Good Evening Dear Ones!
Happy being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! Yesterday I started a blog in memory of Madeleine Albright former Secretary of State. Her words were and are powerful. We need to hear and read them today and likewise the words of St. Oscar Romero who was assassinated on March 24, 1980. We will be using the lessons from his feast day. So let us begin with the words of Madeleine Albright.
"It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent." ~ Madeleine Albright
"If there's nobody in your way, you're not going anywhere." ~ Madeleine Albright
"Whatever the job you are asked to do at whatever level, do a good job because your reputation is your resume." ~ Madeleine Albright
"The reason I made women's issues central to American foreign policy, was not because I was a feminist, but because we know that societies are more stable if women are politically and economically empowered." ~ Madeleine Albright
"Real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond waiting to doing." ~ Madeleine Albright
"You have to learn to interrupt because you aren't going to get called on." ~ Madeleine Albright
"As you go along your own road in life, you will, if you aim high enough, also meet resistance... But no matter how tough the opposition may seem, have courage still and persevere." ~ Madeleine Albright
"I think this is a very hard choice, but the price - we think the price is worth it." ~ Madeleine Albright
"History is written backwards but lived forwards." ~ Madeleine Albright
"To put it mildly, the world is a mess." ~ Madeleine Albright
"I do believe that in order to be a successful negotiator that as a diplomat, you have to be able to put yourself into the other person's shoes. Unless you can understand what is motivating them, you are never going to be able to figure out how to solve a particular problem." ~ Madeleine Albright
"We will not be intimidated or pushed off the world stage by people who do not like what we stand for, and that is, freedom, democracy and the fight against disease, poverty and terrorism." ~ Madeleine Albright
"We must be authors of the history of our age." ~ Madeleine Albright
"Glass ceilings have been broken, but more have to be broken." ~ Madeleine Albright
"We must help women in every society to have their voices heard." ~ Madeleine Albright
"Women have to work exceptionally hard." ~ Madeleine Albright
"As a child, I really did see buildings bombed, and what makes me different from an American that's the same age as I am is that I can understand what happens when there is fighting in a way that they couldn't." ~ Madeleine Albright
"There were always jokes about Hillary Clinton channeling Eleanor Roosevelt, but Eleanor Roosevelt was really instrumental at the UN, and would want to meet with various other delegates." ~ Madeleine Albright
"I really do think about the fact that every day counts. I believe that every individual counts, and so I believe that every day counts and I try not to waste it." ~ Madeleine Albright
Now let us meditate on the words of St. Oscar Romero.
"Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world." ~ Oscar Romero
"There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried" ~ Oscar Romero
"Peace is the product of justice and love." ~ Oscar Romero
"Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world. Let us not tire of preaching love. Though we see that waves of violence succeed in drowning the fire of Christian love, love must win out; it is the only thing that can." ~ Oscar Romero
"When we speak for the poor, please note that we do not take sides with one social class. What we do is invite all social classes, rich and poor, without distinction, saying to everyone let us take seriously the cause of the poor as though it were our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Each time we look upon the poor, on the farmworkers who harvest the coffee, the sugarcane, or the cotton... remember, there is the face of Christ." ~ Oscar Romero
"Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Let us be today's Christians. Let us not take fright at the boldness of today's church. With Christ's light let us illuminate even the most hideous caverns of the human person: torture, jail, plunder, want, chronic illness. The oppressed must be saved, not with a revolutionary salvation, in mere human fashion, but with the holy revolution of the Son of Man, who dies on the cross to cleanse God's image, which is soiled in today's humanity, a humanity so enslaved, so selfish, so sinful." ~ Oscar Romero
"Peace is not the product of terror or fear." ~ Oscar Romero
"We lay foundations that will need further development." ~ Oscar Romero
"Let us not forget: we are a pilgrim church, subject to misunderstanding, to persecution, but a church that walks serene, because it bears the force of love." ~ Oscar Romero
"Our responsibility as Christians makes us tremble." ~ Oscar Romero
"A Christian's authenticity is show in difficult hours it is in difficult hours that the church grows in authenticity. Blest be God for this difficult hour in our archdiocese. Let us be worthy of it." ~ Oscar Romero
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Tonight we will pray with St. Oscar Romero's Wisdom quotes later on in this liturgy and vigil.
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Come let us worship.
Joseph Barth: A Grace
We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.
Hear these words as we enter more fully into worship and meditation.
We have rebelled against the Lord our God who still shows mercy and forgiveness.Daniel 9:9
A Christian is one who points at Christ and says, ‘I can’t prove a thing, but there’s something about His eyes and His voice. There’s something about the way He carries His head, His hands, the way He carries His cross – the way He carries me.’
