Thursday, August 29, 2024
The Season of Letting Go!
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)
Hello, Autumn! (It's Meteorological Fall)
God of fallen leaves, lying in coloured patterns on the ground, our lives have their own patterns. As we see the patterns on the ground, our lives have their own patterns. As we see the patterns of our own growth, may we learn from them.
God of misty days and harvest moon nights, there is always the dimension of mystery and wonder in our lives. We always need to recognize your power filled presence. May we gain strength from this.
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
A Prayer for the Day
Lighting a candle
in a dark room
is a small gentle act of peace.
When the match touches the wick,
time slows down
and the race to the future ceases.
Worries are consumed
anxiety burns out
and I sigh deeply.
Watching the flickering light
is a graceful prayer
which eases my stress and lessens my strain.
Finally when the flame goes out
I turn quietly back,
to the events of the day
And find everything changed because of the time
I sat softening my soul
...by candlelight
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Honoring all who labor . . .
God of the
rough-worn hands, as we honor workers this day,
let us not
forget those whose work is without honor:
those homemakers
who watch over children and homes
but are not recognized as workers because they are not paid;
those who are forced out of jobs by corporate changes,
those forced into early retirement,
those who are denied employment because of their age;
those who live far from home,
struggling to save a bit of money to send to their loved ones;
those who must work illegally in order to survive;
those who lose jobs because employers use undocumented labor.
Christ of the aching back, you worked the rough wood,
you walked the long and dusty roads,
you know the bitter thirst of the poor.
Let our thirst become a passion for justice.
Help us to work toward transformation of economic policies
that allow only a few nations to hoard the world's wealth,
policies that pay women as only half a person or less,
policies that do not recognize the worth of labor exactly without pay.
Spirit of creative power, move among us
this day.
Heal the wounds we carry because of jobs we hate but must do,
jobs we want but cannot have.
Heal all those who labor to survive.
Renew in us our sense of vocation.
Help us discern your Presence in even the lowliest tasks we face.
Amen
(Chalice Worship, Colbert Cartwright & O.I.
Harrison)
Litany of Labor:
Leader:
Let us pray to the God of all creation, from whom comes life, work and purpose.
Almighty God, when you lovingly formed us out of
the dust of the earth, you breathed into us the breath of life and gave us work
and purpose for living.
We give you thanks, O God.
• For those who plow the field; for farmers and
farm workers, for those who work with their hands and those who move the earth,
for all who provide food for others.
• For those who tend the sick and those who seek
new cures; for doctors and nurses, for scientists and technicians; for all who
work to care for the sick.
• For those who design and create; for inventors
and explorers, for artists and musicians; for those who write books and those
who entertain; for all who open windows on their world through art and music.
• For those who work in offices and those who
work in warehouses; for secretaries and receptionists, for stockers and
bookkeepers; for those who market products and for those who move them; for all
who serve others through administration.
• For those who inspire our minds and those who
motivate us; for teachers and preachers, for public servants and religious
servants; those who help the poor and those who work with our children; for all
who encourage us to learn.
• For those whose labor is tidiness and
cleanliness; for janitors and sanitary workers, for drycleaners and maids; for
those who produce cleaning products and those who use them; for all those who
add beauty and cleanliness to your world.
• For those who sail the waves and those who fly
the skies; for captains and attendants, for astronauts and deep sea divers; for
those who chart and those who navigate.
• For those who serve in the armed forces; for
soldiers and airmen; sailors and marines; for all those who put themselves in
harms way to protect others.
• You bless us all with skills and gifts for
labor. You provide us opportunities to use them, for the benefit of others as
well as ourselves and the growth of your Kingdom on earth. Guard and protect
those who labor in the world.
• Send your special favor on the unemployed, the
under-employed and the disabled, that they may find work that enriches their
lives and provides for their families.
• Give health to the sick, hope to the bereaved.
• Keep us from laboring for ourselves alone.
• Make us loving and responsible in all that we
do.
(Adapted
from: Author: Carolyn Moomaw Chilton)
The Golden Eagle. . .
A man found an eagle’s egg and put it in the nest of a backyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life the eagle did what the backyard chickens did, thinking he was a backyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the air.
Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird far above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among the powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings. The old eagle looked up in awe. “Who’s that?” he asked. “That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” said his neighbor. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth – we’re chickens.” So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was. (Anthony DeMello, The Song of the Bird)
August 27, is the feast of St. Monica (323 – 387). When I first began to review readings about the life of Monica, I was somewhat stunned to read the following title: St. Monica, Widow. That’s it? At first I thought, isn’t there more? She lived into her mid-60’s – quite uncommon for those days. Then I reflected again that she really had lived a very full life. I thought, what if there would be an abundance of descriptive words that would trail behind her name – what they would tell about her story of faith and perseverance? Monica certainly was not a chicken – in my eyes and heart – she was an eagle!! A courageous woman for the time in which she lived. Today, as we celebrate her, I name her who I believe she really was – Monica – Christian, woman of patience, woman of prayer, woman most determined, who believed in potential, woman of authentic voice, woman of fortitude, woman visionary, woman dreamer, woman of integrity, woman of long suffering, wife who endured abuse, faithful mother, and widow.
