People's Prayers

Monday, November 5, 2018

Prayers of the People: Our World at Peace ~ 5th Sunday in the Season of Creation '18 Yr B

For Sunday, November 11, 2018, 5^th Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: Reading Bridges Not Walls*, Psalm 127, Seven Days**,

Mark 12:38-44

God-with-us, you sit down in our midst. Nothing can separate us from your love – not towering concrete walls or the deep darkness between searchlights; not distance from friends or despair in our hearts that the world’s wrongs cannot be changed. [Jan Sutch Pickard]

As we honour the graves of our neighbours may we face those we fear, cry justice for the oppressed, tell of love without end: may peace flourish until the moon fails. [Rosemary Power]

Then [Jesus] called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on. [Mark 12:43-44]

God-with-us, you sit down in our midst is the powerful and comforting opening to this week’s readings as we explore the theme of Our World at Peace. This reading from Scottish poet Jan Sutch Pickard is hopeful in its recounting of ways in which humans experience separation and despair and yet are never separated from God’s love. The second reading also shines a strong light on the realities of our world upended by the damage we humans can do to others. By action and by complacency when we build barriers to hide what we fear to see…wear wounds unhealed by anger…when we defend ourselves from other people’s rights peace disappears. Even in the first part of the Gospel, Jesus is warning about those who cannot be trusted, those who seek only honor for themselves and devour widow’s houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. Jesus is quick to say in effect, that God knows what we carry in our hearts and minds and the mere appearance of faithfulness will not help in the end. And then the story of the widow who gives all she has out of her poverty in the midst of those who give so much more from their abundance. But with nothing to lose, who, then, is more impoverished? How is peace in the whole world attained if our actions, consciously or not, are harmful and divisive?

The concept of World Peace is daunting in and of itself. What possible difference could this one small human make in the face of so much destruction by on-going wars large and small, global and one-on-one? Peace must begin within ourselves first. St. Francis of Assisi prayed famously, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me and if we are not at peace inside, we cannot transmit peace to others.

This day, November 11, 2018, is the 100^th Anniversary of the Armistice that formally ended WWI, the momentary peace in the world that has never lasted long because we deny God’s lineage in ourselves and others. Abundance of wealth and privilege is not an antidote to the poverty of self-importance. When we fail to embrace the fullness of the Gospel message in how we live our lives, we may discover too late that too much is not enough. Let us begin to change our part of this world by praying for peace within ourselves. When we are at peace, we radiate peace and God’s love to others. Easy, no. But life-giving, yes. Rosemary Power also prays at the end of our 2^nd Reading in hope-filled words that can give rise to acts of peace: As we honour the graves of our neighbours may we face those we fear, cry justice for the oppressed, tell of love without end: may peace flourish till the moon fails. Amen! One small step for humankind…

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God-with-us, guide us to seek and expect You in everyone we meet, to know You living deep within us, and ask as You sit down in our midst, to teach us the words to pray without ceasing, for the fullness of peace in the whole of Your Creation.

Lord, in Safety and in Danger

RESPONSE: We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, guide us to be fearless as we carry the words and actions of peace and equity to the halls of government in our World, our Nation, and our Community, to establish for all time that the rights and privileges of some are the rights and privileges of all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, lay Your healing hand upon those weary of the pain, anguish, or fears of this life, and hold fast to those who offer caring help. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, may our grief be calmed as we send our loved ones Home to the eternal splendor and glory of new life in Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently. We ask Your special blessings upon all the men and women Veterans who have served their Country in the Armed Forces in war and in peace, and particularly those who have never returned and those who have permanent injury…add your own petitions

Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, ease the path of all who are anointed to call us to Your Word and Sacraments and to inspire us to serve in this world together in Christ’s holy name. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Lord, in Safety and in Danger

We put our trust in You

The Celebrant adds: Creator Lord, Spirit of Hope, 100 years ago today, all of Your people breathed a collective sigh of peace and promise for the future, as the misery of World War I was signed, sealed, and finished. But restive humans, never satisfied, keep destroying one another through wars on battlefields and wars of racial, religious, and economic divisiveness and violence. Release us from the poverty of self-importance and complacence to joyfully accept the abundance of unashamedly and openly embracing Christ’s Gospel of peace, truth, and justice with all, for all, and everywhere. We ask through Jesus, our Divine Example, and through the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Guide, who together with You are One, Infinite, Eternal God, now and forever. Amen.

*1^st Reading: Bridges Not Walls

God-with-us, you sit down in our midst.

Nothing can separate us from your love –

not towering concrete walls

or the deep darkness between searchlights;

not distance from friends

or despair in our hearts

that the world’s wrongs cannot be changed.

You are with our brothers crowded at the checkpoint,

with our sisters witnessing for peace:

you sit down in our midst.

