Prayers of the People: Find, Lose, FIND! ~ Proper 7, 4th Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, June 25, 2023, Readings: Genesis 21:8-21, Psalm 69:8-11, 18-20; Romans 6:1b -11,

 Matthew 10:24-49

   But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the boy and...your slave woman...do as [Sarah] tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring will be named for you. I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring...God called to Hagar..."Do not be afraid; lift up the boy...I will make a great nation of him"...God was with the boy... [Genesis 21:12-13, 17b-18, 20a]

  Draw near to me; redeem me; set me free because of my enemies. [Psalm 69:18]

    ...all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death...so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life...So you also much consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. [Romans 6:3b, 4b, 11]

        So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows..."Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven...I have not come to bring peace, but a sword...whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." [Matthew 10:31-32, 34b, 38-39]

     In a prior week's reading from Genesis, Sarah was laughing ~ she got caught, denied it, and was brought up short. She was then granted happiness in her old age, or so we thought.

    This week we find a different Sarah, jealous and vengeful, separating the child from his father, Abraham, and willing to allow that child and his mother to die. God calmed Abraham and later Hagar, by telling her Do not be afraid. And we are told about this other son of Abraham, known to us as Ishmael, upon whom God also founded a nation, that God was with the boy. The nation that was founded upon Ishmael, is known today as Islam. As Isaac, son of Abraham was the brother of Ishmael, son of Abraham, so are we: Jews, Muslims, and Christians all children of Abraham.

    Paul reminds us that in Baptism we die, to sin that is, and if all goes well with us, we are alive to God in Jesus. And then Jesus tells the disciples (us, too) to have no fear of those who disparage him. Yet although the words those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul are indeed fearsome, Jesus reminds us that even sparrows sold cheaply are valued by God. He echoes God in saying do not be afraid because we are more valuable than many sparrows.  

    THEN, BOOM ~ where did THIS Jesus come from: Not bringing peace but a sword, setting family against family, households against one another? Separating us from him if we love others more? We have arrived at Part 2 of Jesus' teaching on what discipleship actually means. Last week we were sheep in the midst of wolves and now we learn what can happen when confronting those wolves, when we pick up His cross and follow Him. He has my attention ~ he had me at I have not come to bring peace, but a sword... 

    But then, how different is this from what we experience in life, especially in these tumultuous times, when we hold differing opinions with those we love as well as with those we don’t love, but we should love, so maybe we’re just not fond of? Political and even religious rhetoric can be fiery and fierce, families and friends stop speaking to one another. Strangers are yelling at each other in the streets and, of course, on social media.  

   The world seems angrier than ever and us vs them boils over all too often into violence. The difference is that Jesus stops us in our tracks in this Gospel with his sword, because it begs the questions to ourselves and each other: What really is our life all about? How easily ~ like sheep ~ do we bolt headlong into everything except what our Shepherd wants? He doesn't want us to stop loving each other, but we are to love Him more than others. The glint of the sword blade is a clear warning that being steadfast in faith, acknowledging Him above all else ~ family, friends, job, lifestyle, etc. ~ is fraught with far more than separation anxiety, it can be dangerous for a mere human. We are not the sword-carriers, we are bearers of the Word, the Good News. And some days will be easier than others. But this is not a part-time occupation, a Sunday thing, or a Christmas and Easter duty. This is what we sign up for when we call ourselves Followers of Christ. It is newness of life. The pay-off is full-time, eternal life. No easy road but if we travel together, we can keep the wolves at bay while losing only that which keeps us from finding our true life. Remember that pray without ceasing thing? Start NOW and, oh yes: Twice in these readings, to Hagar and to us: Do not be afraid. God in Christ is with us. At first we live the life we Find, then by following Christ we Lose that life, yet through Christ we will FIND the Life Eternal.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord, Good and Forgiving, You bid us to choose between living now in false comfort or with division by walking with Christ. Keep us grounded, strong in our faith, willing to bear the cost in this life for the promise of Jesus in the next.

