Dear Family of Love,

I love you ! I just thought I would start out with that tonight instead of waiting till the last part of the blog to do it! Dear ones have you said and shown our family members today's "I love you's" It is very important for everyone to know that they are loved and appreciated. Don't be afraid to say the words and show how you feel. Lots of time is wasted by not doing this. Our world is in such a fragile state that we all need love. In the words on a friend of mine's headstone "Love means never having to say goodbye!" Love and God are eternal and are an unbroken chain that leads us back to God's creating us in love and calling us "Good"! Not good for nothing but good for something. We may not feel like we are lovable but we are if we take the two words apart we are Love Able that means we are able to love and are lovable. No cold pricklies there! So here we are again talking about love. Love is something we mustn't take for granted. Love is the force for good in the world. I'm convinced that many of our family members who are engaged in hate filled speech, bullying, abuse, terrorist acts and the the like , may not have known the way to love and what being a family member in a family or a family member of a faith and way of life entails. Lots of fear and I suspect many hours and years of abuse at the hands of family members at an early age who never told them that they had the ability to love, were worthy not worthless, the only way to get ahead in this life was to do the exact opposite. For many of them ,just to clarify not all of them, love turns to hate, negative self-esteem turns to bullying and terror, lack of proper formation in their so called faith may lead them down a path to ignorance and misuse and practice their faith in such a way to harm. Let us revisit the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 61

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
   because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
   to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
   and release to the prisoners;
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,
   and the day of vengeance of our God;
   to comfort all who mourn;
³ to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
   to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
⁴ They shall build up the ancient ruins,
   they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
   the devastations of many generations.

and let us remember the words of the Beatitudes for added emphasis

Matthew 5: 1-11

The Beatitudes

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

These two passages are the way we should show love and be lovable. Tonight let us take time to meditate on the above passages and the word love.

Take time to listen to:

Ubi Caritas -Durufle, and other music by the Cambridge Singers!

Ubi Caritas -Bob Hurd

Ubi Caritas -Taize

For our prayers tonight we will use the Prayer of St. Francis and a Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila and add our own prayers.

.Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, Saint Francis Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred,

let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt,

faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness,

light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Let us in love lift up these our prayers and thanksgivings on behalf of others and ourselves remembering especially____________________ . We offer and lovingly lay these our prayers and thanksgivings in the arms of of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

++++++

Good Night Dear and Loving Family of Ours! May you feel love and peace in your hearts, minds, and spirits this night. I love you! You Matter! You are beloved Children of God, You are included and not invisible, You are gifts one to another and precious to God, each of us, and me. I hope and pray that you add yourselves in this because loving yourself is the best place to start loving all.

Love to the brimful and overflowing,

Sara