Prayers for Lent, Day Four: Give Up, Take On, Pray

Life moves at warp speed for many of us.  So many have-to's, so many must-do's, so many want-to's, so many didn't do's...so many shoulds, coulds, woulds...so little time. How do we know how to prioritize what is most important?  How can we stop doing so much and find time to just be?"

Mystic/Trappist Monk/Author Thomas Merton (1915-1968) wrote:

"We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time or no imagination left for being.  As a result men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness."

Dearest Holy Parent, today I will give up trying to be everywhere and do everything and live into everyone else's wants and expectations for my life. Today I will take on stealing time from my worldly life to spend with You, my God, as a way to build up my spiritual life. I pray for Your Presence as I start with just 5 minutes each day breathing deeply with intention, even if I have to do it hiding in the bathroom or behind the garage. I do want to be more faithful in my prayer life so I will take small slow steps starting with breathing and move to small short prayers while breathing just to say, "Hello, God, this is me, I'm glad we're here in this moment together. I'll come back more often, I promise."  amen.

here's a link on how to do deep breathing properly:  http://ptsd.about.com/od/selfhelp/ht/breathing2.htm

We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_merton.html#HFecFVTlrFOZOmzS.99

We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_merton.html#HFecFVTlrFOZOmzS.99

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 for Lent: Day Three: Give Up, Take On, Pray

The Season of Lent conjures up a lengthy period of time centered around self-denial, fasting, and hours on your knees.  But, as said here yesterday, let's fast from more than just food or addictive substances during these 40 days. Let us voluntarily give up and take on something new each day of this Lenten season, dedicate those acts to God for the benefit of our spiritual life, and pray as we go that, by the end, we find new ways of living a more positive and fulfilling Christian life.

Dear God of Us All,
     is it just me or is the world getting meaner? Even TV entertainment seems to revolve around the "reality" of watching people's "real lives" crash and burn. Nasty dance coaches, pregnant teenagers, rule-breaking pastors' kids, dysfunctional "celebrities," and then there are the rough and tumble "Housewives." What does all this unseemly behavior do to the souls of those participating and for my own? What kind of example does it give for younger people as to how to live their lives? 
     For today, I'm going to give up watching mean television and take on gathering up those magazines and books I'm done with. I'll donate them to the prison, a homeless shelter, a nursing home, or the Veterans Hospital. I'll pray for each person who reads them and that they find a moment of pleasure, entertainment, and respite from mean-ness in her or his day. I'll also work on reducing the amount of time I spend on thinking mean thoughts. 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 for Lent, Day Two: Give Up, Take On, Pray

        Christians know (hopefully) that Jesus voluntarily spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness and faced staggering temptations and levels of physical and spiritual deprivation in ways we will never know. Some Christians know that Lent is a period of 40 days and nights that we can use to look at how we respond to temptations and where we have created spiritual deprivation for ourselves. 
        We live in a different kind of wilderness ~ a spiritual desert, a world of glittering excess and cultural demand, where life without the largest tv, best cable sports package, latest electronic gadget, or biggest walk-in closet is what we think would make life complete.  In the midst of our everyday busy-ness, Fasting may mean more about fast-food than spiritual discipline. And while giving up sugary soda or cigarettes is a start for a healthier physical life, let's fast from more than just food or addictive substances, let us voluntarily give up and take on something new each day of this Lenten season, dedicate those acts to God for the benefit of our spiritual life and pray that, by the end, our spirits soar with the Christ who will rise and we, too, become a new creation.

Holy God, in this second day of Lent, I will give up complaining about the weather and take on a donation to a worthy charity who gives gloves, hats, coats, blankets, or other items to those who are cold, hungry, and homeless in body or mind. I pray for my own strength of spirit to avoid consumer distractions and discover the blessings of less stuff to care for and more time to spend with You.  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 for Ash Wednesday

We've burned the fronds from last year's Palm Sunday to ash. We've filled up on Fat Tuesday's pancakes before we are shriven - confessed - and now it's time to prepare ourselves for the season of Lent.
               The word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon and essentially means "Spring" and "lengthen" as in the days lengthening in the Spring. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, the days are shortening so the perspective is slightly different.  However, we all observe the 40 days of Lent - although, Sundays are in Lent, rather than of Lent.  A picky detail but if you've ever counted the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter....more than 40 days because Sundays aren't actually counted as they are in other liturgical seasons.
               And now Lent is upon us ~ a time for reflection, repentance, and repair of our souls. Some of us will be marked on our foreheads this day with the sign of the cross in the palm ashes as an outward sign and inward recognition of our human mortality.  Some of us will enter into a period of dedicated fasting, prayer, and self-denial. Some will give up chocolate or cigarettes, some will take on daily meditation, some will begin in earnest and then fall away in distraction.  Whatever your mode, Lent begins...