                                                O God of Glory                                                                  

               RESPONSE:      Draw us to newness of life

~ O Lord, Good and Forgiving, give us the courage to be what we expect and demand of political leaders in this World, across our Country, and in our Local cities and towns. Strengthen us to work in large and small ways to end quarreling, power plays, and the violence that separate and kill us here and across this Earth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O God of Glory
                                              Draw us to newness of life 

~ O Lord, Good and Forgiving, comfort and help all who are seriously ill, addicted, or homeless, and grant extra blessings for all who provide support. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                O God of Glory
                                                Draw us to newness of life

~ O Lord, Good and Forgiving, we commend those we love to the freedom of eternal life, resurrected and alive in Jesus, never to die again. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                 O God of Glory
                                               Draw us to newness of life

~ O Lord, Good and Forgiving, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

 

                                                 O God of Glory
                                               Draw us to newness of life              

~ O Lord, Good and Forgiving, lift the hearts and souls of those anointed to guide us in Your Church in these wearying times. Grant unceasing energy as they endeavor to fortify us in our discipleship as we seek to be worthy of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                 O God of Glory
                                               Draw us to newness of life           

The Celebrant adds:  O Lord, our God, rescue us from the desert of denial, open our souls to the Spirit, awaken our hearts to live first and always for Christ, and companion us to walk unafraid in Your Light and Love. We ask in the name of Christ Jesus, our Sin-Bearer; and the Holy Spirit, our Fount of all Wisdom; who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost ~ A Beckoning '23

When one door closes, another opens:

 but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door 

that we do not see the one which has opened for us.

~ Alexander Graham Bell* 

    Well, admittedly over the years there have been quite a few closed doors that I have gazed at longingly, regretfully, sadly, even wantonly, and one or two I still peek back at over my shoulder. But I do work at keeping my feet moving forward and my heart and head working to catch up. At the moment, I see a door that has opened and beckons me. The sign on it reads clearly: F A M I L Y and I am heading straight for it!  Favorite Oldest Granddaughter is graduating from High School a week from today! How did that happen? And the BIG party for her will be the following weekend as other family and friends gather from near and far. And just after that a whole "just us" week here with my Favorite Youngest Granddaughter. We will have some memorable adventures! And, later this summer a family reunion with cousins at the beach [at which, some never fail to remind me, I am the oldest yet grant me no matriarchal power! lol]. In between there are other family and non-family events and meetings and general stuff such as my weekly live Evening Prayer and Compline on Facebook, feeding the birds, and the mundane parts of life.

    SO, Dear Reader, I'm taking time off from the everyday posting. The Prayers of the People will still arrive weekly and I will post other Meditations occasionally. In the meantime, scroll back through and check out some posts you may have missed.  And please let me know if you have any suggestions for future Meditation Moments, and I will interrupt myself if I feel so inspired and post here. Thank you for walking with me, especially from this past Ash Wednesday, but always.

 

   Dear Lord of Life, I send my prayers of thanksgiving for each of Your people who have commented, shared, or just read my daily or weekly offerings. May they continue to be inspired by sunrises and sunsets, the laughter of children, a bunny running through the grass, or any moment that brings a smile in Your Creation, and especially, the knowing of Your Presence within us all. amen.

*Alexander Graham Bell [1847-1922] - as if you didn't know - is credited with inventing the first practical telephone. But maybe you weren't aware that he was a Scotland born inventor, engineer, and innovator, and both of his parents were profoundly deaf spurring his scientific interest in hearing devices and elocution. He developed many other inventions in the fields of optical telecommunications, hydrofoils, and aeronautics, among others.  He later regarded the telephone as an intrusion in his scientific work and refused to have one in his study.  Bell was a founding member of the National Geographic Society in 1888.  

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost ~ Lighten Up '23

It was only a smile,

and little it cost in the giving,

but like morning light

it scattered the night

and made the day worth living.

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald* 

Lord of the Dark and Deep, 

     As I walk alone and quickly through the streets of the city with eyes downcast or, stroll in a solitary evening ponder on the beach looking out at the sea, or wander with my cart through the aisles of the supermarket, lost in my own if only thoughts, suddenly a stranger says, Hello, smiles, and moves on. The bigger surprise is that this small action expects no response. The place I'm in becomes immediately brighter and I feel enveloped in a circle of warmth and light; my return smile is automatic and sincere, if unseen.

     In receiving a smile unexpectedly and from an equally unexpected source, I am thankful for the one who smiled. In offering a smile to another that is unexpected, I return the gift to Creation. Let me remember to receive and give a moment of warmth that will lighten up all around, and always in Your name. amen.

