Prayers of the People: The World at Peace ~ 5th Sunday in the Season of Creation '23 Yr A

For Sunday, November 12, 2023; Readings: Micah 4:1-4, Psalm 127, Rosemary Power,* Matthew 5:43-48

 [T]hey shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not life up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore… [Micah 4:3b]

Unless the LORD builds the house, their labor is in vain who build it. [Psalm 127:1]

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. ["Seven Days," Rosemary Power]

   But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…the evil and the good…the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, of what more are you doing than others? [Matthew 5:44, 46-47]

*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. We use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used are posted with asterisk.

Click here for more information about: Season of Creation ~ In The Beginning

Week V's Theme is: 

The World at Peace

    The World at Peace.  Of course! Who doesn't want it? Yet the concept is exponentially large and is well beyond the scope of my abilities to achieve alone. It then remains a mere concept, too big to be a goal, and reduced to a conversational platitude. Or, is it? When you think of world peace how do you define it? Is it merely the end of all war on the planet or are there other considerations? A few formal definitions describe it as the absence of war, a cessation of hostilities, and/or tranquility. Whole armies are deployed ostensibly to end war ~ where am I in that? The words of Rosemary Power  say it clearly: 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. No army is ever really deployed to make peace but rather for power and control, domination, and subjugation. It’s so much easier, isn't it, when war or violence or riots are far away from me and, after all, what could I possibly do to help? In watching or just reading the news, a day doesn't go by when my anxiety and frustration levels aren't challenged even by headlines or political comments on social media, and I find myself highly intolerant of the intolerance of others as my blood pressure rises.

    Others wiser than me have said that peace begins within oneself. And so I must earnestly search to find some peace within myself, somewhere. Perhaps by breathing very deeply in and out regularly, stepping away from the noise of all that disturbs a tranquil moment. Listen for the birds ~ even when they’re fighting it calms me. The laughter of children makes me laugh; puppies and kittens and butterflies, and turtles sunning on a rock. Even in the depth of winter's cold heart, there is the peaceful quiet of a snowy day. 

    As I breathe deeply again, the feisty, feckless, fuming, and fraying world is still there, but within it I can find a small moment of inner peace that remains. Yet I must not simply live into a false peaceful denial in which I only love those who love me. It is the quietly, steadily, holding fast within myself, that calls me to return to a peaceful place regularly, in prayer or meditation, in simple moments of beauty, and then I must let it out so that I can offer a smile, a kind word, some serious restraint in response to a severe difference of opinion ~ World Peace, it seems begins within me, at least in some ways. We must have peace at our core that centers and steadies us. We can support, defend, write, march, care about and join organizations that give us useful tools to at least help those who are in the midst of war whether in their homes, on our streets, or far across the globe. Let us first each invite the Lord to build our house from within us, that we may radiate God’s Eternal Light from the windows of our souls to all we meet, and continue to mingle our peace-filled breath with all the air that flows around this fragile Earth, our island home***. Will we end war ~ sadly, no. But for one person, one moment, one less argument, one less angry retort, one full moment of intention and attention to breathe the breath of God toward and for another may be all the peace and perfection we have to give, and give it is what we are called to do as Christ’s ambassadors of prayer and peace for all and everyone, evil and good, righteous and unrighteous.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God-with-us at borders, schools, and shopping malls, in anger, complacency, and peril, energize us to discover and embody Your peace within ourselves, so fully, that it radiates through us to reveal Your love without end to all.