Born into poverty, to displaced people living under occupation,

you shared our human lives,

and we know that your love can never be contained

by the walls of separation.

You sit down in our midst, God-with-us. Amen.

~ Jan Sutch Pickard, a poet, preacher and storyteller in Scotland

**2^nd Reading: Seven Days

Creator Lord of the unclaimed place and of clashing claims, of no one’s land where some have homes, in danger zones, in human souls, in nations’ claims: we are all guilty. We build barriers to hide what we fear to see, we draw lines in other people’s hearts, we trample underfoot what others hold dear, we wear wounds unhealed with anger, we defend ourselves from other people’s rights. Drive out the demons that divide neighbours.

Jesus, in the land where your feet were tired, where you carried the oppressor’s burden, broke the chains of the prisoners, demolished walls, made wounded lives blossom, and set our hearts free to turn and to serve: may you be the potter in our lives’ neutral zones; in divided land, may justice return.

Spirit of hope, may those who build houses live in them, those who plant olive trees harvest them, may they shelter under fig trees, give water to strangers, tell stories to children, keep Covenant with God.

As we honour the graves of our neighbours may we face those we fear, cry justice for the oppressed, tell of love without end: may peace flourish till the moon fails.
~ Rosemary Power, From Seven Days - Stories and reflections for the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Monday, October 29, 2018

Prayers of the People: Divine Endowment ~ All Saints Sunday '18 Yr B

For Sunday, November 4, 2018, All Saints Sunday, Year B, Readings: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9, Psalm 24, Revelation 21:1-6a, John 11:32-44

Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love... [Wisdom of Solomon 3:9]

They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of Salvation. [Ps 24:5]

[The] home of God is among mortals…God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more; for the first things have passed away. [Revelation 21:3b-4]

The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." [John 11:44]

What comes to mind when you think of a Saint? For many of us, I expect, the mind-image that arises is of someone many centuries and continents removed from our everyday place and time in this world; someone who is an example of complete perfection in every facet of life that is unattainable for us mere mortals, and, if we're honest, living a life undesirably difficult for us to accomplish. Yet many saints and Saints, the ordinary and the officially designated, are/were flawed humans with real human frailties and struggles. When and how did their lives become exemplary? The best discussion I have found is from Sister Joan Chittister*, which follows. This piece offers us some food for prayerful thought on ways we might discover our inner saint and seek to, at the very least, support the very basic tenets of the Greatest Commandment [Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28].

"For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is "icon," "star," "hero," ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves. What qualities will be necessary to live a life of integrity, of holiness, in the twenty-first century? What models of those values, if any, have been raised up to show us the way to God in a world that is more preoccupied with the material than with the spiritual, more self-centered than selfless, more concerned with the mundane than with the divine, more parochial than cosmic? (They) are male and female, Christian and non-Christian, married and unmarried, religious and lay, pragmatists and artists, named saint by a process or proclaimed saint by the people who lived in the shadow of their lives. They are people like you and me. With one exception, perhaps. In their eyes burn the eyes of a God who sees injustice and decries it, sees poverty and condemns it, sees inequality and refuses it, sees wrong and demands that it be set right. These are people for whom the Law above the law is first in their lives. These are people who did not temporize with the evil in one system just because another system could have been worse. These are people who saw themselves clearly as the others' keepers. These are people who gave themselves entirely to the impulses of God for the sake of the world."

Sr. Joan has not painted an easy picture of a lifestyle for our time-limited journey in earthly existence. There are choices to be made and sooner rather than later though there’s always an opportunity for us to seek God first above all else, to receive a blessing from the Lord and a just reward from the God of our Salvation. It requires some dedication, some intention, and some transformation. Jesus call us to come out from our self-imposed tombs and unbind ourselves from the temptations that lock us away from our divine endowment. In that release we can change not only ourselves but the culture we live in. Parker Palmer** says it best, [We] can transform our culture only as we are inwardly transformed. So, let’s begin together.

*Sister Joan Chittister, Roman Catholic nun and former Prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA, an activist, author and speaker on a variety of subjects such as spirituality, religious life, peace, and justice among others. The excerpt is from: "A Passion for Life: Fragments of the Face of God", Orbis, Maryknoll, NY, 1996

**Parker J. Palmer is an author, educator, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is the founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, in these times of trial and travail, strengthen us to arise each day with inner peace, purity of heart, and complete trust in You. Fill us with humility, humanity, and hope following the example of those we recognize as the Saints who have gone before, and the saints who live among us now.