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and help me find my way back to You. 
While I would like to show my good intentions by grand repentant gestures 
and pious activity, I'm not likely to stick with the discipline.  
Help me clean my heart and restore my soul in smaller ways such as 
being mindful of my thoughts, emotions, and actions while driving; 
let me try to be more patient in the grocery store line; 
give me the courage to step back and not have to be "right" once during each day; 
and mostly, Lord of all Peoples, on each day of this Holy Lent, 

let me understand and live into the words You have given us: 

"Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who sin against us."  

Perhaps that could change us for the better. 

For all this we pray.    
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 of the People: The Clouds of All-Knowing ~ Transfiguration

Readings for Sunday, March 2, 2014: Ex 24:12-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Ps 2 or 99; Mt 17:1-9

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down and still somehow

It’s cloud’s Illusions I recall,

I really don’t know clouds at all

(from Both Sides Now as written/performed by Joni Mitchell)

              It’s a big week for clouds and mountains! The OT and the Gospel make significant references to the cloud, first covering and settling on Mt Sinai when Moses went up to receive The Law, and next, the cloud that overshadows those assembled on the Mount of Transfiguration and from which God spoke. These particular kinds of clouds, in which God is present, are known in Judaism as the Shekinah (Shek-in-ah) – a feminine Hebrew word for a name of God. It also translates to "settling or dwelling of the Divine Presence."  Clouds seems to have emerged as a theme for me; the refrain (above) has been replaying in my head for days. And, as we read at the parish (www.SsAM.org), lectionary study, the phrase "The Cloud of All-Knowing" hit my brain.  It is a play on the title of a famous 14th century book on contemplation, The Cloud of Unknowing, by an anonymous mystic. I read it quite a few years ago so to refresh my memory I went to Wikipedia. From a longer quote there I gleaned:

“…[L]et all our thought and desire be contained in the one small word ‘God.’ Nothing else
and no other words are needed… Let this little word represent to you God in all his fullness
and nothing less than the fullness of God.”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloud_of_Unknowing from which you can obtain a free pdf of the book).

      A practiced contemplative person becomes comfortable with just the Presence.  Although God is "all-knowing,” it is unnecessary for us to know all – Moses was given all he needed to know and teach during his 40 days and nights within the Shekinah.  But most of us would have great difficulty trying to let go of, or un-know, the details of God, to give up intellectualizing, and just be in the fullness of the Divine Presence.  

     As for the cloud that envelopes Jesus on Mt. Tabor (the traditional site of the Transfiguration), it is from that cloud that God speaks again, as at the Baptism of Jesus, to say that Jesus is God’s beloved Son and to tell the chosen disciples (and us!) to listen to him. The 13^th century Italian theologian Thomas Aquinas considered this miraculous moment as the greatest of the miracles of Jesus as it corresponds to the 5 most significant events in his life, the other 4 being: Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension.  It was at this moment, the Transfiguration of Christ, at the top of the mountain, that Human and Divine meet, when Jesus is the connector between heaven and earth, when the temporal and eternal spark a dazzling display of transcendent, Majestic Glory all in the sight of the chosen disciples who then bear witness to the prophecy confirmed.

   Our own connections to these readings and this Life in Christ are a continuing work in progress...and while we don’t have to Climb Every Mountain (from The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein) isn’t it comforting to know that There Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (by Ashford and Simpson) to keep God from us, and, vice-versa.   (ok, so I got a little swept up in ‘60s music this week)          Meanwhile:

      Let Us, God’s People, Pray

Leader:  ~ Holy God of Glory and Light, upon Your Sacred Mountains you gave Moses the Law for our instruction and transfigured the Being of Your Son, Jesus, as our model for life. Rise in our hearts as the Morning Star, melt the ice that can chill our souls, dwell in us, and embrace us with Your Holy Cloud of All-Knowing.

                                 O God of the Highest Heights,                            

Response:       Let our prayers ascend to You. 

~ Holy God of Glory and Light, transform the hearts and minds of the leaders of this world so that their judgments are unclouded and they legislate justice tempered with mercy for all.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                              O God of the Highest Heights,                            

                          Let our prayers ascend to You. 

~ Holy God of Glory and Light, help us to reassure those who are ill, weary, or anxious, that they, too, are as Beloved of You as is Jesus.  Bless those who care for the weakest of Your children and give them unfailing strength of body and heart.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                              O God of the Highest Heights,                            

                          Let our prayers ascend to You. 

~ Holy God of Glory and Light, our Beacon of Hope in the dark times of mourning, help us find comfort in knowing that the souls of those who have gone before us are now bathed in the dazzling glory of the Transfigured Christ.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                              O God of the Highest Heights,                            

                          Let our prayers ascend to You. 

~ Holy God of Glory and Light, rejuvenate and sustain those You have given to us as the leaders of Your Church, and help them remember that they may also follow and take refuge in Your wisdom and counsel.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                              O God of the Highest Heights,                             

                          Let our prayers ascend to You. 

