Thursday, August 20, 2020

A time of prayer and meditation! Let us take time to make vigil and then take our rest!







Good Evening Dear Ones!

Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! Today is the Feast of Bernard of Clairvaux, let us ponder his words of wisdom and spend time in prayer and meditation. Let us begin with the "Peace be stills!" 


Peace be still.
Peace be. 
Peace.

Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.

Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.

Let us ponder the words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux!

"The measure of love is love without measure." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"We find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place in ourselves for those who love us." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"The three most important virtues are humility, humility, and humility." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"What we love we shall grow to resemble." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"God will become visible as God's image is reborn in you." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"You wish to see; listen. Hearing is a step toward Vision." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"Spiritual life is like living water that springs up from the very depths of our own spiritual experience.  In spiritual life everyone has to drink from his or her own well." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"Jesus to me is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, a song in the heart." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"Action and contemplation are very close companions; they live together in one house on equal terms. Martha and Mary are sisters." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux


"Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts, Thou fount of life, thou Light of men, From the best bliss that earth imparts We turn unfilled to Thee again. We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread, And long to feast upon Thee still: We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead, And thirst our souls from Thee to fill. O Jesus, ever with us stay, Make all our moments calm and bright; Chase the dark night of sin away, Shed o'er the world Thy holy light." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"The true measure of loving God is to love him without measure." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"He rightly reads scripture who turns words into deeds." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"Prayer is a wine which makes glad the heart of man" ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

""My burden is light," said the blessed Redeemer, a light burden indeed, which carries him that bears it. I have looked through all nature for a resemblance of this, and seem to find a shadow of it in the wings of a bird, which are indeed borne by the creature, and yet support her flight towards heaven." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

"Persecution shows who is a hireling, and who a true pastor." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux



Come let us worship!

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon
your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 75:1

You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but citizens together
with the saints and members of the household of God.
Ephesians 2:19

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

You Lord are all that I have; I have promised to keep your Word. I have sought your favour with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promises. Psalm 119:57, 58

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and those who are afraid are not perfected in love. We love because God first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother or sister, that person is a liar; for those who do not love their brothers and sisters whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:18-20

Jesus said, ‘Anyone who has left brothers or sisters, father, mother, or children, land or houses for the sake of my name will be repaid many times over, and given eternal life.’ Matthew 19:29

Give and it will be given to you; for the measure you give will be the measure you receive. From Luke 6:27-38

God is Spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and
in truth. John 4:24

Light of the World Phos hilaron

Light of the world, in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.

Psalm 134 Ecce nunc

1 Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, *
you that stand by night in the house of the Lord.

2 Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord; *
the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.






IN LAK’ECH

Tú eres mi otro yo.

You are my other me.

Si te hago daño a ti,

If I do harm to you,

Me hago daño a mi mismo.

I do harm to myself.

Si te amo y respeto,

If I love and respect you,

Me amo y respeto yo.

I love and respect myself.

Luis Valdez





A Smudging Prayer From Metis Aboriginal Ministries

 Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.



139 Domine, probasti

1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.

2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.

3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?

7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.

A Song of Judith
Judith 16:13-16
I will sing a new song to my God, *
for you are great and glorious, wonderful in strength, invincible.
Let the whole creation serve you, *
for you spoke and all things came into being.
You sent your breath and it formed them, *
no one is able to resist your voice.
Mountains and seas are stirred to their depths, *
rocks melt like wax at your presence.
But to those who fear you, *
you continue to show mercy.
No sacrifice, however fragrant, can please you, *
but whoever fears the Lord shall stand in your sight for ever.


Ecclesiasticus 39:1-10

39He seeks out the wisdom of all the ancients,
   and is concerned with prophecies; 
2 he preserves the sayings of the famous
   and penetrates the subtleties of parables; 
3 he seeks out the hidden meanings of proverbs
   and is at home with the obscurities of parables. 
4 He serves among the great
   and appears before rulers;
he travels in foreign lands
   and learns what is good and evil in the human lot. 
5 He sets his heart on rising early
   to seek the Lord who made him,
   and to petition the Most High;
he opens his mouth in prayer
   and asks pardon for his sins. 


