A moment of contemplation for yourself or on behalf of others on everything from the life-altering to the mundane.


Prayer: A conversation with The Higher Other who lives within each of us. An invitation to vent, to re-think, to ask, and to rest.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Meditation Moments: Lighten up



It was only a smile, and 
little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.
                        ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald* [1896-1940]




Lord of the Dark and Deep, 

           As I walk alone and quickly through the streets of the city with eyes downcast or, stroll in a solitary evening ponder on the beach looking out at the sea, lost in my own if only thoughts, suddenly a stranger says, Hello, smiles, and moves on. The bigger surprise is that this small action expects no response. The place I'm in becomes immediately brighter and I feel enveloped in a circle of warmth and light; my return smile is automatic and sincere, if unseen. 
          In receiving a smile unexpectedly and from an equally unexpected source, I am thankful for the one who smiled. In offering a smile to another that is unexpected, I return the gift to Creation. Let me remember to receive and give a moment of warmth that will lighten up all around, and always in Your name. amen.
 

*F. Scott Fitzgerald, considered one of the greatest authors of the 20th century, Fitzgerald is remembered for many short stories and novels, many of which have been made into films such as The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.






Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, 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.


Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Meditation Moments: Living it up and down




Life is what happens 
when you're busy making other plans.
              ~ John Lennon* [1940-1980]





Dear God of Twisting Paths and Uneven Roads,
             Funny how plans change suddenly - sometimes things come right outta left field with no warning. Do I thank You if it's a good thing or do I blame You if it's a bad thing? I try to remember the thanking part because I was raised to, but as for blame, no, I don't. But then, I've never believed that You run a chess board moving me here or there by whim, giving or taking away. I also don't believe that I have more grace than someone else who has had a bad turn. And then there is that Free Will thing. 
             Stuff happens in the course of a life and there are ups, downs, ins, outs, and choices to be made. There are moments of incredible joy, moments in the depths of despair, and moments that run the gamut from one to the other. What is important to me, is just knowing that I can call to You when there is no one else, and even when there is someone. Sometimes I just need to tell You all that is happening so I can spare others, or, even practice with You so I can tell others. For that, I will always remember to thank You. 
            Life is good, real, indifferent, joyful, short, lovely, sad, scary, lonely, quiet, loud, shared, full, busy, and, mine, to choose how to live it. Thank You, for life - up and down. amen. 

 
*John Lennon, British born, singer, song writer, activist, founding member of The Beatles...and so very much more.
          




Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, 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.


Meditation Moments: The Philadelphia Eleven, 49 Years On

A reprise of the original post in 2014:

Church of the Advocate - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
July 29, 1974
The First Eleven WOMEN Ordained as PRIESTS

Forty NINE Years Later...

     ...It seems incongruous to some who don't remember before, that women being ordained is such a big deal. And it is still heretical to many others for reasons I will NEVER understand, that on that July 29 in 1974, the Feast of Mary and Martha, 11 women became Priests for the Church and for all of us. The rest of the world, Anglican and otherwise, is still catching up, wrestling with the issue, or completely denying Holy Orders to women.

       I don't have any profound statements or pronouncements to add to what has been said in many places elsewhere including two articles below, but I am posting the names of each of these courageous women. The hardships, the triumphs, the travesties, and travails they endured are beyond imagining, yet each one felt the strong call and forged the seemingly impossible path for those who have followed. How many of us will ever be faced with such challenges?  Here are those women, some of whom have now left this earthly plane. Please pause at each name and pray a thanksgiving and let us also pray for those in this world still denied their opportunity simply because of their gender. Let us remember and thank: 



~ Merrill Bittner
~ Alla Renée Bozarth (Bozarth-Campbell)
~ Alison Mary Cheek  
~ Emily Clark Hewitt
~ Isabel Carter Heyward
~ Suzanne Radley Hiatt
~ Marie Moorefield Fleischer
~ Jeannette Ridlon Piccard
~ Betty Bone Schiess
~ Katrina Martha van Alstyne Welles Swanson
~ Nancy Constantine Hatch Wittig
   
God of ALL Genders, Races, Colors, Ethnicities, Heights, Weights, Sexual Orientation, Ages, and all Other Categories, 
            Please grant a special place in heaven for all of these women, who struggled to answer your call, and for all of those who supported them in their quest. Also bless the Bishops who defied the status quo and helped make this ordination day possible. Sanctify all those with the courage to push the barriers knowing many obstacles will not yield easily if at all, and that their own suffering for the cause will make the road easier for those that come after. Open the eyes, hearts, and minds, of those who continue on a path of needless discrimination without justification that prevents others from fulfilling their own destinies. We have all been blessed by these women, and their legacy will last as long as faith in You continues.  amen.             



