and fun times to mark the day and time.
• for each Birthday card I received . . .
• for each opportunity to photograph the streams, flowers, trees, mushrooms, birds, sunsets, and moon risings . . .
• for each time of prayer in which the silence spoke of Divinity . . .
May I continue to listen to the falling leaves as they teach me how to pray. For all that was, I give thanks. For all that is, I give praise for I am blessed, and for all that will be, I pray with openness and hope.
Amen . . .Amen
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Prayers for Migrants and Refugees . . .
Give Us Hearts
God of love and compassion: may we always
recognize your spirit:
· in the refugee family, seeking safety from
violence;
· in the migrant worker, bringing food to our
tables;
· in the asylum-seekers, seeking justice for
their families;
· in the unaccompanied child, traveling in a
dangerous world.
Give us hearts that break open whenever our
brothers and sisters turn to us.
Give us hearts that no longer turn deaf to their voices in times of need;
Give us eyes to recognize a moment for grace
instead of a threat.
Give us voices that fail to remain silent but which decide instead to advocate
prophetically.
Give us hands that reach out in welcome, but also in work, for a world of
justice until all homelands are safe and secure.
Bless us, O Lord...
- Fr. Dan Hartnett S.J.
Strangers in a Foreign Land
Lord God, help us to remember those who
tonight will go to sleep unfed and unwelcome,
strangers in foreign lands, people who have fled for their lives and are far
from their homes.
We lift up to you those who are escaping persecution and conflict, having fled
death, torture or ruthless exploitation.
So many carry wounds, mental and physical. So many have suffered greatly.
Lord Jesus, give us more of your compassion for their plight, soften our hearts
to their situation, and help us follow your lead in seeking justice and mercy on their behalf.
We pray for an end to the wars, poverty and human rights abuses that drive
desperate people to become refugees in the first place.
We give thanks for people working in troubled countries and ask
for more of
your blessing so we can bring life, dignity and hope to those that remain.
We thank you that you are Lord of all the earth and all its people are loved by
you.
We pray these things in the name of your Son who was himself born into the
troubled life of a refugee.
- Author Unknown
World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2021 . . .
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR THE 107th WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES 2021
[26 September 2021]
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Blessing Prayer . . .
May
the God of STRENGTH be with you, holding you in strong-fingered hands; and may
you be the sacrament of God’s strength to those whose hands you hold: MAY THE
BLESSING OF STRENGTH BE WITH YOU.
May
the God of GENTLENESS be with you, caressing you with sunlight and rain and
wind; may God’s tenderness shine through you to warm all who are hurt and
lonely: MAY THE BLESSING OF GENTLENESS BE ON YOU.
May
the God of MERCY be with you, forgiving you, beckoning you, encouraging you to
say, “Now I will get up again and go to my father’s house”; may your readiness
to forgive calm the fears, deepen the trust of those who have hurt you: MAY THE
BLESSING OF MERCY BE ON YOU.
May
the God of WONDER be with you, delighting you with thunder and bird-song,
sunrise and daisy; enchanting your senses, filling your heart, giving you
wide-open eyes and the hands and the hearts of the blind and deaf and the
insensitive: MAY THE BLESSING OF WONDER BE ON YOU.
May
the God of COMPASSION be with you, holding you close when you are weary and
hurt and alone and when there is rain in your heart; and may you be the warm
hands and the warm eyes of compassion for your friend when he or she reaches
out to you in need: MAY THE BLESSING OF COMPASSION BE ON YOU.
May
the God of SIMPLICITY be with you, opening you to a clear vision of what is
real and true, leading you deeply into the mystery of childhood; and may your
dealings with others be marked by the honesty which is simplicity: MAY THE
BLESSING OF SIMPLICITY BE ON YOU.
May
the God of PATIENCE be with you, waiting for you with outstretched arms,
letting you “find out for yourself”; and may God’s patience with all the young
who fall from small heights and the old who fall from greater heights be your
patience: MAY THE BLESSING OF PATIENCE BE ON YOU.
May
the God of PEACE be with you, stilling the heart that hammers with fear or
doubt or confusion; and may your peace, the warm mantle of your peace, cover
those who are troubled or anxious: MAY THE BLESSING OF PEACE BE ON YOU.
May
the God of JOY be with you, thrilling you with God’s nearness, filling your
heart to fullness, and filling your throat to ringing, singing exultation: MAY
THE BLESSING OF JOY BE ON YOU.