Monica was born to Christian parents, yet they arranged her marriage to a non-Christian, Patricius. He was a man of a violent temper. Her mother-in-law lived with them. She was quite verbally abusive to Monica, yet Monica was patient with them and prayed for their openness to be received into the Christian faith.
Eventually both were received into the faith and remained very respectful of Monica’s generosity to the poor, her deep faith and her constant prayer life. However, when she was 40 years old, her husband died. She had bore three children – the oldest being Augustine. He was a brilliant student and at the age of 17, he left home for the wild life, and lived recklessly taking on the truths and ideals of the heresies of his day. He was particularly troubled by the mystery of evil. Monica followed him to Rome and when she arrived there, Augustine had moved on to Milan, Italy. So she went to Milan to find him and did so, and lived with him.
During which time they met up with (St.) Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who eventually became Augustine’s teacher and Monica’s spiritual director. It was there that Monica lived to see the day that Augustine accepted Christianity and was baptized. Shortly thereafter, she died. She had prayed for nearly 18 years for her son to choose Christianity. Her life and her relationship with her son, Augustine, can be found in his autobiography.
So what is the Good News for us today? As Joan Chittister once remarked, “The good news is that great women have always walked the earth; that their footprints are still clear; that their presence has changed things both in the church and society.” And in another place it is written: “The purpose of life is not to be happy; the purpose of life is to matter, to have it make a difference that you lived at all.”
And so Monica – your life made a difference in the faith of your husband, children and especially in the life of Augustine. He mattered to you – and your life has made a difference in the lives of many people throughout the centuries.
So let us pray the words of Thessalonians in honor of Monica – “The news of your faith in God is celebrated everywhere. We call to mind how you proved your faith by your actions, laboring in love, and showing constancy of hope in Jesus Christ." We thank you, Monica – Widow, Saint and Golden Eagle!!
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Easy Prayer. . . .
O Eternal One,
It would be easier for me to pray
if I were clear
and of a single mind and a pure heart;
if I could be done hiding from myself
and from you, even in my prayers.
But, I am who I am,
mixture of motives and excuses,
blur of memories,
quiver of hopes,
knot of fear,
tangle of confusion,
and restless with love,
for love.
I wander somewhere between
gratitude and grievance,
wonder and routine,
high resolve and undone dreams,
generous impulses and unpaid bills.
Come, find me, Lord.
Be with me exactly as I am.
Help me find me, Lord.
Help me accept what I am,
so I can begin to be yours.
Make of me something small enough to snuggle,
young enough to question,
simple enough to giggle,
old enough to forget,
foolish enough to act for peace;
skeptical enough to doubt
the sufficiency of anything but you,
and attentive enough to listen
as you call me out of the tomb of my timidity
into the chancy glory of my possibilities
and the power of your presence.
Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace, LuraMedia, 1984
The 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 ~
For the Gift of Today . . .
thank you for the gift of today.
Refresh me . . . Invite me . . .
to discover Your Presence in each person
that I meet, and every event encountered.
Teach me when to speak and when to listen,
when to ponder and when to share.
In moments of challenge and decision attune my
heart to the whisperings of Your Wisdom.
As I undertake ordinary and unnoticed tasks,
gift me with simple Joy.
When my day goes well, may I rejoice!
When it grows difficult
surprise me with new possibilities.
When life is overwhelming
call me to Sabbath moments
to restore Your Peace and Harmony.
May my living today
reveal your goodness.
Amen.
A God Thing!
Some point
Your relationship
With God
Will
Become like this:
Or on a crowded city street
Your pocket.
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
Friday, August 9, 2024
The Day with God . . .
|
G |
od
is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a single instant exactly
what we need. Then the rest of the day
can take its course, under the same effort and strain, perhaps, but in peace. And when night comes, and you look back over
the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned
that has gone undone. . . just take everything exactly as it is, put it in
God’s hands and leave it with God. Then
you will be able to rest in God ~ really rest ~ and start the next day as a new
life.
St. Teresa Benedict of the Cross (Edith
Stein)
Photo by Doris Klein, CSA
Thursday, August 8, 2024
The Feast of the Assumption - A Life of Fiat!
Allow me to begin with a poem entitled, Fiat by Bishop Bob Morneau based on Henry Ossawa Tanner’s painting, Annunciation
On her bed of doubt,
in wrinkled night garment,
she sat, glancing with fear
at a golden shaft of streaming light,
pondering perhaps, "Was this
but a sequel to a dream?"