Frederick Buechner
IN LAK’ECH
"Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love?' These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will be many fruits, here in this world and the life to come." - Henri Nouwen
A Smudging Prayer
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.
Confession of Need
Let us confess our need for God’s healing grace.
Silence
Compassionate God,
we confess our weaknesses and our need for your
strengthening touch.
We confess that some illnesses stem from our own fault,
while others are beyond our control.
We turn to you, source of life,
and ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ
for the gifts of true healing and life in you. Amen.
May the God of love visit us in our times of trial and weakness,
and raise us to newness of life, through Jesus Christ, in the
power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning; our salvation in time of distress.Isaiah 33:2
We bring before You, O God:
The troubles and perils of people and nations,
The sighings of the sick,
The sorrows of the bereaved,
The necessities of strangers,
The helplessness of the weak,
The despondency of the weary,
The failing powers of any age.
May each of us draw as near to You
As You are near to each of us.
From The Resistance Prays
"God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Selah" - Psalm 46:1-3
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:4-7
God, be our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in our times of trouble. Give us your peace that passes our human understanding. Quiet our minds. Help us know that we are not alone and that we are loved. Amen.
A Song of Lamentation
Lamentations 1:12,16; 3:19,22-24,26
Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? *
Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
Which was brought upon me, *
inflicted by God’s fierce anger.
For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears, *
for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my courage.
Remember my affliction and my bitterness, *
wormwood and gall!
The steadfast love of God never ceases, *
God’s mercies never end.
They are new every morning; *
great is your faithfulness.
“God is my portion,” says my soul, *
“therefore will I hope in God.”
It is good that we should wait quietly *
for the coming of God’s salvation.
Psalm 31:15-24
15 My times are in your hand; *
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
and in your loving-kindness save me."
17 Lord, let me not be ashamed for having called upon you; *
rather, let the wicked be put to shame;
let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be silenced which speak against
the righteous, *
haughtily, disdainfully, and with contempt.
19 How great is your goodness, O Lord!
which you have laid up for those who fear you; *
which you have done in the sight of all
for those who put their trust in you.
20 You hide them in the covert of your presence from those
who slander them; *
you keep them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord! *
for he has shown me the wonders of his love in a
besieged city.
22 Yet I said in my alarm,
"I have been cut off from the sight of your eyes." *
Nevertheless, you heard the sound of my entreaty
when I cried out to you.
23 Love the Lord, all you who worship him; *
the Lord protects the faithful,
but repays to the full those who act haughtily.
24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, *
all you who wait for the Lord.
A Song of Jonah
Jonah 2:2-7,9
I called to you, O God, out of my distress, and you answered me; *
out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, *
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and billows passed over me.
Then I said, “I am driven away from your sight; *
how shall I ever look again upon your holy temple?”
The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me; *
weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land beneath the earth, *
yet you brought up my life from the depths, O God.
As my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, O God, *
and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
With the voice of thanksgiving, I will sacrifice to you; *
what I have vowed I will pay, for deliverance belongs to the
Lord!
1 Kings 21:1-19
Naboth’s Vineyard
21Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2And Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.’ 3But Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.’ 4Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, ‘I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.’ He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.
5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said, ‘Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?’ 6He said to her, ‘Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, “Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it”; but he answered, “I will not give you my vineyard.” ’ 7His wife Jezebel said to him, ‘Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9She wrote in the letters, ‘Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; 10seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, “You have cursed God and the king.” Then take him out, and stone him to death.’ 11The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. 13The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, ‘Naboth cursed God and the king.’ So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. 14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, ‘Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.’
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, ‘Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.’ 16As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
Elijah Pronounces God’s Sentence
17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules* in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19You shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?’ You shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.’
John 12:20-26
Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.
