Monday, February 28, 2022
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Ash Wednesday Reflection . . .
Gospel Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
Story:
A businessman needing to
attend a conference in a faraway city decided to travel on country roads rather
than the freeways so he could enjoy a relaxing journey. After some hours of traveling he realized he
was hopelessly lost. Seeing a farmer
tending his field on the side of the road, he stopped to ask for
directions. “Can you tell me how far it
is to Chicago?” he asked the farmer.
“Well, I don’t rightly know,” the farmer replied.
Well, can you tell me how far
I am from Fond du Lac, WI?” the businessman questioned again.
“Well, I don’t rightly know,”
the farmer again replied. “Can you at
least tell me the quickest way to the main road?” The exasperated businessman asked.
“Nope, I don’t rightly know,”
the farmer again answered.
“You really don’t know very
much at all, do you?” blurted the impatient businessman.
“Nope, not much, but I ain’t
lost,” the farmer calmly answered. (Original Source Unknown)
Lent is a season of spiritual
growth – and possibly we will need to take leave of the “business as usual”
main roads in our lives and risk taking some back roads that may lead us into
spaces within ourselves that we have hesitated visiting. We may find ourselves having to be more
aware or watchful of signs and symbols that gently direct us to the next turn
on our journey. We may even find
ourselves a little lost and having to stop to ask for directions or just sit
listening for the soft and intimate voice of the Divine whispering encouragement
to our fearful and anxious hearts.
It is said that Lent is not
an event – It is not something that happens to us. It is at most a microcosm of what turns out
to be a lifelong journey to the center of the Self. The purpose of Lent is to confront us with
ourselves in a way that’s conscious and purposeful, that enables us to deal
with the rest of life well.
In our gospel today, Jesus
addressees the three pillars of religion in ancient Judaism – prayer, fasting
and almsgiving – the voice of Jesus down the ages warns us about being seduced
into believing that any of the practices, by virtue of their own worthiness, is
really religious.
About those who got their
satisfaction out of standing up in the synagogues or praying on the streets, he
warned his disciples “When you pray, go into your room alone and pray in
secret.”
To those who gave great alms
and in return got great publicity for it, he said, “When you give alms do not
let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
In regard to those whose
fasting was done with public fanfare and insincere distress, he said to his own
followers, “When you fast, dress up, look your best.” In other words, lighten up and smile!
So what is the Good News for
us today?
The story goes that the Holy
Man, Nasrudin was now an old man looking back on his life. He sat with his friends in the tea shop
telling his story.
“When I was young I was fiery
– I wanted to awaken everyone. I prayed
to God to give me the strength to change the world.”
“In mid-life I awoke one day
and realized my life was half over and I had changed no one. So I prayed to God to give me the strength to
change those close around me who so much needed it.”
“Alas, now I am old and my
prayer is simpler, ‘God,’ I ask, ‘please give me the strength to as least change
myself.’”
Prayer to Welcome Mardi Gras . . .
Mardi Gras Prayer
Blessed
are you, God of all creation,
for it is from your goodness that we have this day
to celebrate on the threshold of the Season of Lent.
Tomorrow
we will fast and abstain from meat.
Today we feast.
We thank you for the abundance of gifts you shower upon us.
We thank you especially for one another.
As we give you thanks,
we are mindful of those who have so much less than we do.
As we share these wonderful gifts together,
we commit ourselves to greater generosity toward those
who need our support.
Prepare
us for tomorrow.
Tasting the fullness of what we have today,
let us experience some hunger tomorrow.
May our fasting make us more alert
and may it heighten our consciousness
so that we might be ready to hear your Word
and respond to your call.
As our
feasting fills us with gratitude
so may our fasting and abstinence hollow out in us
a place for deeper desires
and an attentiveness to hear the cry of the poor.
May our self-denial turn our hearts to you
and give us a new freedom for
generous service to others.
We ask
you these graces
with our hearts full of delight
and stirring with readiness for the journey ahead.
We ask them with confidence
in the name of Jesus. (Creighton
University)
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Our God weeps . . .
