The Magnificent Magnificat!

Good Evening Dearly Beloved Ones!

Happy Take Care Tuesday! It's really Tuesday and we are almost to the close of day. I hope everyone took time to take care of yourselves on this double Monday and that you are continuing to breathe and relax. We won't be any good to others if we don't start with ourselves first. As I was looking at the calendar when I was working on our parish newsletter today it had occurred to me that it is the Feast of the Visitation! The Feast of the Visitation for those of you who may not be familiar is the day set aside for us to remember and celebrate The Blessed Virgin Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. This is the time when we hear the marvelous words of the Magnificat which is said often at the daily office in monasteries, churches, homes, and many other places. The Magnificat may be prayed at two levels the solemn celebratory one or as in a prayer for liberation and exodus from oppression at the hands of oppressors. Tonight as we spend time in prayer and meditation I would like us to take a look at the lessons for the Visitation and pray the words of the Magnificat as a reminder that we are called to pray for freedom for all people and that we must not be the oppressors oppressing our family members who differ from us. 

We will pray these lessons first, then have our candlelight vigil, and have more time for prayer. Let us begin;


Here are the lessons  and Collect for the Feast of the Visitation from the Lectionary Page.

The Collect or Prayer of the Feast of the Visitation;

Father in heaven, by your grace the virgin mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in my God.

There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;

for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength.

Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.

The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.

The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low, he also exalts.

He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
and on them he has set the world.

He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
for not by might does one prevail.

The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered;
the Most High will thunder in heaven.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king,
and exalt the power of his anointed.”

Psalm 113

Laudate, pueri

1 Hallelujah!
Give praise, you servants of the Lord; *
praise the Name of the Lord.

2 Let the Name of the Lord be blessed, *
from this time forth for evermore.

3 From the rising of the sun to its going down *
let the Name of the Lord be praised.

4 The Lord is high above all nations, *
and his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high *
but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?

6 He takes up the weak out of the dust *
and lifts up the poor from the ashes.

7 He sets them with the princes, *
with the princes of his people.

8 He makes the woman of a childless house *
to be a joyful mother of children.

Romans 12:9-16b

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Luke 1:39-57

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."'

And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever."


And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son

Let us continue with our Virtual Candlelight Prayer Vigil.


Holy God we give thanks for the gift of cousins and especially we give thanks for the Blessed Virgin Mary who bore our Savior Jesus Christ and her cousin Elizabeth who was the mother of John the Baptist. May we give thanks for familial bonds that unite us throughout the world this day and as we light our candles may we pray the words of the the Magnificat and add our own prayers and thanksgivings at the end.  

"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

The Light and Love of Christ I hold out to you is my promise that we are family one to another this day and always. The Light of Christ in Me , Recognizes the Light of Christ in you. We lift up these our prayers in Jesus most holy name. Amen.

God, Open Wide ..... As we Pray!

God open wide the hearts of  our family members and sometimes ourselves who have closed hearts, minds, and spirits.

God open wide the arms of our family members  and all of us to be welcoming and loving to all.

God open wide the hearts and minds of all our family members who are leaders of the nations who are at war with their own people. We pray that their minds, hearts, and a willingness to make peace may be fostered and that peace may prevail upon earth.

God open wide the arms of our family members to become gracious, kind, and loving caregivers.

God open wide the hearts of our family members and us that we may seek, serve, and love the least of these.

God open wide our minds so that we may learn from and appreciate the diversity in this your Human Family and as the Family of God.

God open wide our arms so that we may care for the ill, the lost, the lonely, the afraid, and the marginalized.

God open wide our arms and hands that we may comfort and soothe the dying, lovingly  hold those in pre-grieving, embrace with holy compassion those who are in mourning.

God open wide our hands that we may be good  stewards of  your Cathedral of Life.

God open wide our hearts as we pray for__________________

God open wide our hearts as we lift up our thanksgivings for______________

Accept these our prayers in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.

++++++++

Good Night Dear Family of Love! I love you! I give thanks to God for you this day and always! 


Leaving my heart gate and heart home open to you with warmth and love,

Sara

Who knew a starter kit for beauty products would be the genus of a blog? Who knew?

Good Evening Dear Ones!