 

*F. Scott Fitzgerald, considered one of the greatest authors of the 20th century, Fitzgerald is remembered for many short stories and novels, many of which have been made into films such as The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost ~ Differently Me '23

I can't go back to yesterday, 

because 

I was a different person then.

~ Lewis Carroll*

    Was I a better or a worse person yesterday? What I know for sure is that today I have new experiences to reflect upon and a fresh perspective about now. Today might be a "normal" day filled with the routine and the ordinary but then one never knows what the world's news will be, what wonderful surprises will occur, or what difficulties great and small will arise. 

    So, Dear God of All Possibilities, grant me the energy, curiosity, and persistence to explore all that this day offers. Let me accept all the busy-ness, relationships, moments of boredom, the stresses, the quiet, the noise, the laughter, the tears that this day may bring. I want to be aware of all the colors, the art, the music, and the characters that usually fade into the background in an everyday day. If it becomes an extraordinary day, I hope to have the reflexes to go with whatever comes. As I lay my head down on the pillow at the end of it, help me sift through the moments where I found You most present. And, might there be a refreshing and peaceful sleep to follow? I'll need all that will empower and motivate the different person I will be tomorrow. amen.
          

*Lewis Carroll [1832-1998] was the pen name of British born author, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, best known for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and a host of other children's stories and poems. A mathematics lecturer, he was also an avid photographer, wrote political pamphlets, and essays.

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Prayer and Pray-er '23

The function of prayer is not to influence God, 

but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.

~ Søren Kierkegaard*

Dear God, Almighty, Everlasting, and Eternal ~
    Of course I want to influence You. Of course I want You to do what I want You to do. Of course I'm not happy when things don't go my way. Sometimes I get angry. I'm human. SO, if I walk away in anger and blame, am I just acting as a spoiled child who is never satisfied? 
   But eventually I stop and I remember ~ I have Free Will. I have choices. I can choose to use prayer to demand, require, and exert an ultimatum for a requested outcome and be frustrated and angry when it doesn't come to pass. Or I can exclaim "Thank God!" when something good happens for me as a cursory nod for the expected or when something bad happens to someone else and murmur that they didn't have Your grace that day. Are You really the God of the Eternal Chessboard, moving people and the world around on Your demand and overarching Will? 
   I prefer to pray through conversation with You to express my wants, needs, and desires, as well as my hopes and fears. When I pray without expecting You to fix or give something in return, I feel less agitated, perhaps no less in need or want, but more comforted from merely knowing You are present, listening, aware. The nature of my prayer becomes a visit with a trusted and cherished Friend who embraces my heart, soothes my soul, and is simply present and available whatever the outcome. And within the visit, through the prayer, I am transformed. I am calmer, I am more composed, and I am ready to work through all that life brings. I, the Pray-er, am changed. amen.  

*Søren Kierkegaard [1813-1855] was a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic, and wrote extensively on Christian Ethics, psychology, and the philosophy of Religion.  He often focused on personal choice and commitment, and, the art of Christian love.

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Whether on the 8s

If the world were merely seductive, 

that would be easy. 

If it were merely challenging, 

that would be no problem. 

But I arise in the morning torn between 

a desire to improve the world

 and 

a desire to enjoy the world. 

This makes it hard to plan the day.

~ E.B. White*

SO for today shall I:
Volunteer at the Shelter - or - beach day?
Art exhibit - or - go meet with legislators?
Join the Peace Corps - or - buy theater subscription?

       Well, things aren't quite that cut and dried, are they?  Surely, Creator of Humans and Nature, there is room for all things under the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. And I do recognize how fortunate I am in even having such choices in my life. The difficulty is I really do want to make the world a better place but, to be honest, I'm not a willing candidate for martyrdom ~ I sort of feel guilty admitting that. I do participate with time, energy, and a bit of money in causes that are important to me and the world, and I do find time to enjoy the fruits of Your Creation ~ family, friends, and even solitude. 
     Guide me as I search for the insight to do as I am able where I am needed most, and, the ability to discover the balance between giving of myself and giving to myself. I'll work on beginning and ending each day in prayer ~ oh and a bit in the middle as well ~ and then, maybe, the timing of when to do what will be revealed, without looking to the Magic 8 Ball for answers about whether to do one thing or another.  amen.

