For
Sunday, October 28, 2018, 3rd Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: Mother Theresa*, Psalm
133, Abbess Hildegard of Bingen**, Mark 10:46-52
The Season of Creation originated
in the Anglican Church of South Africa and was formalized in 2008. It is
designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. For more
information see: https://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2018/10/prayers-of-people-in-beginning-1st.html.
We use Biblical and
other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the
Season. Alternate readings used will follow the prayers.
Week III Theme:
Our Common Humanity
Whether you are a Hindu, a Muslim, or a
Christian, how you live your life is the proof that you are fully God’s or
not…Our works of charity are nothing but the overflow of our love of God from
within… [Mother Theresa]
How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in
unity! [Psalm 133:1]
[The earth] is in so many ways fruitful; all creation came from
it, yet it forms not only the basic raw materials for humankind, but also the
substance of the incarnation of God’s son. [Abbess Hildegard of Bingen]
Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The
blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go;
your faith has made you well.” [Mark 10:51-52a]
We are
truly all in "this" together ~ this life, this planet,
right now. Mother Theresa was quite clear when she said, how you live your life is the proof that you are fully God’s or not.
Love must undergird our lives and be as
normal to us as living and breathing. So very often, especially in these fraught
times, we look at "others" as different from ourselves by skin
color, nationality, religion, political views, sexual orientation, life
circumstance, or merely because someone lives in a different part of the world,
the country, or the city. How easily we dismiss, and worse, completely reject
those who aren't one of us. Suddenly "they" become one
of them, not to be trusted or valued as the full human person God
created, and in God's own image.
The Psalmist speaks simply with profound
truth, How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity! How very sad and tragic it is that we
set ourselves, within our self-limited chosen circles, as above another
individual or group as if our opinions, or neighborhood, or economic circumstance,
or political views are the only ones that matter.
The Abbess Hildegard fills us with an
astounding and breath-taking concept when she tells us that from God’s creation
of the earth we each contain not only the
basic raw materials for humankind, but also the substance of the incarnation of
God’s only son. Jesus is truly in our DNA! Even in “them.”
Bartimaeus himself was an “other.” As a
blind beggar he was the lowest of the low. He was annoying those with Jesus who
wanted to get on with the happy trek to Jerusalem and wanted no delays,
especially by this nobody. But his perseverance prevailed and Jesus, as he does
with each of us, asked, What do you want
me to do for you? Bartimaeus answered specifically and directly, My teacher, let me see again. Jesus
healed him because of his faith. Yet we must also ask for healing each time we
reject one of God’s own.
The ways in which we care for each
other ~ all others in our common humanity
~ with the love as God has exhorted us to give, will be a measure of the
depth (or shallowness) of our own love for God. To prosper only ourselves and our us
may carry us in this short temporal existence. Yet we, too, are called to open the eyes that are blind through
our love for God and care for all of Creation. If we are only interested
in distancing ourselves from them, we are the ones who are blind.
Let us ask for the eyes of our souls to be opened, for help to
follow God's commandments with love, and we'll have our spiritual sight
restored. As Jesus tells us, our faith will make us well.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Most Gracious Parent, Creator of Our Entire Human Family, keep us ever
mindful that we are each the other to
someone when we step away
from our familiar places,
no
matter our many shapes, sizes, colors, races, ages, economic status, or
intention. May Your Light
radiate from our eyes and our everyday words and actions be as works of genuine
charity, reflecting the overflow of our love for You from within ourselves.
Most
Holy Teacher
RESPONSE: Heal and open the eyes of our
souls
~ Most Gracious
Parent, empower us to hold fast, to not lose heart, to stand strong for truth,
mercy, and justice before the leaders of our World, our Country, and our
Community. Strengthen us to prod open the eyes of those blinded by
self-interest, political machinations, and other oppressive conditions that do
not fulfill Your love for all Your people. We pray especially for:
Most
Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~
Most Gracious Parent, comfort all who are burdened with serious illness,
addiction, and/or emotional distress, and grant energy and peace to those who
give them care. We now join our voices
to pray aloud for those in need…
Most
Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~ Most Gracious
Parent, in the midst of sorrow for our temporary loss, we give joyful
thanksgiving for the glorious welcome of our loved ones into Your eternal
kingdom. We pray especially for:
Most
Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~ Most
Gracious Parent, we pause in this
moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…
Most
Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~ Most Gracious
Parent, we offer our thanksgivings for all who are anointed to lead us in
worship, who tell us of the former things of You that have come to pass, show
us by example of prayer and preaching how to live in this life, and walk with
us to discover the Word that will lead us to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Most
Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
The Celebrant adds: God of the Hungry and the Privileged, Lord of those Raised High and those Laid
Low, grant us the joyful yet solemn awareness that we each physically and
spiritually bear within us the very substance of Your Incarnate Son. Let us
each be the seeds that germinate the power of Your love, bear the fruit of
unity among us, and intentionally seek to be fully Yours in every day. We ask
through the Compassion of Jesus our Christ and the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit,
who live and reign with You as One God, every day, every way, always, and
forever. Amen.
* Reading #1: A reading from Mother Theresa
Whether you are a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian, how you live your life is the proof that you are fully God's or not. Loving must be as normal to us as living and breathing, day after day until death. To understand this and practice it we need much prayer, the kind that unites us with God and overflows continually upon others. Our works of charity are nothing but the overflow of our love of God from within. Therefore, the one who is most united with God loves her neighbor most. From Everything Starts With Prayer, White Cloud
Whether you are a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian, how you live your life is the proof that you are fully God's or not. Loving must be as normal to us as living and breathing, day after day until death. To understand this and practice it we need much prayer, the kind that unites us with God and overflows continually upon others. Our works of charity are nothing but the overflow of our love of God from within. Therefore, the one who is most united with God loves her neighbor most. From Everything Starts With Prayer, White Cloud
**Reading #2:
Abbess Hildegard of Bingen
The earth is at the same time mother;
she is mother of all that is natural, mother of all that is human, she is the
mother of all, for contained in her are the seeds of all. The earth of
humankind contains all moistness, all verdancy, all germinating power. It is in
so many ways fruitful; all creation came from it, yet it forms not only the
basic raw materials for humankind, but also the substance of the incarnation of
God’s son.
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