Good Evening Dear Family!
Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! I hope all is well. Tonight some of us are watching the coverage of Hurricane Matthew and some of us are remembering Matthew Shepard who lost his life in a terrible hate crime in Wyoming 18 years ago today just because he was gay. These Matthews reminded me of how different everyone who bears the same name. Matthew means in Hebrew "gift of YAHWEH". How can we see these two Matthews as the "gift of YAHWEH"? Maybe we can think of them this way The hurricane named Matthew may be a way that we can become united and prepared for all things. It is very difficult to see the good things in an approaching hurricane that will cause damage, heartache and maybe loss of life. Matthew Shepard reminds us each day how precious life is and that there is no place for hate and destruction but when it happens we need to open our heart homes up to love, healing, and being the balm of grace people are seeking Compassion, acceptance, love and mercy. Maybe we can see why these these two tales of two Matthews as gifts in the most famous portions of scripture that St. Matthew placed in Gods' Gospel. Let us unwrap these packages:
Matthew 25:31-46
31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?”45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’
The Beatitudes
5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,[o] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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I can see these are gifts to us as people of faith when we are experiencing hard times and when our family members have become victims of hate. Matthew is a gift for us and really contains a social justice Gospel. I chose the above because they speak to me to and my heart home as a reminder to be thoughtful and thankful and put on the mantle of gratitude. We always take time on Thursdays to be thoughtful and thankful as reminders of Maundy Thursday, The Feast of the Ascension, and Thanksgiving Day all holy days that are fixed on Thursday. We need to begin a dialogue and focus on being loving, listening, and taking time for thoughtful thought and speech.
God we pray for our family members who are in the path of Matthew and remember all the Matthew Shepard's of the world. Let us seek to find in times of trouble Gifts of Yahweh, from God and that we may truly become the People of God.
God we light our candles and offer our prayers in the silence of our hearts for all who have become victimized in any way especially by natural disaster and hate crime.
A few prayers for the Vulnerable and Survivor-victims of Violence and abuse:
Dear Lord we pray for the victims and survivors of violence and abuse.
We pray for all those who work in the areas of domestic violence and child abuse prevention.
We pray for CALM, CASA, Child Help, Silent Witness and the many organizations that help and make programs for our family members feel safe, protected, valued, loved, and remembered.
We pray for all those who are trained in SART and those who will be cared for tonight. Wrap your arms around them Lord and make them feel that they are safe.
Dear Lord we pray for the victims and survivors of violence and abuse.
We pray for all those who work in the areas of domestic violence and child abuse prevention.
We pray for CALM, CASA, Child Help, Silent Witness and the many organizations that help and make programs for our family members feel safe, protected, valued, loved, and remembered.
We pray for all those who are trained in SART and those who will be cared for tonight. Wrap your arms around them Lord and make them feel that they are safe.
Remembering those who have lost their lives due to gun violence.
We pray for all women who have been victims of Domestic Violence and those who have lost their lives due to domestic violence and are known only to you.
We pray for safe streets and sidewalks for all of our family members.
Remembering especially the disabled, elderly, women, and children.
We pray that all those who commit these terrible acts may be caught and brought to justice.
We pray for our family members who have been victimized by the Santa Maria Groper and all victimizers.
We pray that all of us may not be afraid to get involved, speak truth to power, report incidences as both victims/survivors, and witnesses, and wear the mantles you give us when we are called to be your spokespeople and speak up on behalf of others who can't and are afraid to.
Lord God, watch over our cities, family members, and those who haven't any choice but to walk during the evening and night hours. We lift up these prayers to you O Lord. Amen.
We pray for all women who have been victims of Domestic Violence and those who have lost their lives due to domestic violence and are known only to you.
We pray for safe streets and sidewalks for all of our family members.
Remembering especially the disabled, elderly, women, and children.
We pray that all those who commit these terrible acts may be caught and brought to justice.
We pray for our family members who have been victimized by the Santa Maria Groper and all victimizers.
We pray that all of us may not be afraid to get involved, speak truth to power, report incidences as both victims/survivors, and witnesses, and wear the mantles you give us when we are called to be your spokespeople and speak up on behalf of others who can't and are afraid to.