Here are the links to 2 articles and the entire celebration service in Philadelphia:

http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/women/celebrating_the_philadelphia_e.html

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/07/23/philadelphia-11-shattered-stained-glass-ceiling-40-years-later-now/

Here is the Liturgy as it was recorded live on Saturday, July 26, 2014 at The Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where The Eleven were ordained 49 years ago:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/live-demand-worship




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


Monday, July 28, 2014

Prayers of the People: With Last Week's Yeast, 8th Sunday after Pentecost

for August 3, 2014, 8th Sunday after Pentecost, Readings: Gen 32: 22-31; Ps 17: 1-7, 16; Romans 9:1-5; Mt 14:13-21


Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and all the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled...               ~ Matthew 14:19b-20a

            In last week's Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus used several parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven to the disciples. In one he likened the Kingdom to "...yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." [Mt 13:33] Is it too much to presume that the bread broken and blessed by Jesus and served by the disciples was made by one or more women? The Gospel this week tells us that "those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children."  [Mt: 14:21, emphasis added]
           On July 29, 2014, the Episcopal Church in the USA remembered and celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the ordination of the first 11 courageous and barrier-shattering women. Besides all the men who have gone before and come after, let us also remember and celebrate the overlooked women in this Gospel, in the Church, in everyday life, who are the bread-makers, the child-bearers, the mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces, aunts, grandmothers, and, priests to us all. Let us use the yeast we are given to leaven the world, especially the children, and raise everyone to new heights of health, education, prosperity, and, love. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O God of Abundance, when we wrestle with all the issues, ideas, and dilemmas of everyday life, You feed our souls through the words and actions of Jesus. If only we will listen, learn, and let our actions reflect Your message.

                               Jesus, Bread of Life
RESPONSE:   Help us to incline our ears to You and heed Your words

~ O God of Abundance, on this Earth with ample prosperity to feed, heal, and care for its people, why are so many without so much? Help us find ways to reach the conscience of the political and corporate leaders of the world, of our country, and our community, so they fix their eyes on justice, and turn from the menace of war to the humanity of peace. Let us work most particularly for the health and safety of all of the world’s children. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Jesus, Bread of Life
                        Help us to incline our ears to You and heed Your words

~ O God of Abundance, sustain the hope for all among us who suffer from chronic illness, injury, and anxiety, and bolster the energy of their care providers. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Jesus, Bread of Life
                        Help us to incline our ears to You and heed Your words

~ O God of Abundance, soften the pain of those who, in sorrow, commend their loved ones to Your eternal care. We are soothed by knowing that You receive with joy and open arms those we have newly sent ahead. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Jesus, Bread of Life
                        Help us to incline our ears to You and heed Your words

~ O God of Abundance, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…

                        Jesus, Bread of Life
                        Help us to incline our ears to You and heed Your words

~ O God of Abundance, we ask Your special blessings upon those who are chosen to feed our souls through Your Word and Sacraments. Let them experience Your loving embrace and support as they lead us ever closer to knowing You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Jesus, Bread of Life
                        Help us to incline our ears to You and heed Your words

The Celebrant adds: Lord of Compassion and Sustenance, we come together in this community seeking our spiritual fill from the broken pieces of the Eucharist. As we receive this sacred Gift, grant us wisdom, courage, and fortitude to carry You with us into our lives and the lives of all we meet. We ask for these blessings through Jesus, Bread of Life; the Holy Spirit, Breath of Souls; who together with You, Creator of Life and Souls, are the One God, forever and eternally.  Amen.




Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, 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.


