Taking time to enjoy our time together in prayer and familyhood.

Good Evening Dear Ones!


Happy Sunday Evening! Let's enjoy a time of prayer and prayer vigil together and forget all the rest. The time for talk isn't now. This is the time where we can actually enjoy each other's company as a family and Children of God. I know it sounds weird to think of praying as enjoyable but here are my thoughts on the matter and then we'll stop talking. Enjoy has its roots in the Latin word gaudere to rejoice. We should always be rejoicing in the times when we pray and make a time to be together as a family. Prayer shouldn't be drudgery it should be a time of love energy and albeit sometimes solemn, prayer is what connects us to God and each other. So let us be joyful and enjoy each other's company as we pray and have family time. 


God ,we meet here tonight to light our candles and celebrate being your children and a family together. We pray this night and give thanks to you for making us into your family based on love, mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. We pray that the week ahead we may never forget that we are family first and citizens and members of political parties. We pray that we may love one another not in drudgery and the feeling of have to but unconditionally with joy and a willingness to want to and to rejoice and be glad in doing so. We pray for an end to all negativity and divisiveness that hurt and harm one another in many terrifying and hate-filled ways. We pray that we may be united in joy, love, hope, peace, and that we may with joy build bridges and tear down walls. We pray this night for all of our family members who have lost joy that they may receive the necessary help to bring it back into their lives. We pray this night for the courage to be kind even in times of division and fear. We pray that we may ever be enthusiastic when we serve you and the least of these. We pray for love energy enough to meet the days and weeks to come and that we remember that we are your family after all. 
We light our candles and remember this "The Light of Christ in Me, Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!' Amen.

Here is the first set of prayers you may use.


Let us start with our mindfulness breathing exercise.

Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know
Be still
Be

Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know
Be still
Be

Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know
Be still
Be

Now imagine each of us placing a warm prayer quilt of love around each other.  We pray this prayer: 

God we pray and ask you to help us to envision a warm prayer quilt of love that will give us all loving comfort by imagining being wrapped tightly by each other in loving service to you and to each other. 
We :
Imagine it enfolding us with love.

Imagine it making us feel safe from harm

Imagine it giving us strength when we feel weak.

Imagine it healing us through warm thoughts and loving prayers.

Imagine it feeling like home
Imagine it enfolding us when we feel, lost, lonely alone, and invisible.

Imagine it feeling like Gods arms enfolding us with love, light, and mercy.

Imagine it feeling like Jesus' redeeming and healing graces.

Imagine it feeling like the Holy Spirit being the Holy Comforter.

Imagine it feeling like it being encircled and wrapped around each other 
uniting us and not dividing us.

Imagine it wrapping our family members who are ill with the warmth and healing balm. 

Imagine it wrapping the world in justice, mercy and with God guiding us in the pathways of peace.

Imagine it comforting all of us who are grieving.

Imagine it wrapping our dear departed loved ones for their journey home to the Thin Places.

Imagine it enfolding the least of these who are without food, clothing, and shelter.

We imagine it being made of stitched prayers of love, joy, hope, and peace.

We imagine the prayers that are being said as we wrap each other in the prayer quilt we choose for each other.

We imagine it enfolding our family members who long to feel accepted lovingly and authentically for who they and we are.

We pray that as we imagine we may feel the presence of God our Creator, Jesus our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit Holy Comforter. We lift up these our prayers to you O God with warm, loving, and compassionate hearts and heart homes. Amen.


Here is the second set of prayers that may be added.

Tonight let us pray for the least of these and our family members who are feeling lost and alone.

Jesus, we come to you this night asking you to lift up the lonely, lost, and those who feel unloved and outcast. Help us to draw them into  your circle of love and fellowship where they will find peace and a loving family waiting for them.

Jesus, we pray for peace in the holy places where you walked, preached, healed, were there for those who  were outcast, blind, and not welcome in any town. We pray for peace in all of the Holy Land  and a return to holiness and we pray for the leaders of  Israel, Palestine, Syria, and Iraq that they may remember that they are all family members under Abraham and the awesome responsibility that comes with that.

Jesus, help us to be there for our family members even when it seems difficult to do so. 

Jesus, heal all  of our family members who are ill and we name them now before you with love________________

Jesus, help us to grow in the Fruits of the Spirit and reap abundantly the harvest that you have planted.

Jesus, help us to sew seeds of faith, hope, and love and that we may may show these throughout our lives and  in our daily living.

Jesus, help us to be good stewards of God's Cathedral of Life.

Jesus, we pray for all refugees, strangers, immigrants of any kind and especially the unaccompanied children who have been set on a dangerous road to freedom.

Jesus, help us to be lights to this broken world and to each other.

Jesus, be with those who mourn  and we pray that we may follow your example of compassion, love, and yes even weep as you wept at the tomb of Lazarus.

We take time to remember  and speak the names of these dear ones as has become our custom;

Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola, of Baton Rouge who were killed 

We pray and  remember the 4000+ persons who have died by acts of lynching in our country as we speak the name of Moses York who was lynched . We remember and pray for those who have been victims of violence at the hands of law enforcement officers as we speak the names of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and all others. We pray and  speak the names of the the Dallas 5 BRENT THOMPSON, PATRICK ZAMARRIPA,MICHAEL KROL,MICHAEL SMITH,LORNE AHRENS We pray and remember the Orlando 49 and speak their names: Stanley Almodovar III,Amanda Alvear,Oscar A Aracena-Montero, Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, Antonio Davon Brown, Darryl Roman Burt II, Angel L. Candelario-Padro,Juan Chevez-Martinez, Luis Daniel Conde, Cory James Connell, Tevin Eugene Crosby, Deonka Deidra Drayton, Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, Leroy Valentin Fernandez, Mercedez Marisol Flores,Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, Juan Ramon Guerrero, Paul Terrell Henry,Frank Hernandez, Miguel Angel Honorato, Javier Jorge-Reyes, Jason Benjamin Josaphat, Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, Christopher Andrew Leinonen, Alejandro Barrios Martinez, Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, Kimberly Morris, Akyra Monet Murray, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, Joel Rayon Paniagua, Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, Enrique L. Rios, Jr., Jean C. Nives Rodriguez,Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado,Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, Edward Sotomayor Jr., Shane Evan Tomlinson,Martin Benitez Torres, Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, Luis S. Vielma,Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, Jerald Arthur Wright. We pray and speak the name of Ulises Garcia, Bernardino de Jesus, and all those who have died at the hands of gang violence. For all who have died by suicide by law enforcement today especially in Santa Maria remembering, Javier Garcia Gaona.

Jesus, may we rest gentle in your arms this night and always .

We lift up these our prayers to in Jesus' Name . Amen.

Jesus we remember this day Thomas A'Kempis:
Holy Father, you have nourished and strengthened your Church by the inspired writings of your servant Thomas a Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what is necessary to be known, to love what is to be loved, to praise what highly pleases you, and always to seek to know and follow your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
From HOLY WOMEN, HOLY MEN 

Those of us who follow the Lectionary today got a jolt when we read today's reading from the Gospel of Luke and were reminded of this:

Luke 6:17-23

Jesus came down with his disciples and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
"Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

Take time to care for the least of these. This isn't a suggestion, this is what we do as members of the Family of God. We are not let off the hook, this is everyone on the planet and we don't get to pick and choose!


++++++++++++++++

Good Night dear family. I love you! I give thanks to God for you each and everyday. May we all have a restful night.

Love, joy, and peace,

Sara