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.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Meditation Moment in Lent, Day 24: Give Up, Take On, Pray


       The power of faith is the power of goodness and truth, which is the power of God…The opposite of faith is therefore fatalism...[that] finds expression in statements like 'Nothing can be done about it.' and 'There is no hope.' These are the statements of people who do not really believe in the power of God, people who do not really hope for what God has promised.   
~ Albert Nolan, O.P.* 1934-2022


Faith....do I have it?  I think I do ~ I must, I go to church, I pray ~ but then there are those moments when I am unsure of what God means to my life. There are times when I am certain there is nothing I can do that will make any useful difference in the world. I even struggle with hope as the world seems to be in constant chaos and turmoil, twisting and turning in violence and calamity. I question my faith often and I suppose I always will. And then what helps is seeing that tiny mustard seed ~ is that really all I need? I think I can muster that much in my way of Faith. Just that much…

Dear Jesus,
   You said that if I have faith as small as a mustard seed I can move mountains [Matthew 17:20]. I feel that strength and know I can move anything larger than myself on those "good days." On those not so good days, sometimes it's all I can do to move myself. But when I look at that tiny seed, I begin to approach hope. For today, I'll give up pondering the details of what I'm sure I believe and what I'm not so sure of. I'll take on walking through each day with that mustard seed as a tangible sign of Your love and inspiration ~ from its tiny beginnings to its full leafing of surprising height that produces more seeds to give flavor and warmth to my life. I'll pray for more hope and more confidence in my faith. In the meantime, I have faith in that tiny seed's magic ~ within it there is the potential for tremendous growth, just as there is within me when I feel my faith reaching for You. amen.

Full Grown Israeli Mustard Tree


*Albert Nolan, OP, was born in Cape Town as a 4th generation South African of English descent. With inspiration from reading the works of Thomas Merton, he entered the Dominican Order in 1954. He taught theology to and had been Vicar General of the Dominicans in South Africa. The author of several books, his 1976 Jesus Before Christianity is the most well-known and has been reissued several times and as recently as 2001, its 25th Anniversary edition.  In it, Nolan discusses Jesus' radical struggle for the full humanity of the poor in the time of first-century Palestine. Nolan writes that Jesus "challenged the rich to identify in solidarity with the poor," a universal theme that is persistently relevant across time and culture.



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Monday, March 20, 2023

Prayers of the People: Unbound From Fear ~ 5th Sunday in Lent '23 Yr A

For Sunday, March 26, 2023 ~ Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11, John 11:1-45

  He said to me "Mortal, can these bones live?" ..."Prophesy to these bones and say to them: O dry bones hear the word of the Lord...I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you...and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord." [Ezekiel 37:1a, 3-5, 6b]

    Out of the depths have I called to  you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice...For there is forgiveness with you...I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; in his word is my hope. [Psalm 130: 1, 3a, 4]

  But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. [Romans 8:10-11]

     Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I’m the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." [John 11:24-26]