6 If the great Lord is willing,
   he will be filled with the spirit of understanding;
he will pour forth words of wisdom of his own
   and give thanks to the Lord in prayer. 
7 The Lord* will direct his counsel and knowledge,
   as he meditates on his mysteries. 
8 He will show the wisdom of what he has learned,
   and will glory in the law of the Lord’s covenant. 
9 Many will praise his understanding;
   it will never be blotted out.
His memory will not disappear,
   and his name will live through all generations. 
10 Nations will speak of his wisdom,
   and the congregation will proclaim his praise.

The Song of Mary Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

John 15:7-11

7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become* my disciples. 9As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

A Song of Our True Nature
Julian of Norwich
Christ revealed our frailty and our falling, *
our trespasses and our humiliations.
Christ also revealed his blessed power, *
his blessed wisdom and love.
He protects us as tenderly and as sweetly when we are in greatest need; *
he raises us in spirit
and turns everything to glory and joy without ending.
God is the ground and the substance, the very essence of nature;
*
God is the true father and mother of natures.
We are all bound to God by nature, *
and we are all bound to God by grace.
And this grace is for all the world, *
because it is our precious mother, Christ.
For this fair nature was prepared by Christ
for the honor and nobility of all, *
and for the joy and bliss of salvation.


The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever.    Amen.

Or

Eternal Spirit, 
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, 
Source of all that is and that shall be, 
Father and Mother of us all, 
Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! 
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples
of the world! 
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! 
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom 
sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us. 
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. 
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. 
From trials too great to endure, spare us. 
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, 
now and for ever.    Amen.


O God, by whose grace your servant Bernard of Clairvaux, kindled with the flame of your love, became a burning and a shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.



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.
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.
++++

Now let us begin our virtual transformation into the least of these as we prepare to pray:

Let us imagine that we are wearing raggedy clothing and cannot look at another person in the eye.

Let us imagine that we are having to find places where food is distributed.

Let us imagine having to live as a transient and be cited for illegal camping.

Let us imagine being denied help just because we have a visible drug addiction and mental illness and that the church you have selected to go to has a nervous volunteer who shoos you away.

Let us imagine that we are outcasts and that the government you rely on for help is distant and thinks that we are lazy.

Let us imagine that we are homeless LGBTQ  youth and persons who haven't a place to go because family members have disowned you.

Let us imagine that we have come to this country illegally in  order to find a better life and that all our money goes to pay off the coyote who brought you here is in reality a brutal human trafficker.

Let us imagine that we are invisible and cower in the dark corners of buildings who are afraid to seek help and dig in dumpsters for food and that because we have a mental illness cannot go to shelters.

Let us imagine that we haven't anywhere to lay our heads and we are experiencing severe weather.

Let us imagine being discriminated against because of our lack of knowing how to speak and read English.

Let us imagine that we do not have sufficient medical, dental, vision, and mental health care and have to resort to using ERs.

Let us imagine being urban refugees with families seeking food, clothing, and shelter.

Let us imagine if only .....

Let us pray our responses to the above.

God we pray for all who are seeking warm clothing and the courage to look family members in the eye.

God we pray that we may have courage to share from our abundance food and clothing. We give thanks for Food banks and clothing distribution centers.

God we pray for shelters to meet the needs of all people and that housing may be built for our homeless and housing insufficient family members. 

God we pray for all who are mentally ill and in need of assistance from our government and social service agencies.

God we pray that our churches may be responsive and educate our personnel how to treat and care for homeless and indigent people. May our churches be a place of sanctuary.

God we pray for safety for our LGBTQ youth and especially the many cultures where being LGBTQ isn't safe and we are shunned by living authentically.

God we pray for all who come to this country illegally and that we may welcome the strangers and help them out of dangerous situations. May we have courage to love our neighbors and the strangers in our midst.

God we pray this night for all the invisible ones who are living like true outcasts and on the the extreme margins of society. 

God we pray for all who are lacking sufficient shelter due to severe weather and natural disaster.

God we pray for our family members who are urban refugees who live in cars and on the streets we remember our poor families who do not have access to food, clothing, and shelter. 

