Prayers in Easter: It's that neighborly thing

The bible is very easy to understand. But...[t]ake any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world...
                                                 ~ Søren Kierkegaard* [1813-1855]

Jesus said, "The First Commandment is this:  Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these. [Mark 12:29-31]

Dear Jesus ~ 
        I don't have any idea when I last examined my relationship with the Commandments. I know that I haven't killed anyone or stolen anything (well, nothing very big and not since I was a kid). But then You already know what I have and haven't done.       
       I go through each day, week, month, and year and just assume I'm doing reasonably ok as a Christian. Well, actually, I don't really think about it at all; I just wander through time doing everyday stuff and as life goes, some days are better than others and I do better on some days than I do on others. It's time, now, to look closer at how I know that I love God and all of my neighbors and, how I act upon that love. Dear Jesus, help me to Love. Give me the compassion, the empathy, the humility to live into all that I profess to believe. It is a struggle, each and every day, to be intentional and conscious of being a Christian with all that You expect of me and all that represents to the world. It's very hard work. So, please, please, I need all the help You can give me, and I will work at being better at Love (with a capital L as in Christian Love). amen.   

and also Love:
Thy Hispanic Neighbor
Thy Hindu Neighbor
Thy Asian Neighbor
Thy Poor Neighbor
Thy Rich Neighbor
Thy Elderly Neighbor
Thy Teenaged Neighbor
Thy Terrible-Twos Neighbor
Thy Terrible Parent Neighbor
Thy Thoughtless Next-Door Neighbor
Thy Driver-on-the-Road Neighbor
Thy Cranky Neighbor
Thy Mentally Ill Neighbor
and all of Thy Other Neighbors


*Søren Kierkegaard 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. He was a strong critic of some of his philosopher contemporaries such as Swedenborg, Hegel, Goethe, and Hans Christian Anderson. It is impossible to distill his vast work into a small space as his work continues to influence the discussions of intellectuals and religious philosophers to this day. Fear and Trembling and Either/Or are only two of his most well-known works still being read.

Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 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. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: Peeking out from the cocoon

The spiritual life is not the elimination of struggle; 

it is the sanctification of struggle.  It is struggle transformed to wisdom.

           ~ Sr. Joan Chittister* [1936]



When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.  1 Cor 13:11


Dear God,
       When I was a kid I thought You were The Most Magic Person. You created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, Adam and Eve and me!  As I grow older I wonder more about You and discover that the more I learn, the less I know although I now believe some things very differently. I don't think that You are a god of the chessboard who moves me around willy-nilly in order to satisfy some divine whim, or causing this and/or saving me from that event or encounter. Nor do I believe that You give me or take away people and things from me. 
      I now believe that, as life happens, it's up to me to turn to You, the Holy Trinity, to sanctify my struggles. In the midst of terrible times I won't feel immediately better as the Magic You of my childish imaginings would have it. But it does help the older me to be more readily able - eventually - to move toward accepting the things I cannot change and live as fully as possible into the life I have. Perhaps in that way I will find that my struggle in life can transform into a little bit of wisdom.   
    As I grow older, help me please, to be more childlike in my faith - that is, unspoiled, open, with an accepting innocence, and less childish - that is, immature, demanding, and stubborn to have things my way.  Let me remember always that the Magic of life is in my acceptance, perseverance, and Faith. amen.


*Sr. Joan Chittister is a member of the Benedictine Sisters in Erie, Pennsylvania.  A noted author and lecturer, she is regular columnist with the National Catholic Reporter, and also contributes to other publications on-line and in print. She writes on the issues of women in the church and society, human rights, peace, and justice in the areas of war and poverty, religious life, and spirituality. She is co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, a UN-sponsored organization creating a worldwide network of women peacemakers.  The author of more than 50 books, hundreds of articles, Sr. Joan has received numerous awards for her writing.
  
Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 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. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: Playin' in God's Dirt

                        Do you know
that even when you look at a tree and say, `That is an oak tree', or `that is a banyan tree', the naming of the tree, which is botanical knowledge, has so conditioned your mind that the word comes between you and actually seeing the tree? To come in contact with the tree you have to put your hand on it and the word will not help you to touch it...[and] if you have no relationship with the living things on this earth, you may lose whatever relationship you have with humanity.  
                 ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti*  [1895-1986]

Dear Creator God ~
            Your precious Creation in all of its bounty is as equally important in the scheme of life as we humans are. You have given us plant life, sea life, creatures of the land and all that our life requires to be sustained.  Help me stop and look, touch, hear, breathe in all that this Earth, our island home, has to offer.  Help me know a tree, a flower, a bird beyond its classification and name. Help me to know this Earth as more than just land, air, and bodies of water to support me. Help me know it as a partner in life, mutually beneficial, living and breathing as I do and requiring as much of my participation and care in its health as I need from its participation in mine. 
             Maybe, if I learn to know that the dirt under my feet is as necessary to my life as are all the pretty creatures and lakes and oceans, I will not only take better care of it, it will take better care of me.  Maybe, in that way, I'll see all of creation as necessary, whether wild, tame, cultivated, animal, mineral, and vegetable. And maybe then, I'll understand that every human on this Earth is also a partner in life, mutually beneficial, living and breathing as I do and requiring as much of me as I need from each of them.  Maybe then, I'll have a true relationship with humanity beyond just the names of a few people. amen. 


