People's Prayers

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Meditation in Eastertide ~ Saturday, Week 4 ' 24: Here's a "Method"

April 27, 2024 ~ Saturday, Week 4

~ John Wesley*

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.

Oh 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 thoughts and better 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, were riding a circuit to reach rural areas. John's "method" effectively trained and used non-ordained itinerant preachers to develop small Christian discipleship groups offering religious instruction to effect social reforms, particularly in prison reform and the abolition of slavery. It became an evangelical movement known as Methodism and strongly influenced the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. John, however, argued against Calvinism, especially pre-destination, and he and his brother Charles, from whom we have the gift of many hymns, remained thoroughly committed to the Anglican Church and its sacramental theology. By the end of his life John was known as "the best loved man in England."

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Meditation in Eastertide ~ Friday, Week 4 '24: Struggle Transformed

April 26, 2024 ~ Friday, Week 4

The spiritual life is not the elimination of struggle;
it is the sanctification of struggle.
It is struggle transformed to wisdom.

~ Sr. Joan Chittister*

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 Corinthians 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 now believe that as life happens, so do the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, the routine and ordinary. I know that it's up to me to turn to You, to sanctify the days of joy, the days of struggle, and the days of nothing special. In the midst of terrible times I won't feel immediately better as the Magic You of my childish imaginings would have it. Yet through Your presence in my soul, the older me is more readily able, and sooner, to move forward, accepting the things I cannot change and living each day as fully as possible for the time that I am given. Perhaps in my times of struggle ahead, and by remembering to turn to You before, during, and after, I will more easily transform those times into opportunities for some wisdom. As I continue to work on entering and growing into a more spiritual life, I already know that there is peace and rest in the midst of questions and conflict.
As I grow older, help me please, to be more child-like in my faith ~ that is, unspoiled, open, with an accepting innocence, and less child-ish ~ that is, immature, stubborn, and demanding to have things my way and angry when I cannot. Let me remember always, that the Magic of Life is contained within my acceptance, perseverance, and Faith by walking in, with, and through Your grace. amen.

*Sr. Joan Chittister [1936- ] 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 and hundreds of articles, Sr. Joan has received numerous awards for her writing. Sr. Joan is slated to be a keynote speaker at the Discipleship of Equals in October 2023 in Rome hosted by Spirit Unbounded, a new international network for Reform-Minded Catholics.

Meditation in Eastertide ~ Thursday, Week 4 '24: They Didn't Believe It...

April 25, 2024 ~ Thursday Week 4

The Gospel of St. Mark

But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table...

~ Mark 16:11-13, 14a

O Jesus,
Some days I question everything. I can definitely understand why the disciples didn't believe the reports they heard that You had been seen alive. We can be a skeptical lot. Even though You told them, even though they loved and trusted You, still, it was beyond their experience and their realm of possibility. And now, today, more than 2000 years later I believe it when I read it ~ after all, these accounts have lasted for all this time. But I need help sometimes. While I can imagine You sitting at my table, when my heart hurts or my head isn't on straight, imagining doesn't always relieve me. Today, I'm fine, my faith is strong and so is my willingness to proclaim the Good News. Tomorrow or next week? Please, in those times, remind me to read again, to be with those so close to you who were also having trouble believing until they finally did when they saw you. I’m sometimes in the Thomas camp ~ seeing is believing ~ but I’m still ready to proclaim that You are risen! Indeed and Alleluia! amen.

The Gospel of Mark is thought to be the earliest of the four canonical Gospels despite its second place in the New Testament. It has the flavor of a Reader's Digest Condensed/No Frills Book as it chronicles the highlights of the life of Jesus without much of the detail of the others. Biblical scholars disagree on a variety of aspects of this Gospel, especially the ending, and the identity and biography of the attributed author, Mark. Whoever and whatever, the words tell the story of the One we choose to follow. The details in and about the Gospel of Mark make for interesting reading and engaging conversations.

St. Mark is remembered on liturgical calendars of many Christian denominations on April 25.

Meditation in Eastertide ~ Wednesday, Week 4 '24: To Be A Silly Goose

April 24, 2024 ~ Wednesday, Week 4

To Be A Silly Goose

Why do we call a goose silly?

Oh, I know we can tease children by calling them a silly goose in fun. And sure, geese are comically ungainly in their gait on the ground and seriously noisy in their conversations. I had to wait on the street one day while two were having a raucous discussion across the white line and I was trying to pull into a driveway. I beeped and they stopped, looked at me, and promptly went right back. After a time, I very slowly let the car drift forward and they finally, unhappily, moved but never stopped their "discussion!"