Sometimes, Lord,
it just seems to be too much:
too much violence, too much fear;
too much of demands and problems;
too much of broken dreams and broken lives;
too much of war and slums and dying;
too much of greed and squishy fatness
and the sounds of people
devouring each other
and the earth;
too much of stale routines and quarrels,
unpaid bills and dead ends;
too much of words lobbed in to explode
and leaving shredded hearts and lacerated souls;
too much turned-away backs and yellow silence,
red rage and bitter taste of ashes in my mouth
Sometimes
the very air seems scorched
by threats and rejection and decay
until there is nothing
but to inhale pain
and exhale confusion.
Too much of darkness, Lord,
too much of cruelty
and selfishness
and indifference…
Too much, Lord,
too much,
too bloody,
bruising,
brain-washing much.
Or is it too little,
too little of compassion,
too little of courage,
of daring,
of persistence,
of sacrifice;
too little of music
and laughter
and celebration?
O God,
make of me some nourishment
for these starved times,
some food for my brothers and sisters
who are hungry for gladness and hope,
that, being bread for them,
I may also be fed
And be full
Ted
Loder, Guerrillas of Grace
Sunday, February 20, 2022
God of Hope, God of Wisdom . . .
God of
hope,
as Ukraine
balances on a knife edge,
we pray
for peace.
Peace for
Ukrainian citizens living with constant anxiety,
fearful
that calamity will fall upon them today.
Peace for
the Russian soldiers who are waiting for orders,
fearful
for their own lives.
Peace for
neighbouring countries who know
that war
makes refugees that must be welcomed.
We pray
for the beautiful land of Ukraine,
its vast
steppes and rich soil:
too much
blood has been spilled there over time.
God, we
cry to you about the unfairness
of how
power is concentrated in this world,
that one
man holds the fate of so many.
Hold back
the tanks and troops.
Stop the
planes and bombs.
Shelter
these people from aggression,
let the
children grow up in peace.
Give
wisdom to diplomats
as they
try to convince Russian leaders
that no
one wins in war.
Don’t let
this day go down in history
as the
start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In your mercy, let it be a day of peace. Amen.
Author: Carol Penner
“Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com”
Provident God . . .
Litany of Nonviolence
Provident God,
aware of our own brokenness,
we ask the gift of courage
to identify how and where we are in need of conversion
in order to live in solidarity with Earth and all creation.
Deliver us from the violence of superiority
and disdain.
Grant us the desire, and the humility,
to listen with special care to those
whose experiences and attitudes are different from our own.
Deliver us from the violence of greed and
privilege.
Grant us the desire, and the will, to live simply
so others may have their just share of Earth’s resources.
Deliver us from the silence
that gives consent to abuse, war and evil.
Grant us the desire, and the courage,
to risk speaking and acting for the common good.
Deliver us from the violence
of irreverence, exploitation and control.
Grant us the desire, and the strength,
to act responsibly within the cycle of creation.
God of love, mercy and justice,
acknowledging our complicity
in those attitudes, action and words which perpetuate violence,
we beg the grace of a non-violent heart.
Amen.
May, 2012 – Sisters of Providence
Sending a blessing across the world . . .
May God bless us with
discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that
we will live deep within our hearts.
May God bless us with anger at
injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people and the earth, so that we
will work for justice, equity, and peace.
May God bless us with tears to
shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war, so that we will
reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain and sorrow to joy.
And may God bless us with the foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in the world, so we will do the things which others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all.
(A Franciscan Prayer~ author unknown)
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Let us pray peace, speak peace, live peace . . .
A Christian Prayer for Peace in Our Time
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
God Is With Us . . .
God Be With Us
May God be with us in strength, holding us in strong-fingered hands; and may we
be the sacrament of God’s strength to those whose hands we hold.
May God be with us in gentleness, touching us with sunlight and rain and wind.
May God’s tenderness shine through us to warm all who are hurt and lonely.
May God be with us in wonder, delighting us with thunder and song, sunrise and
daisy; enchanting our senses, filling our hearts, giving us wide-open eyes for
seeing and splendor in the humble and majestic. And may we open the eyes and
hearts of the blind and the insensitive.
May God be with us in love and friendship, listening to us, speaking to
us, drawing us close as we tremble at the edge of self-gift. May God’s
love in us light fires of faith and hope, glow in our eyes and meet God’s love
glowing in the eyes of our friends.
May God be with us in compassion, holding us close when we are weary and hurt
and alone – when there is rain in our heart. And may we be the warm hands and
the warm eyes of compassion for our friends when they reach out to us in need.