Lord God, watch over our cities, family members, and those who haven't any choice but to walk during the evening and night hours. We lift up these prayers to you O Lord. Amen.
Tonight I ask that we all begin knitting a tight prayer circle around all areas of our country and around the world that are plagued by severe weather,natural disaster, and violence. Tonight we need to be at prayer! Being with God and at prayer is all we need, along with a heavy and life giving dose of Love.
Today's featured prayer music: The Way Soundtrack or Francesco- Vangelis
God we pray for all those who are in the paths of severe weather, civil unrest, violence, and natural disasters. We pray particularly for our family members Nepal and Baltimore. We pray for our family members who are in danger and especially those who have lost their lives, property, and livelihoods.
We pray for sound governance throughout the world and that there may be peace on the earth and that all wars, violence, and injustice may cease.
We pray for a climate of mindfulness and that we may not walk in a fog but clear headed and with clear vision to see what is happening in our worldwide neighborhood
God we pray for all those who are in the paths of severe weather, civil unrest, violence, and natural disasters. We pray particularly for our family members Nepal and Baltimore. We pray for our family members who are in danger and especially those who have lost their lives, property, and livelihoods.
We pray for sound governance throughout the world and that there may be peace on the earth and that all wars, violence, and injustice may cease.
We pray for a climate of mindfulness and that we may not walk in a fog but clear headed and with clear vision to see what is happening in our worldwide neighborhood
and that we may see God in each other's eyes. We pray that we may not pass people by on the road and may we always recognize Jesus in the least of these.
We pray for those who are struggling to find employment all over the world and that jobs may be well paying and permanent.
We pray for all those who are in transition at any stage of life. We pray for all of our young people who are being promoted in school, those graduating, those retiring, and those discerning vocations to ministry and new life paths.
We pray for all of us who are learning to deal with a new normals in our health situations. We pray for those who are ill in whatever place the healing process they may find themselves.
We pray for those who are struggling to find employment all over the world and that jobs may be well paying and permanent.
We pray for all those who are in transition at any stage of life. We pray for all of our young people who are being promoted in school, those graduating, those retiring, and those discerning vocations to ministry and new life paths.
We pray for all of us who are learning to deal with a new normals in our health situations. We pray for those who are ill in whatever place the healing process they may find themselves.
We pray for all those who work to keep us safe from harm. Remembering the people who fix our infrastructures, law enforcement, military, emergency rescue personnel, and all those who are involved in health and safety.
We pray that we may never stop growing into the Family of God you created us to be and that we may be loving, merciful, grateful, and compassionate beings who respect the dignity of all.
We pray this night for all of those who have requested prayer and those of whom we have been asked to pray for.
We pray for all of our family members who are finding life a struggle and we remember those with chronic pain and mental illness. We pray that a cure may be found for all memory related illnesses.
We pray that everyone who has challenging work loads this week may find peace and time for rest, relaxation, refreshment, and renewal. We pray that we all may master the art and necessities of rest and sleep.
May we lay down our burdens and worries O God and may we find our bodies, minds, and spirits lightened in order to serve you daily.
We pray for all those who minister to our family members at night especially the Automobile Club/AAA, Emergency Room personnel, Hospice workers, Night Caregivers, and those who work in the Mortuary ministries.
We pray for all of our family members who are finding life a struggle and we remember those with chronic pain and mental illness. We pray that a cure may be found for all memory related illnesses.
We pray that everyone who has challenging work loads this week may find peace and time for rest, relaxation, refreshment, and renewal. We pray that we all may master the art and necessities of rest and sleep.
May we lay down our burdens and worries O God and may we find our bodies, minds, and spirits lightened in order to serve you daily.
We pray for all those who minister to our family members at night especially the Automobile Club/AAA, Emergency Room personnel, Hospice workers, Night Caregivers, and those who work in the Mortuary ministries.
We pray for caregivers of every kind from the Parish Priest to the family member who cares for their aging parents and all caregivers in between.
We lift up these prayers and any other prayers of thanksgiving, remembrance, and celebration to you O God who is Creator, Redeemer, and Holy Comforter. Amen.
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Good Night Lovies! Take Care of yourselves! I love you and hope you all have a blessed and restful night. I give God thanks for you this day and always!
Love to the brim and overflowing!
Sara
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