A blessed Memorial/ Decoration Day to all! I hope everyone took time to have more Sabbath Rest, Self-Care and made a point to remember to give thanks and pray for all of those who lost their lives in service to our country and not only ours but every nation. When Memorial Day was begun the widows from both sides of the Civil War decorated the graves of both the Blue and the Gray. God commands us to pray and love our family members and enemies alike. Let us take time to do this daily. As I was in Macy's getting starter kit for skin care I hadn't noticed the three words for each step and how they are not just to be applied for skin care but also spiritual care and here they are. Purify, Empower, and Moisturize. How do we do this for our spirits? We PURIFY our spirits by constantly being willing to atone for our sins and forgive those who have wished us harm and any wrongs that have been done to us and we have done to others. We PURIFY also by letting go of petty slights and anything that is hampering us from being in right relationship with God. We should always ask God to help us be Purified. Now how are we EMPOWERed? We are EMPOWERed by Jesus' call to love and serve the least of these and GO! GO where Jesus' calls us! GO without Fear! GO and spell out to all who will listen to the GOSPEL and Good News! GO and shine God's light and love to the world through us with love energy and a widening and expanding heart home. How do we MOISTURIZE our souls ? We MOISTURIZE by feeding our spirits by prayer, fasting, meditation, worship, and weeding out  what no longer is serving our souls or is healthy. That may mean you may have to take a break from your church community, prayer group, or even find another way of being spiritually fed.  

Remember we are beginning our work of reconciliation and CALM Challenge for the remainder of the Spring and into the Summer months. Here is what we talked about last evening:

This coming week and through the month of June we are going to be having our season of prayer for our diverse world, family, nature, and take time to practice love and repentance for the wrongs we have done to and in this community. It is time to become the reconciled and loving family of God. We must stop warring against each other. 

To do the above we need to as in the BAREMINERALS Skinsorials (TM) box says we need to do the three step treatment Purify, Empower, and Moisturize. 

Just a reminder of the groups who may feel alienated again from last evening's blog.

Just look at the groups who feel alienated, hated, misunderstood, and feared:

LGBTQIA
Religious communities
The least of these
The mentally ill
African Americans
Muslims
Asian Americans
Native Americans
Hispanics 
Refugees
Immigrants both undocumented and documented.
Disabled
Women
Children 
No one is exempt from any kind of alienation, hatred, being misunderstood, and feared.


God as we meet together this evening and light our candles let us be at prayer and by your loving grace be purified, empowered, fed and watered by the living waters that course through our veins.God cleanse our bodies, minds, and spirits as we begin another week and that we may continue to work towards reconciliation, unity, be made to live as CALM (Compassionate, accepting, Loving, and merciful ) beings. We pray this night for the courage to sit down with our many family members who may feel alienation, hatred, misunderstood, and feared. May we practice obedience as your servant St. Benedict and "listen with the ear of the heart!" May our hearts be open this week and be expanding to include more of our family members and even those with whom we find ourselves on the opposite side of the bridge. May we begin to walk towards each other and meet one another step by step until we meet half way and allow for your spirit to empower our hearts and not be afraid to show vulnerability and see you in each other's eyes. May we embrace each other and recognize that the heart beat we hear is from you as is beats out its special cadence of love, mercy, peace, and hope. We pray these and all other prayers this night on holy ground, prayed by your holy family , in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.

An additional time of prayer may be added!

God we pray for peace your broken world.
May peace and love prevail.

God we pray for women and children and the most vulnerable who are in danger or abuse.
May peace, love, and compassionate care prevail.

God we pray for our enemies and our enemies' family members who are caught in war's cross hairs.
May peace and love prevail.

God we pray for all refugees, captives, and all who are victims of human trafficking. 
May they be set free to live in safety and may peace and love prevail.

God we pray for  all of our leaders that they may stop legislating cruelty and be aware that when they are hurting another human or living being they are hurting and doing violence to you.
May justice roll down and may peace and love prevail

God we pray for all of us who are struggling to live out in the open as the beautiful children whom God has made.  May we not be afraid to live authentically into our own truth.
May we have strength and courage to be ourselves and may peace, justice, equality, and love prevail.

God we pray for all who are ill in body mind and spirit may they be healed of all their infirmities!
May health and healing take place and may love and peace prevail in our bodies, minds, and spirits.

God we pray for all who are in mourning over any kind of  loss.
May love ,comfort and peace prevail in their hearts.

God we pray this night for all who are homeless, hungry, and ill clad.
May we lovingly respond to their needs and may they find shelter from the cold and nourishment for their bodies.

God we add our thanksgivings, thoughtful thoughts, and additional prayers________________
Let us lift these our prayers in the Name of Jesus, our brother, friend, savior, teacher, and  healer. Amen.

 Or these!

Let us continue to be at prayer.

God is Love and Love is God, may we love you with a gentle and  childlike spirit.

God is Love and Love is God, may we love our family members with a loving heart and a welcoming heart home.

God is Love and Love is God, may we learn to love ourselves and treat ourselves with gentleness and without shame.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all who are ill and in any distress of body, mind, and spirit.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for peace in this fragile and broken world. 