God we pray that we may imagine, pray, and then act, by showing each of us compassion, acceptance, love, and mercy. 

God we pray for good medical care for our family members who lack insurance and are financially unable to pay for good care. We give thanks for Medicaid and social programs designed to help them. 

God give us the courage to stand up and fight against injustice, bigotry, hatred, terror, racism, inequality and all things that seek to divide your family.

God we lift up our own prayers _____________________

God we give thanks and lift up these our prayers and petitions in the name of Jesus who taught us to love, wander like a homeless hippie, and care for the least of these. Amen.

Tonight we light our single candle in loving memory and in conscious knowledge of all the marginalized. We pray for the living and the departed ones whose names we do not know but you know O, God Amen.




Gracious Spirit Come among us in the quietness of  this night so that we may hear God's still small voice calling us in love to be a family united in peace, love, and justice.

We pray this night for all earthly creatures and God's Cathedral of life. May we always remember that every living thing is a family member that sustains us.

Gracious Spirit guide us to take care of the least of these and all of our fragile family members and the world .

We pray for all who are ill that we may step up to help give aid and comfort.

Gracious Spirit, bend our ears so that we may listen to our family members' unspoken cries for love, help, and acceptance.

Gracious Spirit, we pray for all who are dying and those who have died and have entered the Thin Places today. We pray that your comforting presence and loving arms carried them into the arms of God.

We pray for the newly grieving and those who continue to mourn.

We pray for all who have fallen through the cracks, may we reconnect with them and be mindful of fragile souls who become invisible to us and that we may keep our eyes, hearts, and ears open.

Gracious Spirit, we pray for all those who are discerning vocations and new life paths that they may have courage to change course and say yes to whatever your are calling them to do and to be.

We pray for all refugees, political prisoners, victims of abuse and violence, and those who have died by all acts of violence and terror. 

Gracious Spirit we add our own prayers and those we pray on behalf of others especially__________

We pray lift up all these petitions in Jesus most Holy and Redeeming Name. Amen.

+++++++

A  Prayer of the Four Directions   - Chief Seattle 

Great Spirit of Light, come to me out of the East (red) with the power of the rising sun. Let there be light in my words, let there be light on my path that I walk. Let me remember always that you give the gift of a new day. And never let me be burdened with sorrow by not starting over again.

Great Spirit of Love, come to me with the power of the North (white). Make me courageous when the cold wind falls upon me. Give me strength and endurance for everything that is harsh, everything that hurts, everything that makes me squint. Let me move through life ready to take what comes from the north.

Great Life-Giving Spirit, I face the West (black), the direction of sundown. Let me remember everyday that the moment will come when my sun will go down. Never let me forget that I must fade into you. Give me a beautiful color, give me a great sky for setting, so that when it is my time to meet you, I can come with glory.

Great Spirit of Creation, send me the warm and soothing winds from the South (yellow). Comfort me and caress me when I am tired and cold. Unfold me like the gentle breezes that unfold the leaves on the trees. As you give to all the earth your warm, moving wind, give to me, so that I may grow close to you in warmth. Man did not create the web of life, he is but a strand in it. Whatever man does to the web, he does to himself.



The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis
Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.


Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.

Christ be within us to keep us, 
beside us to guard, 
before us to lead, 
behind us to protect, 
beneath us to support, 
above us to bless.


The Wisdom of God the Love of God and the Grace of God strengthen us to be Christ’s hands and heart in this world,in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.(source: Celtic)



Good Night Dear Ones! We will be back in full force tomorrow. I have learned in the past few weeks to bank energy even if I'm walking. I hope you all can learn this too! I love you! Here are a few quotes on the gifts of diversity and unity:

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race." - Kofi Annan

"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." - Maya Angelou

"Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common... Celebrate it every day." - Winston Churchill

"Peace requires everyone to be in the circle - wholeness, inclusion." - Isabel Allende

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together." - Desmond Tutu

"The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border?" - Pablo Casals

That's all for tonight ! 

Blessings and peace interwoven in a technicolor quilt of love and unity,

Sara

Resources:
Satucket for lectionary
Book of Common Prayer
New Zealand Prayer Book
Quote sites for additional prayers
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Metis Aboriginal Ministries.



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