In a morning that is sunny and clear I love to watch as they are winging across the sky honking encouragement to each other. The V-formation is beautiful in its symmetry and its purpose. Instinctive, normal, practical. Geese travel together and when one can't go or falls from the formation because of illness or injury, two stay behind to help, to care, to be there until the downed bird can fly again or dies. Then the trio or pair join another passing formation.

Each leader leads for a time, flying just slightly above the others to increase lift and reduce the effort of the flock. Then that leader moves to the back of the formation and another leads for a time and then moves to the back of the formation, and so on until the destination is reached. Everyone takes a turn to lead. Geese are also monogamous and mate for life. If their partner dies they mourn and many never take another mate.

With geese, everyone works together for the good of the entire flock. Hmmm, if only Humans would be better at that. Not so silly after all.

With all that in mind I'm happy to be a silly goose in God's flock!

Dear Lord, help me to be a reliable part of the flock I'm in, taking my turns to lead and to fall back. Give me extra grace to be thankful for those who stop to care for me and to be even more willing to stay on the ground to help another knowing that I'm able to join another passing flock without any resistance to my presence. Geese make me look silly ~ in formation and leadership they are a model of Your vision for the rest of us. Of course like the rest of us they can be unruly, occasionally noisy, and very messy! Yet my prayer is for the awareness of the lessons of interconnectedness and interdependence that You provide for us to see, understand, and reflect in each and every part of Your Creation. amen.

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Meditation in Eastertide ~ Tuesday, Week 4: Peace in the Chaos?

April 23, 2024 ~ Tuesday, Week 4

Peace is not something you can force on anything or anyone... much less upon one's own mind. It is like trying to quiet the ocean by pressing upon the waves. Sanity lies in somehow opening to the chaos, allowing anxiety, moving deeply into the tumult, diving into the waves,

where underneath, within, peace simply is.

~ Gerald G. May*

Lord of the Deepest Peace,

There are so many days I see that the world around me is in such chaos ~ whirling, often in Your name, in violence, poverty, pain, and cruelty to others who are not part of whatever group calls themselves "us." I am at such a loss trying to know in which direction to turn, which good cause needs me the most. What can I possibly do to make any kind of useful difference? I am merely the tiniest pebble in the hole of a huge dyke that strains against impending disaster. In those moments I close myself off from the noise of my inner turmoil. And then, taking a breath, I remember You and my prayer begins again.

Grant me the stillness within myself to simply stop, to breathe deeply, and allow that inner peace to flow outwardly, to everyone I meet whatever the time, place, or circumstance. My footing is more certain when Your peace is in my heart and my soul takes its ease in Your comfort. In Your presence, accepting things as they are, even in chaotic times, the quietness within grows, calms, and strengthens me. From there, with You, I can keep moving forward until a purposeful direction becomes clear. Each morning, noon, and night, and all times in between, I can breathe You in again. amen.

*Gerald Gordon May, [1940-2005] was an American psychiatrist and theologian, and as a conscientious objector, worked as an Air Force psychiatrist in Vietnam. After his work in Vietnam, he was a staff psychiatrist in a prison mental hospital in Maryland. He later became a senior fellow at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda, Maryland conducting workshops in contemplative theology and psychology. He wrote several books on the subject of combining spiritual direction with psychological therapy.

Monday, April 22, 2024

Prayers of the People: Living Guide to Creation ~ 5th Sunday of Easter '24 Yr B

For Sunday, April 28, 2024; Readings: Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 22:24-30, 1 John 4:7-21,

John 15:1-8

Then the Spirit said to Phillip, “Go over to his chariot and join it.” So Phillip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” [Acts 8:29-31a]

The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: "May your heart live for ever!"...My soul shall live for him... [Psalm 22:25, 29a]

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in the world. [1 John 4:16b-17]

Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit...Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches." [John 15:1-2, 4b-5a]

Spring is in full bloom in this part of the globe. The weekend cacophony of lawn mowers, weed trimmers, ATVs, and skateboards rises with the temperature. Gardeners are happily filling their wheeled carts with soil, compost, and mulch, cleaning away the debris of winter, preparing the earthen beds for planting, and pruning shrubs, bushes, and trees. The birds and local , migrating and local, the bird empty the hanging feeders with amazing speed.

Every gardener, even one with a single small plant, knows that good growth requires maintenance. Some plants, such as grapevines or fruit trees, need pruning to make them stronger and able to produce more and better fruit. Along with water, sunshine, and good soil, a gardener must constantly tend the pots, rows, fields, or orchards with care. Knowledge of weather, season, and region and climate growing zones is essential. The occasional frost warning creates a hurrying to protect still fragile plants for the next few weeks or longer.