O God of Blessing

RESPONSE: Help us unbind our faith to abide in You

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, come into this, Your home among us, to make all things new. Endow us, as Your instruments, with the perseverance to guide Local, National, and Global Leaders away from falsehoods and fraud to the just reward of those who seek Your face. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith to abide in You

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, deliver from distress all in anguish from illness of body, mind, or spirit, and infuse those who give them care with gentleness and love. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith to abide in You

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, as You wipe the tears of all who mourn, keep us all in the knowledge that death will be no more in the joy and gladness of all who live again in the holy city, the New Jerusalem. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith to abide in You

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith to abide in You

~ O Lord of Hosts, our King of Glory, inspire the hearts and minds of all who lead us in Your church, who encourage and remind us through Word and Sacrament, how to lead lives worthy of the calling for which we have been created. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O God of Blessing

Help us unbind our faith to abide in You

The Celebrant adds: God of us all, Saints and Sinners together, set our hearts free from the prison of hate, the emptiness of self-importance, and the mindlessness of earthly privilege. May we each claim our divine endowment of hope, grace, and mercy as we strive to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand always in Your Holy Place. We ask through Jesus, our Christ, and in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God above all, through all, and in all, for ever and ever. Amen.

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Prayers of the People: The Saints Among Us ~ 4th Sunday in the Season of Creation '18

For Sunday, November 4, 2018, 4^th Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: Ephesians 4:1-6, Psalm 146, Romans 12:9-18, Matthew 5:1-12

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, non-scriptural readings used will follow the prayers.

I, Paul... beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [Ephesians 4:1-3]

Praise the Lord! Sing to the LORD a new song, is praise in the assembly of the faithful. [Psalm 149:1]

Let love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. [Romans 12:9-10]

[Jesus] taught them saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit...those who mourn...the meek...those who hunger and thirst...the merciful...the pure in heart...the peacemakers...those who are persecuted...Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven... [Matthew 5:1-12]

Who or What is a Saint? The word is from from the Greek, hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." The people we think of as "Saints" or who have been given the official title of Saint, seem to be all of that definition and much more. It appears that Saints are special people who are set apart for a special purpose, mostly a very long time ago and also very far away from my country, my life, and my times. Well, except that God has called ALL of us to be saints, to be sanctified (made holy) in Christ, to build up the Body of Christ, and to seek and serve Christ in all persons. And it is highly likely that those who have been officially designated as Saints would tell you of their many faults and failings. Too bad we can't just leave the work to those who are beatified or canonized by an official Church process as this temporary life might be easier. But let us consider sainthood in a slightly different light.

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12 give us a comprehensive list of those who are blessed by God. It also gives us a clear direction on what attributes to adopt in our own lives to draw on the gifts God has already given us, and even our self-developed flaws, to seek to be accepted into the great reward that is to come. Saintly living is not easy work and definitely requires a lifetime of intention, perseverance, and action. We must cultivate a desire for it, which will be followed by attempts, false starts, regression, re-programming, and many cycle repeats. But hope abounds, if I seek it. If my faith remains strong ~ or at least if I want it to ~ I can find some measure of virtue to live by.

Yes, faith wavers at times, but then there is the morning and a chance for another fresh start. Each new day brings all the opportunities to feel the power of God in my life along the companions great and small who are with me in spirit and in person. In the letter to the Romans, Paul gently says, If it is at all possible, so far as it depends on you, live peacefully with all. So my prayer for this day is keep me in a peaceful mindset and let me not repay anger with anger, and strife with strife. Not an easy task in these unquestionably difficult times. Yet, as the saying goes what I give out I get back. I also must remember that I need not be alone in my quest to be a better person. I have a choice to join with a community of faith, not merely a "like-minded group" but involvement with those who companionship offers spiritual growth, mutual comfort, disagreement at times, an environment that lives consciously and purposefully into the daily highs and lows, and challenges me to work with and for the benefit of God's Creation in all of its glory and grunge. Together we discover the hope of our calling¸ maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and frustrate the way of the wicked. Let us join with the Saints and saints among us as God’s hope and promise guides us to our great reward. What do we have to lose?

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ God of Hope and Promise, in these times of trial and travail, strengthen us to arise each day with courage, patience, and stability of faith in You. Fill us with humility and the inner peace to express only genuine love to friends and strangers alike, following the example of those we recognize as the Saints who have gone before us, and the saints who live among us now.