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all refugees, captives, victims of terror,violence, abuse, and human trafficking.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all who are being persecuted by virtue of their sexuality and gender. May they be afforded all human rights and acceptance.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all who are mourning and who are pre-grieving. 

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all who are dying and who have died may they enjoy with joy their new mansion fit for them and in the Thin Places.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for__________________________

God is Love and Love is God , we give thanks for_______________________

God is Love and Love is God, we life up these our prayers in the Name of Jesus who is Love incarnate. Amen.++++++

Good Night Dear Ones! I love you! May you have a blessed and restful night! I give God thanks for you this night and always!


May love, reconciliation, unity,  and peace prevail, 

Sara

Music selected for tonight!



Stay Here- Taize Mix 

Time to become the reconciled and loving family of God.

Good Evening Dear Family!

Whoa! It must be time for us to meet in community and have prayer time! Some days are so fast and slow that we may not manage our prayer time well. This is one of them.  I will endeavor to start earlier. But then again God sometimes God hasn't given me the necessary ingredients to put into our blog stew. Holidays also throw us out of sync too. How many of you have felt the heaviness of this particular Memorial Day Weekend? I have and maybe it has to do with remembering our parents who served in WWII and the daily loss of the Greatest Generation and other wars and living through a perpetual state of war not peace. There isn't any place in this world that isn't near a war torn area or have some kind of struggle going on. Yes there are peaceful places too but they are all too rare and much needed. Our country is not exempt we are not at peace we are at war within ourselves and each other. It may not seem like it  but we are. Just look at the groups who feel alienated, hated, misunderstood, and feared:

LGBTQIA
Religious communities
The least of these
The mentally ill
African Americans
Muslims
Asian Americans
Native Americans
Hispanics 
Refugees
Immigrants both undocumented and documented.
Disabled
Women
Children 
No one is exempt from any kind of alienation, hatred, being misunderstood, and feared. Why are we at war with most if not all of God's family members? Probably because we haven't taken the time to sit down face to face and listen to one another. This coming week and through the month of June we are going to be having our season of prayer for our diverse world, family, nature, and take time to practice love and repentance for the wrongs we have done to and in this community. It is time to become the reconciled and loving family of God. We must stop warring against each other. 

God we light our candles tonight as we pray and give thanks for our family members where there is much division, hatred, and fear. We pray that as we pray this list of these our family members we may come up with our own list of family members with whom we find ourselves divided and whom we should work towards inclusion, universal human rights, equality, equity, and equal protection under the law for all God's Children. We pray this night that we may  become the Compassionate, Accepting, Loving, and Merciful family members to all and including the following: 
LGBTQIA
Religious communities
The least of these
The mentally ill
African Americans
Muslims
Asian Americans
Native Americans
Hispanics 
Immigrants both undocumented and documented.
Refugees
Disabled
Women
Children 
May we seek to widen our tables, hearts, heart homes and community to accept them fully and that may we honor them as they honor us by their presence each day. We light our candles and say to each group on the list and our own "The Light of Christ in me Recognizes and Accepts the Light of Christ in you my brothers and sisters of _______________ We welcome you fully into the family of God and ask your forgiveness for any wrongs we have done to you and  in the name of Jesus. May we pray and strive to seek to know the Christ/ God in you as you seek to know the Christ/ God in us. We ask this in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayers for the Tender Souls

We pray this night for our mental health professionals and all of our mentally ill family members who have fallen through the cracks.

We pray for better early interventions for those with mental illnesses and that everyone will be able to listen for their unspoken cries for help. 

We pray for the marginalized who feel outcast. May we lovingly bring them into the circle and show them how You love us.

We pray for all of our Family members who have PTSD that they may receive care and the necessary services that will help them prosper and live productive lives.

We pray for our homeless family members who live outdoors. We pray that there may be adequate shelters and a variety of places to live that will meet their needs. We pray that we may be sensitive to their needs when we see them as we walk, shop, and are in our cars. 

We pray for the safety of all the vulnerable members of our society.

We pray for better gun laws that will both protect our family members in our community and the persons who aren't suitable gun owners.

We pray that all churches may be truly sanctuaries for everyone and that there won't be a litmus test required to belong. We pray that all faith leaders will give the least of these the the security and feeling that they are loved, accepted, and that their dignity is respected regardless of who they are. Help everyone know who they are and whose they are!


We pray that there may be social service ministries in our urban centers that are non-threatening and available 24/7/365. May we be guided to think outside the box and minister to our family members who need these services.


We pray for compassionate immigration reform and that families may be kept together.