As a gardener watches for signs of growth as well as of decline, we too, must constantly tend our relationship with Christ, finding ways to be more intentional about the spiritual growth of our souls, and, awareness of the overgrowth of the weeds of our distractions that lead us to the neglect of our inner growth and outer practice.

The First Letter of John reminds us that when we believe that the love God has for us through Jesus our Savior, God’s love is then perfected in us. It is with that perfected love within that we become the gardeners for growing God’s Kingdom on Earth.

In the Gospel of John for this week, Jesus tells us that he is the true vine and that God is the vine grower. Jesus calls us to abide in him as he abides in us, joined to him as His Branches on the Vine. We will bear much fruit if we seek to prune our inner deadwood to clear the way for new spiritual sprouting. But the fruit we bear is not for our own care and feeding ~ it is to be shared with others for their spirit-filled nurturing and growth. As we, the branches, grow stronger, we draw together as brothers and sisters in a community of faith, hope, and eternal love in and with Christ as our Vine. And the Holy Spirit is our constant Wisdom Guide through the sometimes fallow fields and barren orchards, in droughts and and flood and destructive fires. God Almighty as our ultimate Gardener/Vine grower gives us a continuous 24-hour Living Guide to Creation if we choose to see. Even if Autumn is the new season where you are, there is always much to do to prepare your inner garden for the winter ahead. Whatever the season, we find our strength in Christ who keeps our souls rooted to produce the fruit of the Divine for us all.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Jesus, Abundant Vine of Life, prepare our souls as the fertile soil that will bring forth the harvest of Your love and peace. Teach us to see, know, and nourish all people as our brothers and sisters, companion branches in God’s Holy Vineyard.

Infinite, Abiding Lord

RESPONSE: Guide us to perfect love

~ Jesus, Abundant Vine of Life, transform our complacence into compassion and ignite desire and courage within us, to stand in faith and act together for environmental justice, and for all who are denied economic, racial, and every justice issue for basic human need and respect that is refused, across this world and at national and local levels We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Infinite, Abiding Lord

Guide us to perfect love

~ Jesus, Abundant Vine of Life, comfort and heal all who are poor in health and spirit, and grant energy to all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

Infinite, Abiding Lord

Guide us to perfect love

~ Jesus, Abundant Vine of Life, fill us with praise and gladness and hope as the souls of those we love and sent ahead, now live again sheltered in eternity by Your forever Heart. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

Infinite, Abiding Lord

Guide us to perfect love

~ Jesus, Abundant Vine of Life, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

Infinite, Abiding Lord

Guide us to perfect love

~ Jesus, Abundant Vine of Life, bless all who give their lives in service to Your Church, and walk with us even through sometimes fallow fields and barren orchards, as we seek the joy in knowing You are with us now in this brief life and forever in the next. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Infinite, Abiding Lord

Guide us to perfect love

The Celebrant adds: Living God, Eternal Vine Grower, prune detachment and sin from our hearts to cultivate strong, dynamic, and fruitful branches that flourish, not wither, as we abide always in You. We ask this through Jesus, our True and Perfect Vine; and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Guide; who together with You, live and reign as One God forever and ever. Amen.

Meditation in Eastertide ~ Monday, Week 4: Earth Mother?

Monday, April 22, 2024 ~ Earth Day in Earth Month

Monday in Eastertide, Week 4

An Oak Tree

Earth Day in Earth Month ~ April 2024

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*

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 to stop and look, touch, hear, taste, and breathe in all the goodness that this Earth, our island home, has to offer. Help me know a tree, a flower, a bird, a fruit 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 to 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. Help me to pay more attention to the destruction of our Earth in so many ways including tearing down large parcels of trees to pave for unnecessary building for unnecessary profit, and its air and water by the convenience of the packaging we use, the trash islands in our oceans, the microplastics filling our bodies with the bottled water we drink, and the heat and fumes generated by our rabid consumption of fossil fuels.
Maybe, if we all learn to know that the dirt under our feet is as necessary to our life as are all the pretty creatures and lakes and oceans, we will not only take action for its better care, it will take better care of us. Perhaps in that way, more of us will see all of creation as necessary: wild, tame, cultivated, animal, mineral, and vegetable. And in those ways we will finally understand that every human on this Earth is also a partner in life, mutually beneficial, living and breathing as we do and requiring as much of us as we need from each of them. Maybe then, we'll have branched out and have a true relationship with humanity and our planet beyond just the names of a few people and a few trees. amen.

*Jiddu Krishnamurti, [1895-1986] 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.