Sunday, July 27, 2014

Meditation Moments: Differently Me




I can't go back to yesterday, 
because 
I was a different person then.
~ Lewis Carroll* [1832-1898]

          




         Was I a better or a worse person yesterday?   What I know for sure is that today I have new experiences to reflect upon and a fresh perspective about now. Today might be a "normal" day filled with the routine and the ordinary but then one never knows what the world's news will be, what wonderful surprises will occur, or what difficulties great and small will arise. 
           So, Dear God of All Possibilities, grant me the energy, curiosity, and persistence to explore all that this day offers. Let me accept all the busy-ness, relationships, moments of boredom, the stresses, the quiet, the noise, the laughter, the tears that this day may bring. I want to be aware of all the colors, the art, the music, and the characters that usually fade into the background in an everyday day. If it becomes an extraordinary day, I hope to have the reflexes to go with whatever comes. As I lay my head down on the pillow at the end of it, help me sift through the moments where I found You most present. And, might there be a refreshing and peaceful sleep to follow? I'll need all that will empower and motivate the different person I will be tomorrow. amen.
          

*Lewis Carroll was the pen name of British born author, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, best known for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and a host of other children's stories and poems. A mathematics lecturer, he was also an avid photographer, wrote political pamphlets, and essays.




Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a person, 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.


Friday, July 25, 2014

Meditation Moments: Auto-matic Christian






Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car.   
                ― Garrison Keillor*  [1942- ]



          
Dear God, 
      I have faithfully attended church on most Sundays of the year except for vacations, most holiday weekends and when I'm tired (I DO show up on Christmas and Easter, though). I give money, I go to coffee hour.  That's about all I have time for in a busy week. I know there are other things going on in the building at different times - I see all the posters for a study of this or that, a prayer service of some kind or another - but I never bother with all that, it's for holier people than me anyway. At least you know I'm trying, more or less, to do my duty as a Christian. So, when You have a moment, I think I'd like to be a Mercedes, or maybe a Lexus, hmmm, no how about a Jaguar, no wait...a Maserati, YES! - I've always wanted to learn to speak Italian.   amen.



*Garrison Keillor is an American author, humorist, storyteller, and radio host of Minnesota Public Radio's "A Prairie Home Companion." A commentator on life through his Lake Wobegon stories and other novels and writing, he is well known for his sharp wit disguised in a quiet unassuming manner.




Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, 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.


Thursday, July 24, 2014

Meditation Moments: X marks the spot


If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.  
                 ~ Malcolm X * [1925-1965 ]




           I don't want to read a newspaper, magazine, or social media, listen to a radio station, or watch a tv program that will make me crazy angry because of its extremes in political or religious or whatever viewpoint. But I also realize that if I only accept what I want to hear, I may miss something important that may alter my thoughts by opening my mind. And besides, if I already know my mind, why would I be afraid to hear another idea? 
          OH, the dilemma! Dear Lord of all Critical Thinking, grant me the patience to hear other voices and not be quick to reject them without thinking through the points they make. Push me, also, not to blindly follow the directives of the voices I like better. Your Gospel gives me the criteria for listening to the opinions of others who set themselves up as authorities of all information. To Love your neighbor as [if s/he is] yourself [Mark 12:31] is, for me, the standard by which I try to look at my own thoughts and actions and, those engaged in the public information business attempting to sway my opinions.
             Sometimes, no matter how difficult the message or the messenger is at the time, there may still be truth, wisdom, and a new perspective to be gained when my mind is open. I don't have to change my opinions - but I'm free to. I don't have to listen to the disagreeable stuff all the time, either - right?
          Malcolm was a child of You, God of Abraham, and spoke a truth we don't always want to hear even now. But in this case, as with searching for truth as a treasure, X marks this spot very clearly. Please help me to stop, think, and reflect, and, to remember that I must re-evaluate regularly how I accept, reject, and act on an uncomfortable truth. amen.                   


*Malcom X was born as Malcolm Little and after a more than difficult childhood and later imprisonment, he converted to The Nation of Islam becoming a minister and a very outspoken, radical, and controversial human rights activist. After traveling in the Middle East and Africa and changing affiliations from The Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam, he repudiated many of his early beliefs and teachings. He said, "I did many things as a [Nation of Islam] Muslim that I'm sorry for now. I was a zombie then ... pointed in a certain direction and told to march." He was assassinated by three members of The Nation of Islam in 1965.




Please feel free to request a prayer or meditation to be composed for a particular person, 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.