Ascending Prayers: Discovering Half-Full Glasses

I am fundamentally an optimist...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* [1918-1913]  

To:     God, Heaven
Attn:  Attitude Adjustment Department
Re:     Grant Request


Dear Ma'am, Sir, Spirit, or Entity:
        I believe that I am unlikely to ever be optimistic on a full-time basis, and as that is likely to be considered a pessimistic viewpoint, I am applying to Your department for a grant to help me to adjust my attitude accordingly.
       Over the course of my life I have had times of extreme pessimism brought on by life circumstances, general malaise with a touch of decrepitude, occasional bouts of junk food, and prolonged periods of monkey mind. There are breaks in these cycles in which I discover sunshine, half-full glasses, delight in a child's laughter, and the hopefulness of contemplating eternal life with Jesus. It is to further such moments of the lightness of being a Child of God, that I ask for you to bestow a grant of significant improvement in my levels of optimism.
      As the recipient of such a grant, I would be able to develop a greater sense of life as a gift in all of its moods and activities, be more likely to give thanksgiving to God regularly, to experience hope and joy with greater frequency, and to send up my prayers almost daily with new and less-fettered energy and enthusiasm.  As to the terms, I respectfully request regular, on-going renewal with no expiration and a lifetime supply of gratitude. For my part, I will endeavor to keep my head pointed toward the sun and my feet moving forward.  amen, er, um, I mean, Sincerely....
      

Even if the pessimist is correct in the long run, the optimist will have a better trip.

*Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist, served 27 years of imprisonment for treason fighting for equality, justice, and the end of apartheid segregation in his country. After his release, he was elected President and served faithfully for 4 years.  An exemplar of inspiration, creator of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights abuses, established the Mandela Foundation to fight HIV/AIDS, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, the American Presidential Medal of Freedom and many more honors, President Mandela has been called the "Father of his country", and widely admired for his concern for truth and racial reconciliation and harmony.

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. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to its appearance on the blog, please send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.

Ascending Prayers: Is there ever enough?

But of God you can never have a sufficiency. The more you have of God, the more you desire. 

If you could ever have enough of God, 

so that you were content with him, 

then God would not be God.    

― Meister Eckhart* [c. 1260 – c. 1327]

Dear God,

      I'm feeling some resistance within myself at the thought that the more of You I have - that is, the more I recognize that I have - the more of You I will want. I know You are already here but the difficulty I'm having is that I think I might be wary of wanting more. How will that change my life?  I already go to church, pledge, do my work, talk to You on a fairly regular basis, contribute to charities, take care of a few people in the family now and then. Does wanting more of You in my everyday life require me to pay more attention to You than I do my lawn, my car, the new Smart TV? What will the neighbors think if I get all "Godly" on them? Heck, what will my family think - ok, so I know what they'll think. 

      Well, it also seems to me that I do want more of You but can we work up slowly?  I'm not sure how I'll handle the rest of my life with You at the Center given that I had expected it to be a bit different. Can I still go on the vacation if I promise to take You with me? Let's just say, for the moment, HELP! I'm reaching out hesitantly but I'm also certain You'll always hold me close. amen.

*Meister Eckart von Hockheim was a Dominican priest, German philosopher, theologian, and mystic who had more than a brush with controversy. Some of his teachings were labeled as heresy and he was brought before the Inquisition. Since the 19th century, interest in Eckart's teachings have been quite popular and he is now considered a "great mystic". 

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. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to its appearance on the blog, send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.

Ascending Prayers: Made my mind UP!

Prayer is the raising of the mind to God.

We must always remember this.

The actual words matter less. 

― Pope St. John XXIII*  [1881-1963]

So, God,
        I'm very glad that the words aren't critical. Some days I don't have any words that make sense together. Some days I know what I want to say but feel that I shouldn't. Other days I have so many words they compete with one another. Even though some who know me would say I often talk too much, I find that, more often, I feel closest to You in prayer when I use no words at all; when I just raise my mind to You. Oh, wait! I get it now - that's the ultimate moment, when my mind's made up!  amen.



*Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was born 4th out of 14 children to a sharecropper family in Lombardy in 1881. He became a Cardinal and Patriarch in Venice in 1953 and in 1958, at the age of 77, he was elected Pope on the 11th ballot.  He surprised the Church and the world by convening the historic Second Vatican Council which met from 1962-1965. A staunch supporter and encourager of equality and ecumenism, Pope John XXIII died June 3, 1963, before the Council was completed. He was canonized Saint, by the Roman Catholic Church, less than two months ago on April 27, 2014. 

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 they may be used with attribution provided they are not sold or charged for in any way. If you would like the weekly Prayers of the People prior to the appearance on the blog, send me an email. Personal prayer requestors will remain anonymous.

Prayers of the People: PENTECOST - I'm all fired up! Yr A

for Pentecost, June 6, 2014, Readings:  Acts 2:1-21; Ps 104:25-35, 37; 1 Cor 12:3-13; Jn 20:19-31

Fifty Days after Easter, 

Ten Days after the Ascension 

comes Pentecost, 

 the feast of Holy Spirit:  

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place.  And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house...Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.  Acts 2:1-4

      

Let Us, God’s People, Pray

LEADER:  ~ Luminous, Resplendent, Spirit of God, You have bestowed so many precious gifts upon us today. Infuse our souls further with the courage to discover and use them. Our voices now carry the language that must clearly speak of You, and our hearts and minds are filled with knowledge of the all-encompassing love of Christ to share in all the world.