*Jiddu Krishnamurti, a speaker and writer on matters philosophical and spiritual was born in British India and was influenced as a child by the Theosophical Society in Aydar. Sickly and sensitive as a child, considered vague and dreamy, he was deemed to be mentally backward and was regularly beaten at home and at school. His subsequent development as a writer and speaker is exceedingly remarkable. He disavowed allegiance to any caste or religion, mastered several languages and traveled the world lecturing and writing.  He died in Ojai, California leaving a tremendously interesting legacy of writings and a fascinating biography.


Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 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. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers of the People: Livin', Movin' & Bein', 6th Sunday of Easter

for Sunday, May 25, 2014, Readings: Acts 17:22-31, Ps 66:7-18, 1 Peter 3:13-22, Jn 14:15-21

Whether or not a person knows, it is God who created all of us. At the tiniest moment of wondering what is this all about, God is present.  And when the world is dark and empty and filled with grief, God embraces us even if we are unaware. In all Creation is the circle of life with all its drear and drudge,  fullness   and hope, doubt and wonder, that brings us from earthly breath to eternal peace and salvation.  


Let Us, God’s People, Pray

LEADER:  ~ Lord of Heaven and Earth, as Your offspring, we live and move and have our being in You who gave us breath. You have overlooked our ignorance and accepted our prayers; never withholding Your love from us. We pledge our obedience to Your commandments with humble hearts and love in our souls.

                                 Spirit of Truth

RESPONSE:      We live to praise our Loving God

~ Lord of Heaven and Earth, grant us strength and courage to demand, in gentleness and reverence, an accounting of the righteous and unrighteous actions from the political leaders of our world, our country, and our state.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                            Spirit of Truth

                           We live to praise our Loving God

~ Lord of Heaven and Earth, help us to bring the comfort and hope of You to those who are sick, anxious, or fearful, and to those who worry and attend to their needs. Let them feel Your presence through every breath and Your love in every moment.  We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

                            Spirit of Truth

                           We live to praise our Loving God

~ Lord of Heaven and Earth, we weep with those whose loved ones have gone from our sight, and commend to Your embrace those who have left this mortal life for Your life everlasting. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                            Spirit of Truth

                           We live to praise our Loving God

~ Lord of Heaven and Earth, please guide those who we have called to lead us in Your church, to a place of refreshment and renewal in Your Word and Sacraments. As You have revealed Yourself to them, we are blessed to have them walk with us on The Way to You.  We pray especially for:  add your own petitions

                            Spirit of Truth

                           We live to praise our Loving God

The Celebrant adds:  Loving and Living God, who holds our souls in life, our human hands reach out to You that we also may be made alive in Your Spirit. Grant us the peace that passes all understanding until we abide with You in eternal life. We ask this through our Savior Jesus Christ and our Holy Sanctifier, who live and reign with You, our One God, forever and eternally.  Amen. 

Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 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. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: Love is Everything

Dearest Jesus, 
     You are the definition of perfect love and teach us by Your example. We try very hard to remember that all of us are loved by You even in times when we feel abandoned and unloved. Help us in those terrible moments when the ones we love in our earthly lives leave us to join Your eternal life. Whisper into our hearts the knowing that giving love is never in vain, that even in our darkest deepest sorrow the love we have known stays within us, and, that true love never ever fails even if we fail to remember. amen.

for my love who has passed, on May 20 when the bliss is especially remembered

Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 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. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: For Scott's Mom & Dad

And now we lay him down to sleep,
his struggle done, no more to keep
    him fighting hard to overcome
all his battles lost and won.

And now we hold you close and weep
For all your shock and pain so deep
That if we could we'd take away
But we will hold you close and pray.


Dearest Lord in Heaven,
       How many times in a second do You hear the plaintive cry of sorrow rising for the loss of one so loved?  I know there are no answers, no magic words to soothe and patch the wounded hearts of those left behind in the awful moment of and for a long time after. 
      God help us yet again, to breathe in the hope of the Resurrection.  Our heads know and we want our hearts and souls to know, too. 
       Be with all those in the midst of grief; surround them with Your love, fill them with extra grace to bear it all.  Guide us to give comfort in the ways that are needed and wanted and to stay out of the way when that is needed and wanted. Let us be present, help us to listen, and to care more about the needs of others than our own.  God help us all.  amen.












Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 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. Requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers in Easter: Twistin' and Turnin'

     The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these are a few of the paradoxes we must hold as human beings. If we refuse to hold them in the hopes of living without doubt, despair, and pain, we also find ourselves living without faith, hope, and love. 
                                      ― Parker J. Palmer* [1939- ]


Dear God - It seems counter-intuitive to me that the deeper my faith and hope and love becomes the crazier life can get.  But that has been my experience. Things can get all tangled up so that the dark nights can burn through the bright sunlight but then the bright sunlight can also shine through the darkness. I've tried to hide in a quiet space away from fear, and pain, and hopelessness and then discovered my quiet space was just empty. Guide me, my Lord, with all of my trepidation.  When I remember that You are always here, I can handle the twists and the turns, the light and the dark, the highs and the lows of all that the life You have given me has to offer. amen.



*Parker J. Palmer is an educator, activist, poet, and prolific author on issues in education, community, social change, and spirituality.  A member of the Religious Society of Friends, he has said that doubt is not the opposite of faith, but it is fear; we are afraid to be disillusioned.  He also says that "before you can have a spiritual life, you must have a life."  It is in a blending of our active and contemplative life that our sense of spirituality finds a balance.  The recipient of many distinguished awards, Dr. Palmer lives with his wife in Madison, Wisconsin.






Please feel free to request a prayer to be composed for a particular concern or topic for posting in this space. You may leave your request in the comments section or contact me directly at Leeosophy@gmail.com 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. Requestors will remain anonymous.