                                                   O Lord, in Safety and in Danger 

RESPONSE:             We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, as you come into our midst, impel us to vigorously witness for peace to every governing authority on this Planet, in this Nation, and in every Community. May our own words and actions break down all walls of separation that hide only what we fear to see, to flood your love through us to the whole of Your Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                      O Lord, in Safety and in Danger

                                                      We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, lay Your healing hand upon those weary of unhealed wounds, fear, and isolation, and hold fast to those who offer caring help. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                      O Lord, in Safety and in Danger

                                                      We put our trust in You

~ O God-with-us, turn our grief to joy for those we have sent Home to never die again, but raised in eternal splendor and glory to new life in Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                      O 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… add your own petitions 

                                                      O 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, inspiring us to serve in this world together in Christ’s holy name. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                      O Lord, in Safety and in Danger

                                                      We put our trust in You

The Celebrant adds: Creator Lord, Spirit of Hope, 105 years ago yesterday, Your people breathed in the promise for the future at the official end to World War I. Yet we restive humans continue wars on battlefields, social media, and in parking lots; wars of racial, gender, religious oppression, and more. Watch over us as we strive to honor the graves of our neighbors, cry justice for the oppressed, and work to flourish the peace, truth, and justice of Christ’s Gospel for all of us, everywhere. We ask through Jesus, our Divine Example; and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Guide; who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen. 

**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 by members of the Iona Community, 2018

***The phrase this fragile Earth, our island home, is from Eucharistic Prayer C, in the US Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, 1979. See bcponline.org, page 370

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

Prayers of the People: The Unexpected Hour ~ 24th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

For Sunday, November 12, 2023; Readings: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7, 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13

Now therefore revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness…as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord…incline your hearts to the Lord…and him we will obey. [Joshua 24:14a, 15c, 23b, 24b]
 
That the generations to come might know, and the children yet unborn; that they in their turn might tell it to their children; 7 So that they might put their trust in God… [Psalm 78:6-7a]
 
   We do not want you to be uninformed…about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope…so we will be with the Lord forever. [1 Thess 4:13, 17b]
 
     Ten Bridesmaids too their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise…Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” [Matthew 25:1b-2, 13]

     Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [Mt 25:13]. Of all the admonitions of Jesus, this one always sends a chill up and down my spine. I've spent a considerable amount of time in hospital emergency rooms for a variety of personal and professional reasons, and a swift and unexpected death can sometimes overwhelm even the most experienced and detached medical staff, let alone loved ones.

     In my own life, the hour and the day have whisked away those I hold most deeply in my heart so unexpectedly, I can still feel the reverberation in my heart and head, as if being hit with a concussive blow that never quite heals and never quite stops. This reminds me that I, too, am subject to immediate and sudden factory recall. 

     Joshua reminds the Israelites to incline our hearts to the Lord to serve and obey, to revere God in sincerity and in faithfulness. The psalmist tells us to know and recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord that they might put their trust in God. 

     Paul and those he converted and to whom he preached, were working with a presumption that the return of Jesus was fairly imminent. There was some concern by the Thessalonians about who would be raised up when Jesus returned. Paul gives them, and all of us, hope when he says about those who have died, that you must not grieve as others do who have no hope as we all will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

     With the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids, we are given a serious lesson in preparation, taking nothing for granted, being ready for whatever comes. The parable itself is an example of an ancient Palestinian bridal ritual that those listening to Jesus would have understood. As the wedding day approached, the Groom, accompanied by friends would travel to take the bride from her home, usually at night. The bride was attended by maidens of both families and as they might be journeying a great distance, no exact time of arrival of the Groom was known. And so, preparation is the call here, keeping watch and being ready to embark. If you missed the Groom’s arrival and the wedding party’s departure, you were done. Those invited who remained awaiting the bridal party's return, were expected to stay at the Bridegroom’s, or a neighbor’s home, as long as it took for the entourage to appear. The underlying message about preparation is knowing NOW what we must do.

     The Bridegroom, of course, is the Messiah, one through whom God’s work is undertaken to completion. Matthew is clear that the Bridegroom is the Risen Christ although Jesus never referred to himself as Messiah. Still, whether or not we are convinced that there will be no second chance at the End, we do know that an end is coming by, at the very least, our own mortal death. We just don’t know the day or the hour.

     Playing the role of active Christian, faithful attendance at worship, giving of alms, doing good deeds, etc., is all well and good, but preparing my soul for an unexpectedly swift end to my human life needs some work. A re-evaluation of every-day and long-term plans, might be considered. Time to get more oil for the lamp, trim the wick, and start again with all my just-in-case soul preparations trying to match my outermost Sunday best to my innermost daily thoughts and then to my outer words and actions. Whew! How about you? Are you prepared for the unexpected hour?