Author Unknown
The Time is Now and Always . . .
The Spirit of God is Always with Us at This
Time, in This Place
We awaken in our time to a Universe which is
holy,
to creation which is not an event in the past, but a living event of the
present.
We enter a new mode of human presence where we are not merely observers,
but where each of us is a participant in this moment of evolution.
Like all other creatures, we carry with us Wisdom and Values, the dynamics of
the Universe.
But unlike other creatures, we must choose whether and how we will live in
harmony
within this sacred web of creation.
May we be open to the Source of All Being, Our God within and among us!
We have the capacity to wonder,
and to celebrate this great mystery of existence within such a magnificent
Universe!
In us the Universe enters into a great celebration of itself.
We are part of the Dance, the Great Work, the Great liturgy which is the
Universe unfolding.
Glory to You, O God, Source of All Being!
This great Liturgy finds expression at this moment in us,
gathered here in a posture of prayerful openness, with listening hearts, loving
spirits and a holy wonder.
May the sacred web that unites us with each other, our God and all creation,
ignite communities of light and hope throughout the Earth.
May we be open to the Source of All Being, Our God within and among us!
Together We Pray:
O Gracious, gentle Spirit of Love,
Your energy permeates the Universe,
Igniting Earth with
Your Goodness, Truth and Beauty.
Open our minds and hearts
To a deeper awareness
Of our interconnectedness with You,
Each other and all creation.
May we experience
Your unique presence
Within the sacred web of creation.
- Author Unknown
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
God of Autumn, God of Transformation!
A Song of Praise to our Autumn God
O God of Autumn loveliness, we thank you for the many colors of our lives. We
thank you for the rich hues of red, the promising hope greens, the depth
of the golds, and the well-worn browns.
We praise you for all of the life you have given us, the life we celebrate at this harvest time each year. Like the leaves of the trees, we ourselves have been blown around, toasted in the sun, and whipped by rain and storms. Yet, we stand as a testament to life well lived.
Your trees, O God,
remind us of our letting go, our need to trust transformation so that new
life can come. Yet, like them, we resist the tearing, wrenching, pulling, and
tugging. We cling earnestly to our color and our home!
Release us, God of the
Autumn, and free us so that the wind of your Spirit can fling us to the places
we most need to go. Bury us deep in places where we will find
warmth. Help us to find ourselves grounded in You.
And as we journey
towards this wintertime, help us to always carry the spirit of springtime deep
within us as a sign of hope! We believe, O God of Transformation,
that all of life is your belief and hope in us! Ready our hearts,
steady our hearts that we can respond fully in faith and love!
(Author Unknown)
Walking in the real . . .
May
you continue
to
find the necessary courage
to
walk into the real
and
to recognize
God
in it.
Author Unknown
Autumn Prayer . . .Part 2
O
God of Creation, you
have blessed us with the changing of the seasons.
As we embrace these autumn months,
May the earlier setting of the sun
Remind us to take time to rest.
May
the crunch of the leaves beneath our feet
Remind us of the brevity of this earthly life.
May
the steam of our breath in the cool air remind us that it is you who give
us your breath of life.
May
the scurrying of the squirrels and the migration of the birds
Remind us that you call us to follow your dream for us.
We praise you for your goodness forever and ever.
-
Author Unknown
Autumn Prayer
In the fading of the summer sun,
the shortening of days, cooling breeze,
swallows' flight and moonlight rays
we see the Creator’s hand
In the browning of leaves once green,
morning mists, autumn chill,
fruit that falls frost's first kiss
we see the Creator’s hand
- Author Unknown
Spirit Prayer for Courage and Strength, Peace and Humility . . .
O SPIRIT OF GOD
Creative power within our hearts
As we face brand-new tomorrows
Inspire us with new vision and
courage
And unify our communal bond in
you.
O SPIRIT OF LOVE
Greatest gift we can receive
You bring the strength that
makes us strong
And the gentleness that makes
us gracious.
O SPIRIT OF TRUTH
Help us to be what we were
created to be
Divided in time and space from
each other,
Yet bound together in
reflecting your truthfulness.
O SPIRIT OF OPENNESS
Make our hearts receptive to
your presence
Guide us as we struggle to
find the mystery
Of what you are asking us to
do with our lives.
O SPIRIT OF PEACE
We turn to you for peace which
the world cannot give
So that, in spite of our human
sinfulness,
We may believe in your love
for each one of us.