O Lord, our God

RESPONSE: Help us keep our hope in You

~ God of Hope and Promise, continually renew our willingness to place our trust in You, as we actively work through love, to frustrate the ways of the wicked. Endow us with the perseverance to guide Local, National, and Global Leaders to be noble in thought, word, and action and away from repaying evil with evil. We pray especially for: add you own petitions

O Lord, our God

Help us keep our hope in You

~ God of Hope and Promise, deliver from distress all in anguish from illness of body, mind, or spirit, and infuse those who give them care with gentleness and love. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add you own petitions

O Lord, our God

Help us keep our hope in You

~ God of Hope and Promise, as You bless and comfort all who mourn, keep us all in the knowledge that the days of joy and gladness flourish now in the hearts of all who live again in Your Eternal Kingdom. We pray especially for: add you own petitions

O Lord, our God

Help us keep our hope in You

~ God of Hope and Promise, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add you own petitions

O Lord, our God

Help us keep our hope in You

~ God of Hope and Promise, inspire the hearts and minds of all who lead us in Your church who encourage and remind us through Word and Sacrament, how to lead lives worthy of the calling for which we have been created. We pray especially for: add you own petitions

O Lord, our God

Help us keep our hope in You

The Celebrant adds: God of us all, Saints and Sinners together, set our hearts free from the prison of hate, the emptiness of self-importance, and the mindlessness of earthly privilege. May we each claim the wisdom You have given us and no more, be ardent in spirit, and serve the You that is deep within us all. We ask through Jesus, our Christ, and by the Unity of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God above all, through all, and in all, for ever and ever. Amen.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Prayers of the People: For the Asking ~ 23rd Sunday after Pentecost '18 Yr B

For Sunday, October 28, 2018, 23^rd Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34:1-8, 19-22; Hebrews 7:23-26,

Mark 10:46-52

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me that I did not know…I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you…and [I] repent in dust and ashes. [Job 42:3b, 5, 6b]

Oh how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! [Ps 133:1]

[Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. [Hebrews 7:24-25]

Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. [Mark 10:52]

A difficult book to interpret at best, Job is a mix of prose, poetry, and folk tale with language that is ambiguous for translators. As it is told he was the unwitting player in a bet between God and Satan. Along for the ride are the equally unwitting friends of Job who harangue him unmercifully in the midst of his severe trials. Although Job questioned God's justice and motives, he never once doubted God's power. In this epilogue, he now realizes that, as with all of us, he was questioning God without having all the information and he's remorseful. He repents of his doubt and says that in the past he had heard God in his ear but now my eye sees you. FINALLY Job is restored and to even greater wealth and health after so many chapters of disaster, scorn, and pain. God pays off after winning the bet. Is the message of Job perseverance? He sought God's answers and help and received both. What is left out of this particular segment is God’s rebuke of Job’s friends [Job 42:7-9] who were not the least supportive throughout his travails and were spared harsher punishment than a ritual sacrifice because of Job’s awakening to the knowledge that we mere mortals cannot know the mind of God.

The Psalmist sings a song a faith in action that reminds us that God is always present and hears us when we call. We may not have the fairy-tale ending of Job in this life, but our times in affliction will be rewarded if we press on even as we sometimes struggle with our trust and doubts creep in.

Bartimaeus also withstood the scorn of the crowds, first just generally because he was a beggar (not unlike us today with our impatience with "street" people), and secondly because he was delaying their journey to Jerusalem. He, too, persevered in getting the attention of Jesus. Then all he had to do was ask and he, too, was restored to fullness through his sight.
Do I seek the LORD first when I'm in trouble? Do I ask for what I really need or only what I really want? Am I specific or vague: just give me…I want…fix the world. For Job and Bartimaeus the afflictions were obvious. Yet it was through their asking that their faith was displayed, however imperfect. Through our questions, through our fears, God is with us and knows our hearts. Our faith will make us well, also, in many and various ways. Restoration to the wellness of our souls is always available. All we have to do is ask.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Gracious, Merciful Creator, in these difficult times let us in faith call out Your name to be saved from our troubles, be ransomed by our trust, and forever rejoicing in Your Greatness. May the radiance of Your presence shine upon our faces as a beacon to all who would draw near to You.

Most Holy Teacher

RESPONSE: Heal and open the eyes of our souls

~ Gracious, Merciful Creator, empower us to hold fast, 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: add your own petitions

Most Holy Teacher

Heal and open the eyes of our souls

~ Gracious, Merciful Creator, 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…add your own petitions

Most Holy Teacher

Heal and open the eyes of our souls

~ Gracious, Merciful Creator, 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: add your own petitions

Most Holy Teacher

Heal and open the eyes of our souls

~ Gracious, Merciful Creator, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

Most Holy Teacher

Heal and open the eyes of our souls

~ Gracious, Merciful Creator, 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: Lord of Grace and Goodness, help us to regain our spiritual sight and be made well through the renewal of our faith and by growing our desire to love, serve, and trust You with our whole hearts, minds, and souls. We ask through Jesus, our Teacher and Great High Priest; and the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier and Wisdom, who with You are One God, now and forevermore. Amen.

Prayers of the People: Our Common Humanity ~ 3rd Sunday in the Season of Creation '18

For Sunday, October 28, 2018, 3^rd Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: Mother Theresa*, Psalm 133, Abbess Hildegard of Bingen**, Mark 10:46-52

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: add your own petitions

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…add your own petitions

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: add your own petitions

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…add your own petitions

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

**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.