*E.B. White, was an American writer for the New Yorker magazine and co-author of The Elements of Style, also known as Strunk and White. He is most famous for a series of children's books and in particular, Charlotte's Web. 

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Prayers of the People: Confusing the Wolves ~ 3rd Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

 For Sunday, June 18, 2023, Readings: Exodus 19:2-8, Psalm 100, Romans 5:1-8,

 Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23)

They…entered the wilderness of Sinai…Israel camped in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him…Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites: You have seen…how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself…if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed the whole earth is mine… [Exodus 19:2-5]

  Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness…Know that the Lord God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. [Psalm 100: 1-3]

   Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...we have obtained access to this grace...and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God...we also boast in our sufferings...[that] produces endurance...and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit... [Romans 5:1-6]

   Jesus went about...proclaiming the good news...curing every disease...he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said..."The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest"..."See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves...But the one who endures to the end will be saved."  [Matthew 9:35-38; 10:16]

     When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. It is startling, at times, when the words of Scripture are so easily seen in the news, in the cities and towns, in the streets of today, urban, suburban, and rural. When Jesus sent the disciples ~ and us by extension ~ out like sheep into the midst of wolves with the admonishment to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, it wasn't with the understanding that all will be easy and comfortable. In fact, then as now, the assignment is quite frightening and dangerous. The key tools for our success at attaining a share in the glory of God are wisdom and innocence. Innocence, it must be said, is NOT about being naïve or dimwitted. It is about paying attention to surroundings, who or what is lurking in them, and keeping ourselves and each other safe from the clutches of danger as best we can with all the endurance we can muster to the end of our individual journeys.

     Sheep are as good or better at flocking together as their feathery avian counterparts and just as skittish when disturbed. Unlike the birds of the air, sheep have limited directional options and will frequently scatter helter-skelter when frightened. The shepherd's job to calm them is all the more difficult and important as the shepherd must continually shift the flock to different pastures for feeding and safety. But sheep do come to trust their shepherd and to recognize and remember both animal and human faces and, along with a keen sense of smell, the comfort or danger they represent. The behavior of the flock is communal and spontaneous ~ impulsive and reactionary ~ to threats real and merely perceived. How like sheep we humans are, except that our sense of "smell" doesn't always tip us off to the many wolves in our midst.  

     The wolves of this world are many indeed, but there are billions upon billions of sheep. The importance of our flocking together as a community of Christ was never more crucial as now. Then and as much or more now, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Jesus was clear when he says later in Matthew: For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them [Mt 18:20]. As the body of Christ, each endowed with specific gifts from the Holy Spirit, we are called to labor in the fields of the Lord, to build up the Kingdom, and ultimately to share in God's glory through Jesus. Our safe haven is always shepherded by the constant Presence of Christ among and within us.  

    Our community of believers is a place to learn from, comfort, and guide one another around the wolves that would devour us, harass us, or tempt us. As we flock together, we also reap the benefit of joyful times. While we may not always feel like whistling while we work, we can seek pause to enjoy our life together, gather others lost and alone in their fields, and continually shift ourselves and our fellow sheep out of the dens of wolves to the path of hope that leads to the Eternal Pasture. As Paul told the Romans, Hope does not disappoint. When we serve the Lord with gladness our noise will be joyful. Perhaps we can confuse a few wolves along the way into tagging along as friends.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of Hope and Love, arouse and provoke us in heart and in mind to take up the labor in Your fields, sow to the Spirit, and reap the plentiful harvest to grow Your family of faith.

                                                Lord, Faithful and Good                                 

           RESPONSE:           We serve You with gladness

~ God of Hope and Love, keep us wise, fervent, and unceasing in our quest to speak Your truth to the wolves of misguided power as we strive for Justice, Compassion, and Principled governing across this World, this Country, and our Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord, Faithful and Good

                                                We serve You with gladness                                

~ God of Hope and Love, grant comfort and endurance to all who suffer from chronic or life-threatening disease, depression, or desperate circumstance, and constantly renew the energy of their caregivers. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                Lord, Faithful and Good

                                                We serve You with gladness         

~ God of Hope and Love, as we grieve for all whom we have loved in this life, our hearts rest easier knowing You now hold them in Your everlasting embrace. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                Lord, Faithful and Good

                                                We serve You with gladness

~ God of Hope and Love, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                Lord, Faithful and Good

                                                We serve You with gladness        

~ God of Hope and Love, uplift and uphold all who lead us on our journey to You, as faithful witnesses of the love and presence of Christ, through their prayer and service in His name. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord, Faithful and Good

                                                We serve You with gladness                                                                                                

The Celebrant adds:  Holy God, Holy and Mighty God, guide us to safeguard our souls from the devouring wolves of temptation in this life. Fill us with the wisdom of innocence and joyful diligence in Your service as we spend our human time in praise and thanksgiving for the gift of Salvation. We ask through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, our Christ;  and Your boundless love from the Holy Spirit; who together with You are One God, forever and ever.   Amen.