     I know people who have had to hunker down in full-on desert sandstorms in Iraq. They tell me it's blinding, abrading, choking, and all-around frightening. The dunes shape-shift so swiftly as to bury and lay bare concurrently. When the particles settle, the air is so dry it's nearly electric. Without shelter and protection, flesh peels off limbs in sheets and, in the aridity of the desert, you cannot tell the old bones from the new.
     The bones of Ezekiel's valley were very dry, empty, and scattered, each from the other. I’m sure even in his vision, Ezekiel had difficulty in imagining them re-connected, re-fleshed, and re-animated, yet through God’s instructions and Ezekiel’s obedience in prophesying, they were. We, as Christians, see this as a foreshadowing of Christ’s Resurrection from the dead. The Pharisaic teaching, that Martha and Mary knew, was that all the righteous would be raised on “the last day.”
     Martha and Mary must have felt scattered and lost at the death of their beloved brother; so painful a loss that Jesus also wept. Who among us cannot understand that while shedding an ocean of tears in the midst of immediate grief, there can be a sense of emptiness that feels as vast, as dry, and as deep as the sands of the Sinai? They wondered why Jesus, who could have saved Lazarus, didn’t come sooner. The teaching of the time was that a soul lingered nearby for 3 days after death. Mary was clear to Jesus that Lazarus was now dead 4 days. All was truly lost, until…      
     We don’t expect or believe that Jesus will call our loved ones out of the grave and restore them to full life and health, certainly not in this life. We hope for it, perhaps dream about it. But the reality of the earthly loss arrives very quickly and never leaves. Yet Paul reminds us that setting our minds on the flesh of this life is death to eternal life. We are to set our minds on the Spirit which is life and peace. No, it definitely isn't easy, especially in the times of life when we feel blown about as in a sandstorm; frightened of the next few days or weeks or months as in the time of the recent pandemic. Some of us are covered over and some of us laid bare. But no matter the age or wellness of our bones, hope is always the best antidote to despair and the best place to find hope is in a community of faith.
      A community exists even when we are at a distance from each other as do family members who live in different states or countries. Some of our Church family simply fell out of the habit of being in Church during the days of the pandemic. Some are physically unable and reaching out regularly is heart-giving for the one who gives and the one who receives. For those with whom we have simply lost regular contact sending an email, a note, or a phone call may be all that's needed to say I'm thinking of you and you are missed but you are still part of "us." Even if the outcome doesn't change, the effort is still worth the time in the family of Christ.
     We all believe and hope in different ways for different outcomes in life’s events, but as a community we must gather our bones, and come alive together in whatever ways, old and new, we can discover. The psalmist says in his word is my hope. The Word of the Gospel can re-animate our hope as we seek the Spirit of Christ within us. We are not alone, even at a distance from each other whether across deserts, oceans, or one street, as long as we choose hope and reach out to each other in love. In Christ we are unbound from fear of the unknowns yet to come, the Light fills and surrounds us, distance fades as we gather together in faith.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Most Merciful GOD, unbind us from the desires and fears that dry our souls, our hearts, and our bones. Set our minds on the Spirit of life and peace, that we may seek, believe, and follow Christ Jesus, who is the Resurrection and the Life.

                                                      O Lord, our GOD                                  
RESPONSE:                          Rest Your hand upon us

~  Most Merciful GOD, endow those who govern with the capacity, foresight, and willingness to act decisively for the benefit of all Your people throughout this Community, this Nation, and this Planet. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord, our GOD                
                                                       Rest Your hand upon us

~ Most Merciful GOD, bestow Your healing touch upon all in ill-health, emotional turmoil, or despair; and for those who give them care, rest for today and hope for tomorrow. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord, our GOD                
                                                       Rest Your hand upon us

~ Most Merciful GOD, let our tears be dried and our grief released, for as Jesus called Lazarus from his tomb, You call our loved ones to the joy of new and eternal life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord, our GOD                
                                                       Rest Your hand upon us

~ Most Merciful GOD, 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, our GOD                
                                                       Rest Your hand upon us          

~ Most Merciful GOD, hearten the spirits of those sent to us to lead Your Church as they prophesy Your Word, and bring us together into the Light of Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord, our GOD                
                                                       Rest Your hand upon us                                                                                   
The Celebrant adds: Lord God of us All, breathe into our mortal bones and awaken us from the death of sin, as our waiting souls turn toward the radiance of Your mercy, forgiveness, and everlasting life. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ; and the Holy Spirit, our Compass and our Guide; who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen. 

 

 





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Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 23: Give Up, Take On, Pray

 

 
Just as how we conceptualize God affects what we think the Christian life is about,
so do our images of God.

~ Marcus Borg* 1942-2015           

    Have you ever thought about what your image of God is? There have been lifelong influences, some more unconscious than others. In your mind does he look like the illustrations in Children's Bibles, photos of Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, the ultimate grandfather or, the ultimate disciplinarian? What about Jesus as a sun-tanned, blue eyed European with long flowing locks sun-kissed by expensive-looking highlights or a middle eastern semite, a young Jewish man from Palestine?  And, the Holy Spirit ~ an upside down white dove? 
    Of course it's easier to relate to and feel comfortable with someone we can picture in our minds. Have you ever had the experience of meeting up with a friend from childhood or schooldays ~ you have that old photo in your mind and suddenly you're confronted with the reality.  Perhaps it all works fine or perhaps the memory and the reality are difficult to mesh. Just as we watch children grow from newborns, to toddlers, older children, teens, young adults...and just as we sometimes want to hold on to them at a certain moment in time, it's important for our relationships with them to grow and allow who they become to deepen our bonds. 
    Obviously, we don't have the luxury of knowing what God looks like ~ and if we did, would it be God? ~ but we can look at how or if our early ideas about the image of God have or have not evolved and what that means to us about the maturity of our faith. 
     Sr. Sandra Schneiders, IHM, STD, Professor Emerita of New Testament Studies and Christian Spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley has said, God is more than two men and a bird. 
    Has your Trinity ever looked like two men and a bird in your mind's eye? How does your current mind's image affect your prayer, your relationship, your sense of who God is in your life?