 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY 

Leader:  ~ O Lord our God, incline our ears to the words of Your mouth and deliver us from pursuing temporary pleasures that distract us from the wisdom of preparing our souls. Guide us, we pray, to keep our everyday thoughts and words as actions of faith, in earnest service to You.

 
                                                      God of All There Is
      RESPONSE:                     We put our trust in You
 
~ O Lord our God, we turn our faces to You for the strength and courage to live as a constant witness to the teachings of Christ who was, Who is, and Who will come again. Give us, always, a calm, rational, and truthful voice to the issues at hand, to all holding power on our Planet, in our Country, and in our local Community, especially to those with whom we disagree. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       God of All There Is
                                                       We put our trust in You
 
~ O Lord our God, gather all who are fearfully ill, economically desperate, or emotionally distressed, to incline their hearts to You, and endow their care-givers with compassion and energy. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       God of All There Is
                                                       We put our trust in You
         
~ O Lord our God, console us all with the hope and the knowledge that we, with all who have gone before, will be with the Lord forever. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
 
                                                       God of All There Is
                                                       We put our trust in You
 
~ O Lord our God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
 
                                                       God of All There Is
                                                       We put our trust in You
                       
~ O Lord our God, grant our spiritual leaders continuing purity of heart, hope of the spirit, and the fidelity of faith, to guide our soul journeys toward Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       God of All There Is
                                                       We put our trust in You
 
The Celebrant adds: Most High and Holy God, keep our hearts and souls awake and our minds alert to reflect Your presence within us now and in the time to come, as we move through this life ready for the unknown day and hour of our new life in You. We ask this through Jesus, our Christ and our Redeemer; and the most Holy Spirit, our Advocate; who, together with You, eternally reign as One God, in heaven, on earth, and beyond all time and space. Amen.

  

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

Prayers of the People: Attitudes of Be-ing ~ All Saints Sunday '23 Yr A

For Sunday, November 5, 2023, Readings: Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 34:1-10, 22; 1 John:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12

    They will hunger no more, and thirst no more, the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd...[Revelation 7:9-17]

      I sought the LORD and he answered me and delivered me out of all my terror...The LORD ransoms the life of his servants, and none will be punished who trusts in him. [Psalm 34:4, 22]

     See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God; and that is what we are...And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. [1 John :1-3]

    [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]

     All Saints Sunday is a few days after the November 1^st All Saints Day this year. It was always a special day for us kids in Catholic School because, as a Holy Day of Obligation, we had off from school the day after Halloween! We loved rubbing that in the faces of our non-Catholic friends. Oh, well yeah, we were obligated to go to church…but maybe some of us might have overslept.

    Of course, this time of year we often saw biographical films of the Holy Ones, read hagiographies (bios of Saints), discovered who our personal patron Saints were and generally recognized Saints as mostly long-ago-very-holy-perfect-people who were not like us. While many of us had our favorites for one reason or another, for me the whole “Saint” thing seemed remote from everyday life. As an adult, I’ve read some accounts of some historically famous Saints, including a couple of fairly recent ones, whose life activities surprisingly didn’t always seem so, well, saintly.

    It seems that defining "Saint" in this day and age still conjures a mind-image 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, and, if we're honest, undesirably difficult. Yet many saints and Saints, the ordinary and the officially designated, are/were flawed humans with real human frailties and struggles and yet their lives become exemplary. There was something extra in their attitude of life and in what drew others to them.

