Advent . . .Love watching . . .

 

There Was a Time: An Advent Poem

There was a time when there was no time,

When darkness reigned as king,

When a formless void was all that there was

in the nothingness of eternity,

When it was night.

But over the void and over the night Love watched.

There was a time when time began.

It began when Love spoke.

Time began for light and life, for splendor and grandeur.

Time began for seas and mountains, for flowers and birds.

Time began for the valleys to ring with the songs of life,

and for the wilderness to echo with the wailing of wind 

and howling of animals.

And over the earth, Love watched. 

There was a time when time began to be recorded.

A time when Love breathed and a new creature came to life.

A new creature so special that it was in the image and likeness of Love

Of Love who is God.

And so humanity was born and the dawn of a new day shone on the world.

And over humanity, Love watched. 

But there came a time when the new day faded.

A time when humanity who was like God tried to be God.

A time when the creature challenged the creator.

A time when humanity preferred death to life and darkness to light.

And so the new day settled into twilight.

And over the darkness, Love watched. 

There was a time of waiting in the darkness.

A time when humanity waited in the shadows,

And all creation groaned in sadness.

There was waiting for Love to speak again--for Love to breathe again.

And kings and nations and empires rose and faded in the shadows.

And Love waited and watched. 

Finally, there came a time when Love spoke again.

A Word from eternity--a Word

Spoken to a girl who belonged to a people not known by the world

Spoken to a girl who belonged to a family not known by her people

To a girl named Mary.

And all creation waited in hushed silence for the girl's answer.

And Mary spoke her yes.

And Love watched over Mary.

And so there came a time when Love breathed again

When Love breathed new life into Mary's yes.

And a new day dawned for the World

A day when light returned to darkness, when life returned to dispel death

And so a day came when Love became human --a mother bore a child.

And Love watched over Love—

And, lastly, there came a time when you and I became a part of time.

Now is the time that you and I wait.

Now we wait to celebrate what the world waited for.

And as we wait to celebrate what was at one time, we become a part of that time 

A time when a new dawn and a new dream and a new creation began for humanity.

And as a part of time, Love waits and Love watches over us.

Fr. Joseph Breighner (adapted)1980

The Catholic Review, 11-28-80

A Season of Gratitude . . .

 

Thanksgiving Prayer in Times Likes These

Thank you, Lord, for your care for all creation.

You watch over the sun, whose rays warm us,

you order the moon, whose light silvers the night.

The seasons follow your guidance,

and we give thanks for farmers and their harvests;

for the last combines collecting the crops,

for golden stubble fields stretched out for a long rest.

Even as food is collected and stored,

we are mindful of places where food is hard to find;

the rains didn’t come, and the plants didn’t grow,

or hurricane winds blew the harvest away.

Open our hearts to share nature’s bounty

with all your children who are in need.

Thank you for your care for us,

for the way you bring people into our lives to love us.

Thank you for families, for friends, for our church community,

offering love and support.

You know that we care for each other,

yet we confess that we love imperfectly, sometimes grudgingly,

sometimes with only half a heart.

Give us the courage to apologize when apologies are necessary,

and to try to do our best, modeling ourselves on Jesus Christ,

who gave his whole life in service to others.

Knowing your care for us,

we are confident as we lift up those we love who are grieving,

or who face health challenges of various kinds.

We pray for newcomers to country, seeking a new home.

Where there is sorrow, bring your comfort,

and a renewed belief that the world is a safe place for them.

We all long for safety, especially in times like these.

Where there is violence, we need your peace,

where there is instability, your calming presence,

where there is hatred, your abundant love,

where there is suspicion and fear, your assurance.

God of great gifts, we long for a harvest of righteousness;

equip us as your church to be agents of your kingdom,

ambassadors of hope, even in such a time as this.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com

A Blessing . . .

 Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. 

(Melodie Beattie)

A Thanksgiving Threshold . . .

 

Like Spring secretly at work within the heart of Winter,
below the surface of our lives
huge changes are in fermentation.
We never suspect a thing.

Then when the grip of some
long-enduring winter mentality
begins to loosen,
we find ourselves vulnerable
to a flourish of possibility
and we are suddenly negotiating
the challenges
of a threshold…

At any time you can ask yourself:
At which threshold am I now standing?
At this time in my life, what am I leaving?
Where am I about to enter?
A threshold is not a simple boundary;
it is a frontier
that divides two different territories,
rhythms, and atmospheres.

Indeed, it is a lovely testimony
to the fullness and integrity
of an experience or a stage of life
that it intensifies toward the end
into a real frontier
that cannot be crossed
without the heart being passionately
engaged and
woken up.

At this threshold
a great complexity of emotion
comes alive:
confusion, fear,
excitement, sadness,
hope.

This is one of the reasons
such vital crossings
were always clothed in ritual.

It is wise in your own life
to be able to recognize and acknowledge
the key thresholds;
to take your time;
to feel all the varieties of presence
that accrue there;
to listen inward
with complete attention
until you hear
the inner voice
calling you
forward:
The time has come
to cross.

John O’Donohue
From: To Bless the Space Between Us

A Thanksgiving Story . . .