Dear God,
       I'm concerned that I might have the wrong image of You in my mind. I want so much to capture the right picture of You in my imaginings ~ all of You, the Trinity ~ God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, so that I can feel that I'm relating to You correctly. And yet somehow that doesn't seem quite right, either.  Well then, for today I'll give up trying to apply and accept someone else's image of You. I'll take on thinking about how I am made in Your image rather than You being made in my image. I'll pray for the security and  spiritual freedom to let You out of the box I keep trying to keep You in. And as I mature in my relationship with You, perhaps I will be able to realize that all I need to do to know You in my mind and heart and soul, is to look in the mirror and at all those I meet daily and then I will see the faces of My Trinity.  amen.


*Marcus Borg, was a Fellow of the Jesus Seminar, and the first person to be designated as Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University. Educated at Moorhead College in Concordia, Minnesota; Union Theological Seminary, in New York City; he also earned a Masters degree in theology and a Ph.D. at Mansfield College, Oxford, England. A progressive Christian with a significant record of scholarship and research on the Historical Jesus, a prolific author and lecturer, and known internationally through videos, lectures, and television, Borg was a frequent collaborator with other theologians with whom he both agreed and disagreed. He remains one of the most recognized and influential theologians of today. Two of his best known works are Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus & The Heart of Contemporary Faith; and, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously but Not Literally







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Saturday, March 18, 2023

Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 22, Give Up, Take On, Pray



I

Am

A Hole

In A Flute

That the Christ's Breath

Moves Through - 

Listen to This

Music.

~ Hafiz 1320-1389*

 

O Breath of God,
        waft through my body, permeate my soul, fill my consciousness to overflowing and let me breathe You into the World. For today I will give up the oblivion of mindless breathing and take on the wonder of inhaling and exhaling with purpose beyond the obvious. I will stop and notice several times today as I breathe in with intention and breathe out with awareness. I will pray at those moments to experience the Radiance of Christ entering in and the humility of conveying the Glory of Christ as I release His music to the world around me. amen.




*Hafiz (Shams-ud-din Muhammad) was a beloved poet of 14th century Persians and his mystical verse has come down through the ages influencing the work and lives of Goethe and Ralph Waldo Emerson, both of whom translated his work. Arthur Conan Doyle had his character Sherlock Holmes quoting Hafiz and Johannes Brahms used several lines in his own compositions. It has been said that in difficult moments, Queen Victoria also went to the work of Hafiz. The quote above was translated by Daniel Ladinsky in his book, A Year With Hafiz.







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Friday, March 17, 2023

Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 21, Give Up, Take On, Pray


      In the 5th Century, a 16 year-old Roman Briton was captured by Irish pirates and served as a slave for 6 years before his escape back to home.  He credits the time of captivity for his significant spiritual experiences that resulted in conversion to Christianity. 
     After being ordained, Patrick returned to Ireland later in life to preach the message of God in the Trinity, convert, and baptize. As a foreigner who refused the patronage of the Kings, he endured much opposition and was without legal protection. He wrote about beatings, being tied up with chains, periodic imprisonment, and threats of execution. 
        Through it all he Christian-ized many of the early Celtic worship practices, possibly including the sacred symbol of the shamrock that, it has been said, he used to explain the Trinity.
      The famous St. Patrick's Breastplate, also known as the Cry of the Deer, is a prayer poem attributed to him that has been set to music in a variety of ways.  Many of the hymnal versions use only a small portion of the lyrics and it often contains several separate melodies and rhythms within the one hymn. The work with or without music has a cadence of an almost Druidic incantation which the people of his time would have understood.  It isn't often that we see the entire piece and so it is included below, followed by a YouTube rendering of one musical setting. 
      Despite all the myth, fact, and legend, Patrick has had a profound impact as Ireland's Patron Saint, slightly ahead of Sts. Brigid and Columba, and is known throughout the world for far more than just green beer and raucous celebration!