    As an Episcopalian, I have come to appreciate that there are many on our Liturgical Calendar who are not designated official “Saints” but are remembered for particular gifts or positions that shone in ways that changed themselves and others in relating to God. The best discussion I have found of “sainthood” is from Sister Joan Chittister, which follows. This piece offers us some food for prayerful thought on ways we might discover our inner saint:

       "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." ~ 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

            It does not matter if one is not an official Saint. There are certainly exemplary qualities of those who are official as well as those who are not, but they all stand out as Sr. Joan says, because: they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. It is an attitude for us to acquire in our quest for eternal life. An attitude of being a child of God, and knowing that the full presence of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are within us always, ready to be shining through us, for our neighbors and for ourselves. In the Gospel for this week, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches those present that often those who might be considered the least of us are especially blessed. It opens up a way of living for us to contemplate, a pathway of living intentionally into the blessings of God. As we look into the ideals of the Beatitudes, we may discover new habits of prayerfulness and a fresh Christ-consciousness in things we say and do. Examining our own personal attitudes of be-ing regularly will take us through each day accompanied by that ever-growing Communion of Saints and saints until we, too, join the Heavenly Chorus.  

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Lord of All Saints and All Sinners, as we celebrate the Holy Saints of the Ages, we also commend to You the everyday saints who are living among us now. Grant us the wisdom to follow the examples set for us, to seek a saintly heart within our own flawed humanness, and to discover our blessed place in the Beatitudes of Christ.

                                                Boundless, Forgiving God
                                                Awaken our trust and hope in You

~ Lord of Us All, in these especially critical times, infuse us with continuing courage and strength to impel the leaders of our Community, our Country, and our World to end the ravages of war, reverse injustice, renounce evil, and encourage mercy, peace, and honor within themselves and in us all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Boundless, Forgiving God
                                                Awaken our trust and hope in You

~ Lord of Us All, release from distress and wipe away the tears of all whose spirits languish in serious illness, anxiety, and hopelessness, and endow those who give them care with energy, patience, and love. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                Boundless, Forgiving God
                                                Awaken our trust and hope in You

~ Lord of Us All, our hearts rejoice for those who have gone ahead, guided to the springs of the water of New Life by and in Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                Boundless, Forgiving God
                                                Awaken our trust and hope in You

~ Lord of Us All, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                Boundless, Forgiving God
                                                Awaken our trust and hope in You                   

~ Lord of Us All, we offer You our praise and thanksgiving for all who have humbly accepted Your call to shepherd us toward Salvation in Christ. Guide their steps as our faithful role models, that together we may taste and see Your goodness in our lives. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Boundless, Forgiving God
                                                Awaken our trust and hope in You

The Celebrant adds: Loving, Merciful God, open the eyes of our souls to see that our unique gifts from You, together with our mortal failings, may all be used for Your eternal purpose. Rebuild our hearts with humility and peace, worthy to answer the call of the blessed life for which we were created. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ; and the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who live and reign together with You, as 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 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

Prayers of the People: The Saints Among Us ~ 4th Sunday in the Season of Creation '23 Yr

For Sunday, November 5, 2023; Readings: Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 126, Sr. Joan Chittister**, Matthew 5:1-12

[There] was a great multitude that no one could count, from every   nation…all  tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne   and before the   Lamb…who will be their shepherd…and God will wipe   every tear… [Revelation 7:9-17]

   The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. [Psalm 126:4]

    [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…people who saw themselves clearly as the others’ keepers. Sr. Joan Chittister, A Passion for Life

   Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [Matthew 5:11]

*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. We use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 7 weeks of the Season. Alternate readings used are posted with asterisk.

Click here for more information about: Season of Creation ~ In The Beginning

Week IVs Theme is: 
The Saints Among Us

     Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. 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. The word “saint” comes from the Greek word hagios haygee-ose in US English, or hyee-ose in Greek], which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious.” Yet most saints and Saints, the ordinary and the officially designated, are/were flawed humans with real human frailties and struggles, even a few sins along the way. When and how then did their lives become so 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. It’s important to remember that there is always an opportunity for us to seek God first above all else as the Lord has done great things for us. It requires some dedication, some intention, and some transformation. Jesus calls 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. Author Parker Palmer*** says it best, [We] can transform our culture only as we are inwardly transformed. So, let us begin, again, 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; see:  https://couragerenewal.org/parker-j-palmer/

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God of Grace and Mercy, in these times of trial and travail, strengthen us to arise each day with the inner peace of experiencing Your face at our center, and purity of intention in our hearts. Open our conscious thoughts and actions  to humility and humanity, following the example of the Saints who have gone before, and the saints who live among us now. 