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost: WWNMD? '23

   I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death. 

~ Nelson Mandela

Well, God, 
        If I'm planning a self-indulgent pity party of the poor me variety and the world news isn't enough to divert me, then it's time to read Mandela. All the usual descriptors apply - inspiring, heroic, determined, etc., ~ and, he ascended to heights well above anything that seemed remotely possible. So, Creator of Excessively Amazing People, could I have just a touch of what You gave Madiba**? His own words certainly say more than mine can and I need to read them often. His life story is the very definition of hope. Will You please nudge me when I'm slowly sinking into my own stuff? (admittedly, a nudge might not be enough ~ You may have to shove me into the next street.) 
       I need to be more optimistic, even if I have to work hard to achieve it. Nelson is a tremendous role model ~ he was flawed, brilliant, and tenacious. It's comforting to know that even he had his dark and doubtful moments ~ he was not what old ideas would consider saintly but rather a real flesh and blood human person. We all have our trials in life but rare is the example of such perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity. And because of his story, I can walk a bit more briskly into the face of whatever comes. I can change my address to Hope Street and, in addition to wondering What Jesus Would Do to decide my next course, I can add What Would Nelson Mandela Do to the equation. I don't pretend to have any real idea what either one would actually do, but at least with the inspiration of both, I have a head start into moving forward with my "head pointed toward the sun."  amen.

*Nelson Mandela [1918-2013], revolutionary, politician, philanthropist, duly democratically elected first black President of South Africa after 27 years of imprisonment for sedition, treason, and sabotage. If you do not know his story - why not? Look it up!

**Madiba is a South African title of respect for South Africa's most famous icon and first black President Nelson Mandela. While alive, Nelson Mandela was affectionately called Madiba by South Africans and people outside his country.

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Borrowing Trouble? '23

Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles; 

it empties today of its strength.

~ Corrie ten Boom*

    I am slowly learning, as I wander through the experience of living, that when worry rears its anxious specter I must forcibly and deliberately push it away. It's so very easy for me to conjure mind maps of fear that fill my head, travel through the rest of me, and render me uselessly pacing or slumped in mindless paralysis. 
    There are many conditions in the world at large and in my own community that are cause for concern, even alarm, and call for immediate action or intervention. But worry enervates, creating problems rather than providing solutions. Worry is selfish and demanding of the attention of one's self and others to the exclusion of more important endeavors. When I get bogged down in my own head about my own stuff, I lose the momentum that should be put to better use. And while I'm getting better at it, I often need help to pull myself away from the edge of the sinkhole, and back into the present for the work at hand.
     

 SO, help me, Lord of Inner Strength,

   Grant me continuing improvement in my ability to set aside the borrowing of some potential trouble, and lend myself to the beauty in the moment  and in the ordinary of life, and, more so the opportunities to be of service to others. And, if it's not too much to ask,  a little pocket of joy now and then will help keep me going forward.  amen.  

*Corrie ten Boom [1892-1982] was the author of many books including her best known Hiding Places which told the harrowing story of her family helping to house Jews escaping from the Nazis during World War II. She and her family were subsequently imprisoned in Ravensbruck, a Nazi death camp where several of her family died. Her work for the mentally disabled before the war, and after she was released from prison, setting up refuge centers and shelters for death camp survivors and even for the jobless Dutch who collaborated with the Germans, earned her international recognition and accolades. She moved to California in 1977 where she died on her 91st birthday.

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Meditation in Pentecost: Feast of St. Columba of Ireland and Scotland ~ June 9, 2023

I do not hold to the voice of birds, 

or any luck on the earthly world, 

or chance or a son or a woman.  

Christ the Son of God is my Druid; 

Christ the Son of Mary, the great Abbot; 

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  

My estates are with the King of Kings. 