May God be with us in joy, thrilling us with nearness, filling our heart to
fullness and filling our throat to ringing, singing exultation.
May God be with us in peace, stilling the heart that hammers with fear and
doubt and confusion, and may our peace, the warm mantle of your peace, cover
those who are troubled or anxious.
May God be with us in simplicity, opening us to a clearer vision of what is
real and true, leading us deeply into the mystery of life and may our dealings
with others be marked by honesty.
May God be with us today and every day. May God hold each of us, empowering us
with understanding, love, and respect.
May God’s forgiveness touch our hearts, enabling us to forgive ourselves and
each other.
And finally, may we experience God’s peace and the joy that results from unity
and prayer, shared values, and common vision
Author Unknown
Prayer of Quieting . . .
I weave a silence on my lips,
I weave a silence into my mind,
I weave a silence within my heart.
I close my ears to distractions,
I close my eyes to attentions,
I close my heart to temptations.
Calm me, O God, as you stilled the storm,
Still me, O God, keep me from harm.
Let all the tumult within me cease,
Enfold me, God, in your peace.
(Author Unknown ~ Celtic Tradition)
A Prayer for Clarity!
Clear
our heart, O God,
that
we may see you.
Clear
our heart, O God,
that
we may truly see ourselves.
Clear
our heart, O God,
that
we may know
the
sacredness of this moment
and in
every moment
seek
you
serve
you
strengthen
you
as the
Living Presence.
Clear
our heart, O God,
that
we may see.
John
Phillip Newell
Praying
with the Earth
A
Prayerbook for Peace
Photo
by: Doris Klein, CSA
Saturday, February 12, 2022
Holy Amazement, Holy Gratitude!!
Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is,
than falling in love in a quite absolute final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekend,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love,
stay in love,
and it will decide everything.
Pedro
Arupe, sj
Friday, February 11, 2022
Remembering . . .
The first Sister of St. Agnes ~ 1858
Sister Clara Rehberg . . .
died February 11, 1909.
•
At the age of 27, she met with Fr. Rehrl
June 1858 in Mayville, WI
• “Fr. Rehrl’s welcome was so warm and his desire to establish a society of sisters was so compelling that she agreed to find some companions to join her and meet him in Barton in three days' time.” In August, Gertrude arrived with two more women to join her.
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Prayer for an End to Human Trafficking . . .
Prayer for an End to Human Trafficking
Oh God, we didn't see them.
But you did-
The hundreds and thousands of human beings
Trafficked each year to join the millions who are trapped in
modern-day slavery.
Under terrible conditions, they work in factories, plow fields,
harvest crops, work quarries, fill brothels, clean homes and haul water.
Many are children with tiny fingers for weaving rugs
and small shoulders for bearing rifles.
Their labor is forced, their bodies beaten, their faces hidden
from those who don't really want to see them.
But you see them all, God of the poor.
You hear their cry and you answer
by opening our eyes, and breaking our hearts
and loosening our tongues to insist:
No más. No more.
AMEN
Prayer to End Human Trafficking . . .
O God of every family on earth,
Loving and compassionate God,
We come before you in prayer
Unable to fully comprehend the horror of women and men and children
Transported to unknown places
To be exploited and abused
Because of greed and profit.
We are people of many creeds, united in our sadness and our anger.
We cry out together against the degrading practice of human trafficking.
Our hearts are saddened and our spirits angry that their dignity and rights
Are being transgressed through threats, deception, and force.
Give us the wisdom and courage to stand up against the evil that makes it possible
For people to buy and sell and trade others.
Give us the wisdom and courage to stand in solidarity with the victims,
That together we will find a way
To the freedom that is your gift to all of us.
We pray for it to end. AMEN
Taken from School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), Canadian Province, Trafficking Reflection Booklet, p. 10 Prayer to End Human Trafficking
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
In the silence . . .
Dear
God,
Speak
gently in my silence.
When
the loud outer noises of my surroundings
and
the loud inner noises of my fears
keep
pulling me away from you,
help
me to trust that you are still there
even
when I am unable to hear you.
Give
me ears to listen to your small, soft voice saying:
"Come
to me, you who are overburdened,
and I
will give you rest . . .
for I
am gentle and humble of heart."
Let
that loving voice be my guide. Amen.
-
Henri Nouwen