O SPIRIT OF GOD
You bring us to unity in your
Son
For you are the one God who is
Father and Mother to us all
When we accept your gift of
life.
WE PRAISE YOU
God everlasting,
We who are one in the body of
your Son,
We who are one in your Spirit.
Amen.
(Source/Author Unknown)
Monday, September 20, 2021
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Knot In Your Life!
please untie the knots
that are in my mind,
my heart, and my life.
the can nots and the do nots
that I have in my mind.
may nots, might nots
that find a home in my heart.
would nots, and should nots
that obstruct my life.
I ask that you remove from my mind
my heart and my life all of the
that I have allowed to hold me back,
especially the thought
that I am not good enough.
Welcome, Autumn!
O sacred season of Autumn,
be my teacher, for I wish to learn the virtue of contentment. As I gaze
upon your full-colored beauty, I sense all about you an at-homeness with your
amber riches.
(Ed Hays, Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim)
Monday, September 13, 2021
The Loveliness of Autumn . . .
O God of Autumn loveliness, we thank you for the many colors of our lives. We thank you for the rich hues of red, the promising hope of greens, the depth of the golds, and the well-worn browns.
We praise you for all of the life you have given us, the life we celebrate at this harvest time each year. Like the leaves of the trees, we ourselves have been blown around, toasted in the sun, and whipped by rain and storms. Yet, we stand as a testament to life well lived.
Your trees, O God, remind us of our letting go, our need to trust transformation, so that new life can come. Yet, like them, we resist the tearing, wrenching, pulling, and tugging. We cling earnestly to our color and our home!
Release us, God of the Autumn, and free us so that the wind of your Spirit can fling us to the places we most need to go. Bury us deep in places where we will find warmth. Help us to find ourselves grounded in you.
As we look around in this harvest time, we celebrate the bounty all around us and deep within us. May we be forever grateful for the plentitude! May we be forever generous with all that is ours. May we be forever willing to give of ourselves!
And as we journey towards this winter time, help us to always carry the spirit of springtime deep within us as a sign of hope!
We believe, O God of Transformation, that all of life is your belief and hope in us! Ready our hearts, steady our hearts that we can respond fully in faith and love!
(Author Unknown)
The Visitor . . .
49
Tagore
You
came down from your throne and stood at my cottage door.
I
was singing all alone in a corner, and the melody caught your ear.
You
came down and stood at my cottage door.
Masters
are many in your hall and songs are sung there at all hours.
But
the simple carol of this novice struck at your love. One plaintive
little
strain mingled with the great music of the world, and with a
flower for
a prize you came down and stopped at my cottage door.
Tagore
Song
Offerings
The Journey . . .
A Spiritual Journey
And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles,
no matter how long,
but only by a spiritual journey,
a journey of one inch,
very arduous and humbling and joyful,
by which we arrive at the ground at our feet,
and learn to be at home.
~ Wendell Berry ~
Thursday, September 9, 2021
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Remembering . . .Patriot Day . . .
Mychal Judge’s Prayer
Mychal Judge, OFM, an Irish-American Franciscan and chaplain to the New York Fire Department, is the first listed casualty of the 9/11 attack on the Twins Towers in 2001.
He prayed this prayer daily; it was a guide to his approach to his pastoral ministry, a ministry rich in life-giving compassion. The prayer has become well known since his Mychal’s death.
Lord, take me where You want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say;
And keep me out of Your way.
FDNY Chaplain
5/11/33 — 9/11/01
The 9/11 Prayer of Remembrance and Hope:
Dear God, we remember before you today those whose lives were lost in the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001, and for all those whom we love but no longer see. We give thanks to you for the selfless courage of those brave souls who ran into burning buildings and who labored in the rubble; may their courage be to us a witness of what is possible when we are guided by love and dedication to our fellow human beings.
We pray today for the continued healing of all those suffering emotional and physical scars. May your spirit breathe new breath into clouded lungs, new life into troubled minds, and new warmth into broken hearts, so that all may feel wrapped in your loving embrace. May we move from suffering to hope, from brokenness to wholeness, from anxiety to courage, from death to life, from fear to love, and from despair to hope.
Guide our feet into the way of peace. Inspire us with hope in the gift of shalom and salaam. May we receive this gift, so that we might become instruments of your peace in this world, knowing all people as equally loved, lovingly created, children of God. Amen. (Author Unknown)
We Place in Your Loving Arms
- Fr. Alberto C.