                                                O Lord of Truth and Love                                                  

    RESPONSE:                 Fill us with faith, hope, and trust  

~ O God of Grace and Mercy, endow us, who abide with You in love, with the perseverance to guide Local, National, and Global Leaders away from falsehoods and fraud toward the just reward of all who seek Your . We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                 O Lord of Truth and Love                                                  

                Fill us with faith, hope, and trust

~ O God of Grace and Mercy, deliver from distress all in anguish from illness of body, mind, or spirit, and infuse those who give them care with gentle and peaceful hearts. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                O Lord of Truth and Love                                                  

               Fill us with faith, hope, and trust        

~ O God of Grace and Mercy, as You bless and 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, reaping their newness of life with songs of joy. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                O Lord of Truth and Love                                                  

               Fill us with faith, hope, and trust 

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

                                                O Lord of Truth and Love                                                  

               Fill us with faith, hope, and trust                     

~ O God of Grace and Mercy, inspire the hearts and minds of all who lead us in Your church, who  mercy. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                O Lord of Truth and Love                                                  

               Fill us with faith, hope, and trust

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 trust, truth, grace and mercy as we strive to stand always with You. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ; 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 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

Prayers of the People: Who IS Us? ~ 22nd Sunday after Pentecost '23 Yr A

For Sunday, October 29, 2023, Readings: Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Psalm 90:1-6, 

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 22:34-46

Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. [Deuteronomy 34:10]

  Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another...May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; prosper the work of our hands... [Psalm 90:1, 17a]

  We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition...We have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. [1 Thessalonians 2:2b,4b]

      ...a lawyer asked [Jesus] a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment...is the greatest?" He said..."You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." [Matthew 22:35b-39]

           We truly are all in "this" life on this planet together although you would think, especially given some of the hard-charging rhetoric, surprising murderous attacks and strong murderous reprisals, here and around the world, that we can just stop interacting with others, just take care of us, and ignore them. Of course, one of the largest questions in this life today is eons old: a satisfactory definition of who is us. This week in Matthew’s Gospel, we hear of a lawyer asking Jesus which commandment is the greatest? In Luke’s parable of the Good Samaritan, another lawyer asked Jesus, Who is my neighbor? [Luke 10:25-37] We of the human variety are determined to answer this question 

correctly, which really means, to suit our own needs and wants and keep within the rules we, or those we choose to follow, have set even when they can change on a whim. We build symbolic and genuine walls, fences, and tall gates that are all designed to keep out the uninvited, the unacceptable, the dangerous – in other words, those people, that kind, the others, THEM. But here’s a shocker, we each are the other, “them” to someone else. We create and receive suspicion and fear when we step away from what we think is our special sheltered space to enter another’s. Of course, we must protect ourselves and others from those who are truly dangerous and who would do anyone true harm. But all too often we categorize someone as dangerous because of gender, color, race, language, sexual orientation, make-up, hair styles, clothing, body art and piercings or lack of, another neighborhood, region, or country, etc. It's much easier to have a big chart of absolutes – that group BAD, this group GOOD – and that way we don't have to engage, learn more about, slip into liking, and are able to avoid knowing that skin, organs, blood, and bones are the same in all of God's people. 

      It's difficult, uncomfortable, even distressing at times, to sift through our own prejudices, judgments, dislikes, even hatred of an unknown person or group. It takes time away from the easier activities of going through life without having to think for myself simply because “I know my group and we will avoid those outside of it because whomever we have chosen to lead us will tell us how to think and what to do.” It also involves looking into oneself – how do I really feel about me? Do I have trouble loving myself? Is it truly self-satisfying to dismiss or diminish another – or just an ego boost of a very false sense of superiority or, more likely, an internal sense of inferiority?