The Celebrant adds: O LORD our God, You bade us “listen” to the Transfigured Jesus, and Jesus told us “do not be afraid.”  Let us know and listen to the Radiant Christ in our hearts so we may follow Your Law without fear and receive Your Divine Presence with His.  We ask this in the name of Jesus Your Beloved Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  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 of the People: Being Cheeky, 7th Sunday after Epiphany

Readings for Sunday, February 23, 2014: Lev 19:1-2, 9-18; Ps 119:33-40; 1Cor 3:10-11, 16-23; Mt 5:38-48

Turn the Other Cheek.
 

And get slapped again?

 

                Actually, yes, most likely.  That's the way with it, non-violent resistance, that is. And we probably should smile at the same time - sincerely.  Oh sure.

               

            But Walter Wink, theologian and Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City, gives us a useful context.  The very short version is that the usual back handed slap across the face is intended to humiliate. If one turns the left cheek after the first blow, it thwarts the connection.  It reduces the power of the one doing the hitting to dehumanize.  As Gandhi taught, "The first principle of nonviolent action is that of noncooperation with everything humiliating." Wink's easily-read article explains much more about this. Do take a look at:  http://www.cres.org/star/_wink.htm   
 

          And this week, like last, we are commanded to care for God's people which, by the way, includes ourselves.  Love them and us by not stealing, defrauding, reviling, slandering, hating, or taking vengeance and the like. Love those who love us but mostly those who don't ~ our enemies, our persecutors, the evildoers.   

          Love is such an enriching emotion that ideally brings pleasure, satisfaction, and even fulfillment, whether romantic, filial, parental, or some other kind that brings a heart flutter.  Of course, in reality, love can be painful and difficult. Jesus then gives us this business of loving people we don't like and who don't like us.  How do we do that? Perhaps we can start by at least accepting the concept and then work up to doing it. It's a tough sell, especially in these times of instant gratification by whatever means possible. 
 

           And then, of course, there's letting go of "An eye for an eye..."  When there is almost as much satisfaction in retaliation as there is in love, in a society when violent reaction by physical or social media smack-down is instantaneous, how are we supposed to love everyone and not respond in kind to a disagreement, a threat or a despicable action?  Pray.....without ceasing. And work on ways to respond thoughtfully rather than react in haste.

Let Us, God’s People, Pray

Leader:    ~ O Holy LORD, our God, as temples of Your most gracious love, You give us the way of Your statutes in Your Commandments.  You tell us what we need to know about how to love and serve You.  But we often slip on the ice of distraction, and care first and only for ourselves and not our neighbors or those in need.

                        Lord Jesus of God, Foundation of our souls

Response: Teach us to long for life in Your way.

~ O Holy LORD, our God, turn the hearts of our elected leaders away from what is worthless in this world and toward us working together to build the world according to Your Way.  We pray especially for:  add your own petitions
 

                          Lord Jesus of God

                    Teach us to long for life in Your way.

~ O Holy LORD, our God, you exhort us to show love for our neighbors with every action of our lives. Let us begin anew by caring for those who are sick, injured, or afraid, and for those who selflessly aid and comfort them.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                          Lord Jesus of God

                    Teach us to long for life in Your way.

~ O Holy LORD, our God, we are bereft of the company of those in our hearts who have gone home to You; but we are soothed with the knowledge that they are with You in Your Holy Temple.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                            Lord Jesus of God

                    Teach us to long for life in Your way.

~ O Holy LORD, our God, we ask Your blessings on those who lead us in Your Church.  Revitalize and enliven their sense of Divine Call so that they can show us the way to turn, not just the other cheek, but our whole being toward You.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                              Lord Jesus of God

                    Teach us to long for life in Your way.

The Celebrant adds:  O God of All that is Holy, Your servant Paul tells us to choose carefully how we each build on the Foundation that is Christ.  Jesus tells us to always respond in love, to turn the other cheek, and to pray even for those who would not love us in return.  Guide us toward having the charity of heart and the strength of character to be as giving of our love as we are eager to receive it.  We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

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Prayer for Before the Aftermath

         this prayer is by request

   Dear Lord of the Skies, We're bracing again.  We know it's coming and all we can do is watch. We're so weary of the snow, ice, wind, floods, and frigid temperatures that have been the hallmarks of this winter in the northern hemisphere. 
                  SO, as the sun shines this morning, I'm thinking of those who are in flight, on the roads, away from home, or even at home who will soon be frozen in their tracks by power outages and accidents.  Please keep all your children safe, warm, and careful.  Help us all be available for each other in prayer and presence. 
                 We ask special blessings for utility workers, snow plow crews, ambulance and rescue people, police, postal carriers, and anyone whose work requires them to be outside.  May the rest of us have the good sense to stay home, bundle up, and not contribute to the work of emergency personnel. 
                 Keep us safe and warm in Your love, keep tempers calmed, and patience increased today and in the days to come. Amen.                 


                  Oh, and one very small request - please turn the minds of the local tv producers so we don't have to be subjected to 10 hours of "Look, it's snowing."  Oh, never mind, we have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and, the Off button.  Then, a good book!
                       And, really, this storm is named PAX?  Who thinks that's a good idea?

                



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.