Almighty God, you called your servant Óscar Romero to be a voice for the voiceless poor, and to give his life as a seed of freedom and a sign of hope: Grant that we, inspired by his sacrifice and the example of the martyrs of El Salvador, may without fear or favor witness to your Word who abides, your Word who is Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God our heavenly Father, renew in us the gifts of your mercy; increase our faith, strengthen our hope, enlighten our understanding, widen our charity, and make us ready to serve you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Let us pray and reflect upon these quotes of St. Oscar Romero and respond with these words of his:
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"The ones who have a voice must speak for those who are voiceless." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"A church that doesn't provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed — what gospel is that?" ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"When the church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"I will not tire of declaring that if we really want an effective end to violence we must remove the violence that lies at the root of all violence: structural violence, social injustice, exclusion of citizens from the management of the country, repression. All this is what constitutes the primal cause, from which the rest flows naturally." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried" ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"We must not seek the child Jesus in the pretty figures of our Christmas cribs. We must seek him among the undernourished children who have gone to bed at night with nothing to eat, among the poor newsboys who will sleep covered with newspapers in doorways." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Peace is the product of justice and love." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Beautiful is the moment in which we understand that we are no more than an instrument of God; we live only as long as God wants us to live; we can only do as much as God makes us able to do; we are only as intelligent as God would have us be." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"There is no dichotomy between man and God's image. Whoever tortures a human being, whoever abuses a human being, whoever outrages a human being, abuses God's image." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Each time we look upon the poor, on the farmworkers who harvest the coffee, the sugarcane, or the cotton... remember, there is the face of Christ." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"We suffer with those who have disappeared, those who have had to flee their homes, and those who have been tortured." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"The church would betray its own love for God and its fidelity to the gospel if it stopped being . . . a defender of the rights of the poor . . . a humanizer of every legitimate struggle to achieve a more just society . . . that prepares the way for the true reign of God in history." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
""Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty."" ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"If some day they take the radio station away from us, if they close down our newspaper, if they don’t let us speak, if they kill all the priests and the bishop too, and you are left, a people without priests, each one of you must be God’s microphone, each one of you must be a messenger, a prophet. The church will always exist as long as there is one baptized person. And that one baptized person who is left in the world is responsible before the world for holding aloft the banner of the Lord’s truth and of his divine justice." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ, will live like the grains of wheat that dies. It only apparently dies. If it were not to die, it would remain a solitary grain. The harvest comes because of the grain that dies. We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses; that God wants; that God demands of us." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"I don’t want to be an anti, against anybody. I simply want to be the builder of a great affirmation: the affirmation of God,who loves us and who wants to save us." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Let us be today's Christians. Let us not take fright at the boldness of today's church. With Christ's light let us illuminate even the most hideous caverns of the human person: torture, jail, plunder, want, chronic illness. The oppressed must be saved, not with a revolutionary salvation, in mere human fashion, but with the holy revolution of the Son of Man, who dies on the cross to cleanse God's image, which is soiled in today's humanity, a humanity so enslaved, so selfish, so sinful." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Ask and it shall be given you; Seek and ye shall find; Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh, receiveth; And he that seeketh, Findeth; and to him that knocketh It shall be opened. Aspire not to have more, but to be more." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"God is not satisfied with appearance. God wants the garment of justice. God wants his Christians dressed in love." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
"Peace is not the product of terror or fear." ~ Oscar Romero
"We are prophets of a future not our own." ~ Oscar Romero
Be Still and know that I am God.
Be Still and know that I am.
Be Still and know.
Be Still.
Be.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that God is Love.
Be still and know that You are Love.
Be sill and know that I Am Love.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Slowly inhale.
Hold.
Slowly exhale
Pause. Count to 10.
Breathing Exercises with Thich Nhat Hanh
“*Breathing in, I know this is my in-breath.
Breathing out, I know this is my out-breath.*
It's very simple, but very effective. When we bring our attention to our in-breath and our out-breath, we stop thinking of the past; we stop thinking of the future; and we begin to come home to ourselves...Don't think this practice doesn't apply to you. If we don't go home to ourselves, we can't be at our best and serve the world in the best way... Our quality of being is the foundation for the quality of our actions.
*Breathing in, I'm aware of my whole body.
Breathing out, I'm aware of my whole body.*
Breathing mindfully brings us back to our bodies. We have to acknowledge our bodies first because tension and suffering accumulate in the body. Breathing in this way, we create a kind of family reunion between mind and body. The mind becomes an embodied mind.
...We can't do our best if we don't know to release the tension and pain in ourselves.
*Breathing in, I'm aware of the tension in my body.
Breathing out, I'm aware of the tension in my body.*
When we look at the suffering around us, at poverty, violence, or climate change, we may want to solve these things immediately. We want to do something. But to do something effectively and ethically, we need to be our best selves in order to be able to handle the suffering...
*Breathing in, I am aware of a painful feeling arising.
Breathing out, I release the painful feeling.*
This is a nonviolent and gentle way to help our bodies release tension and pain. It is possible to practice mindful breathing in order to produce a feeling of joy, a feeling of happiness. When we are well-nourished and know how to create joy, then we are strong enough to handle the deep pain within ourselves and the world.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Good Citizens: Creating Enlightened Society
The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh: A Litany for Peace
As we are together praying for Peace, let us be truly with each other.
Silence
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Silence
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Silence
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Silence
Let us be aware of the Source of Being common to us all and to all that is.
Silence
Evoking the presence of the Great Companion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—towards ourselves and toward all living beings.
Silence
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all nourished from the same Source of Life.
Silence
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of needless suffering.
Silence
Let us pray that we may live in a way which will not needlessly deprive other living beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live in health.
Silence
With reverence for Life and with awareness of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.
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