      Jesus, answering this lawyer in Matthew’s Gospel, who is a Pharisee, gets directly to the point that all the Commandments of God can be cleanly distilled into just two: 1. Love God completely, 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. This concept is no surprise to the Pharisaic lawyer. Earlier in Deuteronomy, Dt 6:4-5 specifically, is the opening to the Shema (sheh-mah), which in Judaism is a part of morning and evening prayer: Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might. Earlier still, in Leviticus 19:18b, is …you shall love your neighbor as yourself. It is Jesus, however, who combines the two as the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it… and surprises them with what we now refer to as the summary of the Law  when he says to those who would trap him: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. If you think about it, if you truly love God and love your neighbor as your self, you will honor and you won’t covet, steal, or break any of the other commandments!

     Yet the obvious questions remain as we search for loopholes and escape from the hard work: Who is my neighbor? Answer: Any/Every human you meet. OK, I have to “love” my neighbor, but do I also have to like my neighbor? Answer: Not in a best friend sort of way, but an attempt to get to know her, him, them, might surprise you, or might not, yet we are still called to love, especially when it’s the hardest to do. Loving another is often difficult because it isn’t based on reciprocation. Putting a face on a label challenges one’s pre-conceived notions and what one has been led to believe by group-think. Loving your neighbor is more about acceptance and tolerance of differences and discovering similarities. Our instant judgements are not easy to overcome. Loving our neighbor is to be in the same way as we love our self. That’s often the hardest piece to understand. It’s far too easy to see, yet not recognize, something in another that we dislike in ourselves. That takes some serious personal soul-searching and be able to prayerfully understand, and a find a way to like and then love ourselves as Jesus does. And yes, there are some who are truly terrible and so our love must transcend likeability, and when that is particularly difficult, ask ourselves, so, really, what would Jesus do? Maybe in the most onerous of people, we ask Jesus to love whom we simply cannot.

      Jesus was saying to the lawyer in this week's reading, and in the Good Samaritan parable, just following the human-made-subject-to-change-rules isn't enough. We must be intentional in our efforts. And yes, we will fail, often, but we must keep trying. If we keep repeating to ourselves, as a mantra perhaps, Help me, Jesus, to Love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my might, and to love my neighbor as [and] my self, we are consciously and intentionally working to live and act within these two commandments, we will discover not only a stronger faith in God but also that on God’s Label: Them really are Us. Let’s all keep working on this, together.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Gracious Lord, our God, quicken our desire to actively live our faith by consciously loving and serving You with our whole hearts, souls, and minds with intention. Let us dare to follow Your command to love all humankind as if they are ourselves, as we are loved by You.

                                             Lord of Loving-Kindness

            Response:             Prosper the of our hearts and hands

~ Gracious Lord, our God, guide those of us who have a choice for our political leaders, to responsibly choose as stewards of all humanity and of this entire planet, those who will lead, legislate, and personally act with sincerity and integrity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Loving-Kindness                                        

                                              Prosper the work of our hearts and hands   

~ Gracious Lord, our God, embrace with Your tender care all who are burdened with serious illness, addiction, or emotional distress, and refresh all who provide support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                 Lord of Loving-Kindness                                        

                                               Prosper the work of our hearts and hands 

~ Gracious Lord, our God, receive in joy and splendor, all those we commend with thanksgiving to live again in Christ’s enduring love. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Loving-Kindness                                        

                                                Prosper the work of our hearts and hands 

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

                                                Lord of Loving-Kindness                                        

                                              Prosper the work of our hearts and hands 

~ Gracious Lord, our God, we praise You and we thank you for those who answered the calling, anointing, and commitment to lead us in worship, in prayer, and companionship on our constant pilgrimage toward eternal life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                Lord of Loving-Kindness                                        

                                              Prosper the work of our hearts and hands 

The Celebrant adds: O God our Refuge, grant us the humility to delight in Your Law, to seek the way of the righteous in all that we do, and to be courageous in faith, sharing the Gospel in, for, and by the strength of Your Love. We ask through Jesus, our Savior Messiah; and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom within; who together with You, live and reign as One God, every day, always, and forever. Amen.

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