The light too brief for disbelief,
yet its silence eased not her trembling.
Somehow she murmured a "yes"
and with that the light's love and life
pierced her heart
and lodged in her womb.
The room remained the same
- rug still need smoothing
- jug and paten awaiting using.
Now all was different
in a maiden's soft but firm fiat.
To reflect on this feast, we need to call to mind this moment of Mary’s Yes – her life was like a seamless garment of weavings of Fiat uttered again and again. . . from Annunciation to her Assumption.
Today, we gather to celebrate, to remember and to affirm our belief once again in the passing of Mary into God’s eternal loving embrace– body and soul. We gather to celebrate all that she had within her that enabled her to:
• trust in Mystery,
• walk in the holy darkness of questions,
• ponder her experiences in the light of faith,
• hope in God’s love amidst her joys and sorrows, losses and discoveries, deaths and risings,
• and live with courage as she responded moment by moment to the challenges and surprises that resulted from her murmured soft but firm “Yes”.
The Assumption of Mary into heaven is one of the oldest celebrated feasts of Mary, easily traced back to at least the 5th century, perhaps, according to some historians, celebrated as early as the third century. The event is not found in Scripture, and there were no witnesses – the feast came before its definition– it came from the belief of the people, the heart of the people.
It is written that in 1946 Pope Pius XII sent an encyclical letter to all the bishops of the world and asked them to confer with their people about the mystery of the Assumption becoming a dogma of the Church. On the strength of their response and the testimony of history he declared the Assumption dogma in 1950.
Most of what we know about Mary in Scripture comes from the Gospels of Luke and John. As a young Jewish girl, she grew into womanhood with an extraordinary faith.
Oftentimes she did not understand what God was asking of her, but she believed with all her heart that it could and would be done, and she acted accordingly. It was enough for her to be called to move within holy mystery and gently hold the tension of all that was being asked of her. She did not seek answers, or clarity or quick results – we are told that “she held all these things in her heart” and treasured them until their meaning was revealed a grace at a time! Truly a beautiful example of trust and love!
Mary not only witnesses to the action of God in her life, but she is a woman who was fully human, gifted with grace, truth, mercy, compassion, and faithfulness, on fire with the Spirit, generous in ministry, and centered in God.
These are but a few of the treasures that she possessed deep within her that enabled her to be a Jewish woman, wife, mother, sister, cousin, friend, disciple, prophet, and witness.
No doubt that after the Ascension of Jesus, Mary grew in age, grace and wisdom as well. She, too, was filled with the Pentecostal fire of the Spirit and would have received the same energy and power of the Spirit as the other disciples.
So how can this feast speak to us?
Let us ask boldly for all that she had within her that enabled her to be authentic, faithful, and trusting, so that we, too, will sing out our prophetic song of faithfulness and hope.
Let us ask boldly for all that she had within her to walk in Mystery, as we speak our firm Fiat for the transformation of the world, the Church and ourselves; for our story calls us to missionary zeal for nurturing the seed of faith and a pastoral concern for those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened.
I close with a selection from Soul Sisters by Edwina Gateley,
Who reflects upon this Gospel . . .
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081524-Day.cfm
“Affirmed, loved and comforted,
You stayed with Elizabeth,
Absorbing the experience and the wisdom
of the older woman,
deepening in your own resolve
to nurture, hold
and mother God.
Your journey has blessed ours, Mary.
Your Yes dares us
to believe in the impossible,
to embrace the unknown,
and to expect the breaking through of mystery
onto our bleak and level horizons.
The words you heard, Mary,
we will forever remember.
We will not be afraid,
for the life that you birthed
will not be extinguished
in our souls.
And the journey
you took in faithfulness,
we also take.
We the people, women and men, the midwives,
and the healers will also,
like you Mary,
Give birth to God
for our world.”
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Sunday reflection . . .
|
Thursday, August 1, 2024
A Transfiguration Blessing . . .
For you on this Transfiguration Eve: a blessing built for leaving.
Transparency and transfiguration!
(Enter the Story by Fran Ferder)
Holy Wonder!
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!
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
A Blessing . . .
I only want to see the day ahead,
My attention will not go
backward into my history,
And my attention will not go forward
into my future.
the present time,
To remaining grounded in my world,
To feeling a bond with each person
I meet,
To respecting my own integrity
and my own honor,
To living within the energy of love
and compassion this day,
And returning to that energy when
I don’t feel it,
To making wise and blessed choices
with my will,
To maintaining perceptions of
wisdom and non-judgment,
To release the need to know why things happen the way they do,
And to not project expectations over how
I want this day to be ___
And how I want others to be.
And finally, my last prayer to trust the Divine.
With that I bless my day with gratitude and love.
