Are you truly "in love and charity with your neighbors" ?

Dear Family of Love!

Happy You Matter Monday! I hope everyone is well and ready for our week of  gratitude and thanksgiving.  Tonight I am inviting everyone to join with me in experiencing a virtual candlelight vigil that we started last week but will be ongoing throughout the remainder of the year. We all must be one with each other in a common purpose of prayer, meditation, and shining God's light to the world. We must step up and stop putting up barriers of loving our neighbors and family members throughout the world.  When I was growing up in the Episcopal church we had the 1928 BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER and we had this invitation to confession. It speaks to me and I hope it speaks to you. The language is very old but it gets to the heart of the matter. 

Ye who do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and
are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to
lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and
walking from henceforth in his holy ways: Draw near with
faith, and make your humble confession to Almighty God,
devoutly kneeling.

My question for all of us is this: Are we in love and charity with our neighbors?  Where are we with this?  From what I see in social media we are having a tough time doing this. We all talk a good game but where are we at the heart and heart home of the matter? I keep seeing many  axes and teeth that are being ground and gritted. We must spend time in prayer seeking to be at one with each other by praying away the wrongs we have done. Tonight let us take time to write down those things that make us edgy, angry, uneasy. Take time to talk to God and ask God for helping you come to terms with these things. Ask God for a change of heart and mind so that you may be truly open to being CALM( Compassionate,, Accepting, Loving, and Merciful). Give your self permission to forgive yourself for your actions and receive the forgiveness of our family members. 

Now here is our first candlelight vigil format written in blog form. You will see it once a week on You Matter Mondays :    

Time : 8:00 p.m. EST 
Place: Your home or a quiet area of your choice;
Duration: Whatever you feel your body can handle.

Begin by lighting a virtual Candle:

Take time to settle back and be mindful of the presence of God in your life and at this very moment. 

Remember to recount your day with its twists and turns.  If you have done anything amiss ask God for forgiveness. Ask God to help you be a forgiving person so that you won't hold an unhealthy grudge. 

Now take a bit of time to practice our breathing and mindfulness exercises to go deeper into the center and spend time with God in holy listening;

Inhale Love,
Exhale Love Energy.

Inhale Love,
Exhale Love Energy.

Inhale Love,
Exhale Love Energy.

Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be

Inhale Love,
Exhale Love Energy

Inhale Love,
Exhale Love Energy.

Inhale Love,
Exhale Love Energy.

Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be

Now begin to sit quietly for a space of time of your own choosing. If you have trouble sitting, do this for a short period. 

Set your timer, mindfulness app, or musical selection that has the time you'd like to sit and be quiet or sit with. 

Tonight's musical selection is this: Thomas Tallis - Spem in Alium

Close your eyes. Sit and be! 

As we enter into prayer :

Hail Gladdening Light

In Pace

If you wish to listen to this while you pray; Lighten our Darkness: Music for the Close of Day

Light another candle to invite God's presence as we pray.

God of love we pray this night that we may be united in prayer with you and each other.

We pray this night that peace may prevail upon earth and that swords may be beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks and that wars may cease and love and charity may take its place.

We pray for all the refugees that are in need of homes and understanding. Enfold them all with your loving presence and that they may be patient as they await resettlement. 

We pray for all aid agencies who are helping our family members who do not have places to call home especially the homeless, hungry and ill clad in our midst.

We pray for all of our family members who know only hate and disunity that they may have their hearts tenderized and come to know that love is truly answer to being one with each other on life's journey.

We pray for all who are ill especially _________________may they find solace as they await your healing power O, God.

We pray and give thanks for this day _______________________

We lift up our tender hearts, hands, and feet to you O God that you may use us and respond to your call with a humble but resounding "Yes".

We pray this night for all the least of these that they may be protected and that no one will ever be seen as invisible.

We pray that we may be the voice of the voiceless, speak truth to power, and let justice roll down like an overflowing stream and that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you O. God.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we 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; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.

Stay here for awhile and pray for all our family members who have unspoken prayers and remember to pray for all the families of those who seek to do evil that they may find solace and help in time of need. Remember that everyone is not excluded from our prayers even our enemies and those who wish us harm. 

This night let us begin our week of gratitude and thanksgiving by counting our blessings and giving thanks to God for the abundance God Showers upon us daily. 

O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows
lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is
hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done.
Then in thy mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest,
and peace at the last. Amen. (From THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER)

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Good Night Dear Ones! May God be with us all! I love you and Give God thanks for you this night and always! Tomorrow is Take Care Tuesday let us Take care of ourselves so that we may take care of others. 

One final question for the night! Again Are you truly "in love and charity with your neighbors"?

With Love and Gratitude,

Sara