We pray for all of our medical professionals who work in the ER this night and those who work in the Mortuary and Hospice ministries.

We pray for an end to violence against women and children.

God be with the community of Isla Vista and all places of learning where violence has occurred. In the silence remember the places that come to mind and pray for survivors and those who have lost their lives.

God help us to be better at listening, watching, and being family to those who are different that ourselves.
May we see you in their eyes and love them as you love us. 

God we lift up these our prayers and the prayers that we have been requested to pray this day to you !
Amen.

*************
Have a blessed night! I love you, you matter, we all matter and we matter to God. I give God Thanks for you this day and always.

Love, blessings, and peace be yours this day and always,

Sara

A prayer vigil and a brief time of prayer! Prayers for Memorial Day.

Good Evening Dear Ones!

Tonight is the first night of our Memorial or Decoration Day Weekend. This is the night where we are going to keep it simple. We will have a prayer vigil and a time of prayer. This night  or if it is Sunday when you read this I ask us all to light a virtual candle in memory of all of our family members who have served our country and lost their lives in battle and their family members who survived them. 


Let us light our candles and pray!


God we thank you for all the men and women who have served our country to help preserve and light the torch of freedom in our nation and in nations across the sea. We pray and give thanks especially for those who died in battles in recent times and in times past. We pray for families who survived their loved ones who died on the field of battle and those who are still missing in action. We pray this night that we may wage peace without weaponry but with words, diplomacy, love, and respect. We pray for the leaders of the world that they may seek peace without war and that they may not be so quick to fire a weapon or drop a bomb. We pray that we may seek to help our homeless, mentally ill, and hungry veterans and all who are in need of help. We pray that this night we may take stock and listen and pray as we prepare to vote who we want to have as our Pastor President when national disasters and violent calamity occurs. We pray for all young men and women who are entering military service and give thanks for their willingness to step up and be our protectors of liberty. We pray these our prayers in the name of Jesus our Guardian, Guide, and Example of peacemaking and healing. Amen.

Let us pray this passage from Sirach: Let us now praise famous men.

44 Let us now praise famous men,
and our fathers in their generations.
2 The Lord apportioned to them[a] great glory,
his majesty from the beginning.
3 There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,
and were men renowned for their power,
giving counsel by their understanding,
and proclaiming prophecies;
4 leaders of the people in their deliberations
and in understanding of learning for the people,
wise in their words of instruction;
5 those who composed musical tunes,
and set forth verses in writing;
6 rich men furnished with resources,
living peaceably in their habitations—
7 all these were honored in their generations,
and were the glory of their times.
8 There are some of them who have left a name,
so that men declare their praise.
9 And there are some who have no memorial,
who have perished as though they had not lived;
they have become as though they had not been born,

and so have their children after them.

10 But these were men of mercy,

whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;

11 their prosperity will remain with their descendants,

and their inheritance to their children’s children.[b]

12 Their descendants stand by the covenants;

their children also, for their sake.

13 Their posterity will continue for ever,

and their glory will not be blotted out.

14 Their bodies were buried in peace,

and their name lives to all generations.

15 Peoples will declare their wisdom,

and the congregation proclaims their praise.

As we remember Those who lost their lives in service to our country and nations throughout the world,let us remember especially all of our family members and us who are grieving their loss. Tonight's prayers come from: To Comfort all those of us who mourn especially during the holidays ( Good For any time)

Let us be at prayer.

God of all comfort be with us who mourn that we may feel your loving arms around us.

God of all comfort help us to serve and come to the aid of  the least of these.

God of all comfort heal all those who are ill and infirm.

God of all comfort help us us to reach out to the lonely and the lost

God of all comfort help us to be kind and loving to all children who are having a rough time this time of year.  May we  show them that we understand and care and are willing to listen to them without judgement. 

God of all comfort help us to listen with ears of the heart, mind, and spirit.

God of all comfort we pray for peace in your fragile and broken world.

God of all comfort we pray for everyone who has been a victim of violence and abuse of any kind.

God of all comfort help families who need to learn to be loving, compassionate , show loving kindness and warmth. 

God of all comfort help us to lovingly respond to all  of our family members.

God of all comfort we add our prayers for ourselves and those on behalf of others especially____________

We pray these prayers and offer them in the Name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

+++++++

Good Night Dear Family of Love. I love you, you matter, and I give thanks to God for you this day and always.  I pray that each of you may feel Gods' presence as you grieve any loss as you remember those who have entered the Thin Places today and always. Remember that God doesn't see us as the least of these! We are all precious in God's sight and God know's us all by name and loves us beyond all measure.

Love, prayers, blessing, and may you feel God's loving comfort around you this day and always!

Sara