                          Bless You, Lord of our Souls,

RESPONSE:      In You we are One Body, filled with Holy Fire!

~ Luminous, Resplendent, Spirit of God, we each have, from You, the power to work for the common good throughout the Earth. Let us continually remind the leaders of this world that we expect them to use their gift of Your power wisely. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                          Bless You, Lord of our Souls,

                          In You we are One Body, filled with Holy Fire!

~ Luminous, Resplendent, Spirit of God, embrace those who are living each day with the pain and distress of illness or injury, and re-invigorate all who help with their care and comfort.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                          Bless You, Lord of our Souls,

                          In You we are One Body, filled with Holy Fire!

~ Luminous, Resplendent, Spirit of God, soothe the weary hearts of those who struggle in the midst of grief and carry those who have left us into the loving arms of Your eternity.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                          Bless You, Lord of our Souls,

                          In You we are One Body, filled with Holy Fire!

~ Luminous, Resplendent, Spirit of God, illumine the hearts of those called to lead us in Your Church that they may see and feel Your wisdom within. Grant them an extra measure of Your gifts so they can guide us to You with the surest of footing through the peaks and valleys of our lives.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                          Bless You, Lord of our Souls,

                          In You we are One Body, filled with Holy Fire!

The Celebrant adds:  Almighty and Eternal God, this day You have filled us with the Power of Your Most Holy Spirit that we may carry Your word to the Earth’s farthest reaches. Let us light the fires of Your love and peace in each and every day.  We humbly ask through Your Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, Comforter of our souls, who live and reign in unity with You, one God now and forever.  Amen.

      On the Jewish calendar, this ancient feast is Shavuot and celebrates the giving of the Law on Sinai. It's possibly another reason the Apostles were gathered together in addition to waiting for the sign promised by the resurrected Jesus 10 days before when they had locked themselves in a house in fear. 
       Also known as the Birthday of the Church, Pentecost marks the official beginning of the ministry of the Apostles beyond their local area and into the whole world. The descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire imbued them, and each of us by extension, with extra-ordinary gifts to bring the message of Christ to everyone.
       This day is known as Whitsun in Ireland and the UK, a descendant of a Gaelic celebration of medieval or perhaps even more ancient times. 


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.

Ascending Prayers: The Real Transformers

What the caterpillar calls
the end, 

the rest of the world calls 

a butterfly.

― Lao Tzu*

Holy God of Heaven and Earth,
       I'm so oblivious to the everyday ways of my small privileged part of the world that I blitz past the most remarkable occurrences of Your Creation. How can I fail to see the magical, the amazing, the dazzling displays our earthly life has to offer? And in so doing, I also fail to get Your message. 
       I guess I'm so caught up in paying the bills, grouching about some political ***, um, person, or yelling at the guy in the car ahead of me that I simply ignore the transformations all around me.  Ah, and that is the word isn't it - transformation. 
       Help me to connect the dots, Lord, from the transformations of nature to the transformation of my soul. The night into day, the winter into spring, the tadpole into frog, my everyday life into eternal life. In the darkest of nights, in the saddest of times, the end of what was is always another beginning. A dying to the old becomes a new birthing of promise and potential. Remind me again, tomorrow, please, I promise to stop, see, and be transformed.  amen.


*Lao Tzu, a legendary, and perhaps mythical, philosopher and poet of ancient China, is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching (dow day jing), a classic Chinese text of philosophy, some time in the 4th, 5th, or 6th century BCE.  He may have been a contemporary of Confucius, and he is also considered to be the founder of Taoism (dow-ism).  Taoism is a philosophical, ethical religious tradition in China that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao, which is at once the source and the driving force of everything that exists. 






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.

Ascending Prayers: I Can, Can, Can, Can't I?

Dear God,
    It's seems too simple, John Wesley's Rule of Life.  Just do good, all the time, in all ways, in all places, to everyone for as long as possible.  But I realize that sometimes in the seemingly simple there is deep complexity. I must look deeply within myself to be conscious and intentional about my thoughts and actions to see where I am on track and where I am not.  Dear God, I'm off track more than I'm on and I am in such need of Your help. I want to do the good You have called me to do. Having Wesley's words as a kind of mantra will help to guide me but at the end of every day, I need to return to You in my prayer. Please breathe the good of Jesus into my soul as the fuel to fire my life in Christ. Give me the courage and fortitude to spread the Good News through good actions throughout all the days of my life, for as long as I ever can.  amen.  


John Wesley [1703-1791], born in Epworth, England, was an Anglican cleric and with his brother Charles, also Anglican, and Charles Whitefield, a Calvinist, are credited with starting an evangelical movement known as Methodism and strongly influenced the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. He argued against Calvinism, especially pre-destination, and remained committed to the Anglican Church and its sacramental theology. He effectively trained and used non-ordained itinerant preachers to develop small Christian discipleship groups with religious instruction to effect social reforms particularly in prison reform and abolitionism. By the end of his life he was known as "the best loved man in England."

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.

Ascending Prayers: Up to Maya

It is this belief in a power 

larger than myself 

and other than myself 

which allows me to 

venture into the unknown 

and even the unknowable.

Dear Jesus,  
Here is my prayer ~  Please help me to remember, and put into action, the wisdom of these and many other words of Maya:

\

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.