St. Columba* 

[521-597]

In ainm an Athar agus an Mhic agus an Spioraid Naoimh:**

        Your servant, Columba, has touched the ancient pagan fragments carried deep within my Celtic bones and has fanned the flames of Pentecost in my soul. Embolden my fervor that I might live deeply into the love of Christ and give deeply of that love to all around me. Whether in my moments of solitude or in the midst of all of life's delights and disasters, keep me unflagging in my devotion to and actions on behalf of Christ, Druid and Abbot for all whom God has created.  amen.    

*Born in County Donegal, Ireland, of royal blood, Columba (also called Columcille) became a monk and rose to the rank of priest.  About 561 he became embroiled in a dispute over copyright with St. Finnian which resulted in numerous deaths in a battle. As penance, Columba was ordered out of Ireland for the remainder of his life and told to make as many converts as men killed in the battle.  He went to Scotland where his conversion of the Picts is the stuff of legend as is his bringing back to life a man killed by the Loch Ness monster and driving the monster off with the sign of the cross. He established a monastery on the island of Iona on the west coast of Scotland which still today is a site of pilgrimage and retreat. As one of the three patron saints in Ireland, this Holy Three of Erin are buried together ~ St. Patrick, St. Columba, and St. Brigid ~ in County Down.

**Irish Gaelic for "In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," pronounced:

In an-nim on ah-hur og-gus on vic og-gus on spir-id neev

Druid:  priest in ancient Celtic religion; a priest of an ancient religion practiced in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul until the people of those areas were converted to Christianity

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Tick-Tock... '23

Life is short and we do not have too much time 

to gladden the hearts of those 

who travel this journey with us, 

so be quick to love and 

make haste to be kind.  

~ Henri Frédéric Amiel* 

O God of All Time -
   My present moments are too rapidly becoming my past moments even as I am looking ahead for a glimpse of my future moments. And I am dribbling away the precious life you have given me, by more than a few drops at a time ~ how much is left?? Only You would know.
    It's always much easier to say "LOVE ONE ANOTHER" than it is to do, especially in a world filled with horror, tragedy, and rage. So, Lord of Now, help me stay in the moment and worry not about the next. Please help me swim through each of the laps I have left knowing that all I truly have is You, all I can truly give is the knowledge of You that I offer through my thoughts which are revealed through my actions. Oh how pathetic when I think of some of my actions BUT that was then, this is NOW....so here I am thinking:
        Dear God of This Moment, please give me the strength to show love to fill in the blank who has been unkind to me here or there, in real or perceived ways. Even if the opportunity for a one-on-one conversation is not presented, at the very (seriously very) least I can do is offer a prayer for her/him to You. Help me balance the weights of time and swing the pendulum to the far reaches of kindness, tolerance, and love. Maybe, that really will make things better somehow. I can't change the face of all the political strife in the world. But I can, in a moment of frustration, as well as in a moment of beauty, think secondly of how to frame a brief prayer in their honor, for their well-being, for my soul. It certainly can't hurt especially for as long as that clock is ticking. amen.

*Henri Frédéric Amiel [1821-1881] was a Swiss philosopher, critic, and poet.  He was a professor of aesthetics at the University of Geneva in 1849 and later a professor of moral philosophy.

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Meditation Moment in Pentecost: Still-a-Maze-ing

I have not failed. 

I have just found 10,000 ways 

that won't work.

~ Thomas Edison*

Oh Lord of the Maze that is Life, 

  There are days when I get lost in trying to find my direction. I go one way and hit a wall, turn around and go in the opposite direction, turn left, turn right, and I have lost my way, again. I turn around and start over, and, repeat. 

  Okay so I've been through this track 'way too many times but here I am again asking You for a map to find my way. I know I've made promises I haven't kept very well, but I really mean it this time, that is, I wholeheartedly promise to keep trying. Maybe just feeling Your presence will give me the perseverance to keep moving and I do know to feel it, I have to seek it. One of these paths will be a Good one and with You walking by my side, I'll know it's right when the light bulb goes on.  amen.

*Thomas Edison, American inventor best known for the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and, of course, a practical light bulb and there is so much more. Holding almost 1200 patents, his inventions and business acumen still informs many of the designs and methods of today's technology. He has an extensive biography that is well worth investigating.

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