 

 

 

The Rolling Coin

A wise old man once owned a precious golden coin. One day, as he sat gazing at this precious coin and rejoicing in its beauty, a thought occurred to him: ‘It isn’t right that I should be the only person to have the pleasure of possessing this golden coin. What use is it if no one shares it?’ And he went out and gave the coin to a passing child.

The child couldn’t believe her luck. She couldn’t take her eyes off this shining coin. Then she had a sudden idea: ‘I’ll give this coin to my mother. She needs so many things. This coin will make her very happy.’

Of course, the child’s mother was delighted with the coin – such an unexpected solution to so many of her problems. She pondered in her mind as to how to spend it and what to buy first.

As she was thinking about this there was a knock at the door, and there stood a street beggar. ‘Poor soul’ she thought. ‘He has nothing, and we are just about getting by.’ And she gave the gold coin to the beggar.

The beggar was speechless. This coin could be turned into food for a month. He made his way back to the subway where he slept, and there he noticed a new resident, just arrived. The poor guy was blind and disabled. No chance of getting anywhere near to the folks who might have spared him a coin or two.

‘I guess he needs it more than I do,’ he thought to himself. And he pressed the gold coin into the blind man’s thin, cold fingers.

That evening, a wise old man walked through the dark subway. He noticed the blind, disabled beggar and stopped to speak to him. The beggar couldn’t remember the last time anyone had bothered to speak to him.

After a while, the wise old man put his arm around the beggar’s shoulder.  ‘I’ve nothing left to give you, except my friendship,’ he murmured.

A tear rolled across the cheek of the blind beggar. How could he ever repay this gift of human kindness that had changed a dark night into a new dawn? With his shaking, aching hands, he reached into his pocket, brought out the golden coin and gave it to his new-found friend.

‘Thank you for loving me,’ he said.

Source unknown

A Blessing Prayer

 

 

+Breathing in: Generous God 

Breathing out: Thank you

Prayer:
Generous God, you have poured so much into our blessing cups.  You have offered us many graced moments filled with wonders of your goodness.  You have been bountiful in sharing your presence of un-conditional love with us.  You call us to bless others with our cup of life.  Stir up within us a desire to offer our gifts to those who need them.  We pray this in gratitude for your continued belief in us - for you are always ready to fill our cup with your generous love. In hope and trust we pray. Amen.

+ + +

Quiet Reflection:
• Reflect on some of the blessings in your life.
• Which one means the most to you?
• What helps you to be aware of the daily blessings in your life?
• How have you prayed with these blessings?
• Speak a prayer of thanksgiving in your heart for a blessing you have received this week.

+ + +

   A Blessing for Our World

• May the God of strength be with us; and may we be God’s strength to those in our world whose hands and hearts we hold.
• May the God of gentleness be with us; and may we be God’s tenderness to warm all who are hurt, alone, depressed, or in need of kindness.
• May the God of mercy be with us; and may we bring mercy, courage, and hope to those in our world who suffer from fear, lack of trust, or who have been hurt in any way.
• May the God of compassion be with us; and may we be God’s compassion to those who are weary, or in need of a listening heart.
 • May the God of patience be with us; may God’s patience be with us as we pray to stand with out-stretched arms, with an understanding heart - free of judgment -to receive those who are in need of our support.
• May the God of peace be with us; may God’s peace be with us as we pray for those in our world who are the least, the last, and the lost; and for those who are troubled, anxious, in doubt, and restless.  May God’s peace be a warm mantle of love to still their hearts.

 +Breathing in: Generous God  

Breathing out: Thank you

 

 

Exceptional Service!

 

A Jewish folk tale:

A story tells of a man who went to the office every day in his expensive car, and made important decisions and signed big contracts.  Often, the important man would enjoy business lunches with his clients, and would try to distract the attention of his influential guests away from the unsavory spectacle of the beggars on the streets of his city.

One evening, after a hard day making money, he packed his briefcase to go home, where supper would be waiting for him.  As he was locking his desk for the night, he caught sight of a stale sandwich lying abandoned at the back of the drawer.  Without much thought he crammed it in his coat pocket.  No need for it to go moldy and mess up his desk.  And on the way out to the car park he saw a street beggar on the steps, huddled in an old blanket.  ‘Here, my friend’ he said to the beggar. ‘Here is something for your supper.’ And he gave him the stale sandwich.

That night, the man dreamed that he was away on a business trip.  After the day’s meeting, he was taken with his fellow directors to the town’s most luxurious restaurant.  Everyone gave their orders, and settled down with their drinks before the meal to look forward to a convivial evening.

The orders arrived. Pâté de foie gras.  Medallions of venison.  Lamb cutlets with rosemary and garlic.  The dishes being brought to the table brought gasps of delight from all the company. Then his own order appeared.  A waitress set in front of him one small plate, on which was served a stale sandwich.

‘What kind of service is this?’ the man demanded, enraged.  ‘This isn’t what I ordered! I thought this was the best restaurant in town!’

‘Oh sir,’ the waitress told him, ‘you’ve been misinformed.  This isn’t a restaurant at all.  This is heaven.  We are only able to serve you what you have sent on ahead while you were alive.  I’m very sorry, sir, but when we looked under your name, the best we could find to serve to you was this little sandwich.’ (Retelling of a Jewish folk story)