Mo Dhia, (My God),
       Your Servant Patrick taught the native Irish people the One-ness of God in the Three-ness of the Trinity. For today I will give up 15 minutes of my time to take on reading and sitting with the power of the words of his prayer poem. Perhaps I can pick a different smaller portion of it to work with each day this week as "I arise..." I pray to feel the strength of the Breastplate, the armor of my Faith, in my body, mind, and soul, now and always.  amen.
   

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.


I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.


I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.


I arise today
Through the strength of heaven,
The light of the sun.
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today 
Through God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me,
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;


Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.


Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.


I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.


Click here to hear and see this prayer/poem sung to life: The Deer's Cry/St. Patrick's Breastplate






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Thursday, March 16, 2023

Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 20, Give Up, Take On, Pray



     One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future...Carried away by our worries, we’re unable to live fully and happily in the present. Deep down, we believe we can’t really be happy just yet—that we still have a few more boxes to be checked off before we can really enjoy life.   

~  Thích Nhất Hạnh* 1926-2022


   It’s one thing to hope for and plan for the future. It’s another thing to live in it before it arrives and, in so doing, miss all the opportunities of today to smile, appreciate, enjoy. Even in the darkest of times, light will shine through the clouds. How many times have you played the game of: once the car is paid off….once the kids are through school ….once the new roof is on….once the dentist bills are paid….once the house is fixed up, paid off, sold….once we retire….THEN we'll be able to……
Take the moments you have in the NOW and the THEN will take care of itself.


Dear God of Maybe Someday ~
           This business of "live for today and tomorrow will take care of itself" is all well and fine but I have bills to pay, income to worry about, repairs that can't wait for the house and the car and even my teeth and, and, and.... [insert long, s l o w, d e e p, breath here]. Ok, all right, fine! For today I will give up looking so far ahead that today is gone before I know it. I will take on setting the cell phone timer to go off once an hour for 6 hours and each time it does, I will take [at least] one, long, slow, deep breath again and take 30 seconds to look around me and notice something wonderful or sweet or comforting that I haven't noticed before, whether in my immediate surroundings or outside of a window; or, I will look at a picture of someone I love and smile and be glad to have him or her or them in my life. I will pray to be aware of and to be thankful for all the good moments that I have in this day.  I will thank You, Dear Lord, and remember that Life is a gift, as someone once put on a tacky plaque, that's why we call it the present. amen.


*Thích Nhất Hanh [Tick Not Hahn] was a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, peace activist, teacher, prolific author, and poet who was once nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He wrote and lectured extensively on the connections between Buddhism and Christianity in such works as Living Buddha, Living Christ and Going Home, Jesus and Buddha as Brothers. He studied comparative religion at Princeton University and was appointed lecturer in Buddhism at Columbia University. He lived in a monastery in the south of France until his death but traveled frequently around the world to lecture.








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Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 19, Give Up, Take On, Pray



      Few of us can claim personal experience with unconditional love either received or given. Perhaps a moment with a child, even a pet, but such a rarefied occasion is fleeting and fragile. Yet there are those times when even the strongest of us needs the all-encompassing embrace of one who requires nothing in return, has no expectations, and wants only to care for and comfort, nurture and love us.  Whisper in your heart to the One and know.

O Great Nurturer, Comforter, and Soother,     
    Some days I want too much from others while I think that they want too much from me. Although I'm often certain that, "of course" I try to meet the expectations they have, I more easily fall into an ego trap of but what about me? For today I will give up pouting about (seemingly) being ignored. I will take on a fresh breath and a deep dive into Your call to love my neighbors as myself, and I will pray to remember that You are always within me and knowing if I stop, breathe, and know You are here, You grant me continuing rebirth in faith, reassurance of Your love, and refreshment in my soul. amen.


   Julian of Norwich, 1342-ca 1416, was an English Anchoress which was, in her day, a hermit who lived in, and was sometimes permanently enclosed in, a small cell attached to a wall of the church whose life consisted of daily devotions, prayer, devotional reading, and writing. She is considered to be one of the most important mystics in all of Christianity. Her manuscript of Revelations of Divine Love ~ also known as the Short Text ~ is thought to be the oldest surviving book written in English by a woman.  She is probably best known for her words that with God, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."




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