Good Evening Dearly Beloved Ones!
God is good! God is Great! And We thank God for our lives! Amen. Just a take off on our grace at the dinner table. This is the grace at the laptop. What a day! I spent most of my day at the Faith Factory and then had two meetings to attend. For the first time in my life I get to have new family members who are not affiliated with the church but with social justice activism. When God says "Go" you go and you know that you'll never be disappointed. God always is engaging us in lifelong learning and ministry and for the most part God keeps mixing our lives and interests up in such a way that we learn to be flexible. Today we celebrate the feast of G.K. Chesterton and the lessons for his feast day are short, sweet, and to the point. As we usually do we will combine lessons, canticles, prayers, and quotes and make vigil. I believe and know that it is time to come together and pray as the family of God and Love.
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 8 Domine, Dominus noster
1 O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.
3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.
4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?
6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;
7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:
8 All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,
9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
10 O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.”
― G.K. Chesterton
1 Chronicles 29:10-13
10 Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said: ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, for ever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.
A Song of the Wilderness
Isaiah 35:1-7,10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, *
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly, *
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, *
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands, *
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear! *
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.”
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, *
and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like a deer, *
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness *
and streams in the desert;
The burning sand shall become a pool *
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
The ransomed of God shall return with singing, *
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Joy and gladness shall be theirs, *
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
“You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”
― G.K. Chesterton
1 Corinthians 15:50-52
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters,* is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die,* but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
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.
“These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own.”
― G.K. Chesterton
“Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.”
― G.K. Chesterton
“Coincidences are spiritual puns.”
― G.K. Chesterton
John 1:43-51
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ 46 Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ 48 Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ 49 Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ 50 Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ 51 And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you,* you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’
A Song of the Spirit
Revelation 22:12-17
“Behold, I am coming soon,” says the Lord,
“and bringing my reward with me, *
to give to everyone according to their deeds.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, *
the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who do God’s commandments,
that they may have the right to the tree of life, *
and may enter the city through the gates.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you, *
with this testimony for all the churches.
“I am the root and the offspring of David, *
I am the bright morning star.”
“Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride; *
“Come!” let each hearer reply!
Come forward, you who are thirsty, *
let those who desire take the water of life as a gift.
“Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
― G.K. Chesterton
“We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next door neighbour.”
― G.K. Chesterton
“If the moderns really want a simple religion of love, they must look for it in the Athanasian Creed. The truth is that the trumpet of true Christianity, the challenge of the charities and simplicities of Bethlehem or Christmas Day never rang out more arrestingly and unmistakably than in the defiance of Athanasius to the cold compromise of the Arians. It was emphatically he who really was fighting for a God of Love against a God of colourless and remote cosmic control; the God of the stoics and the agnostics. It was emphatically he who was fighting for the Holy Child against the grey deity of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He was fighting for that very balance of beautiful interdependence and intimacy, in the very Trinity of the Divine Nature, that draws our hearts to the Trinity of the Holy Family. His dogma, if the phrase be not misunderstood, turns even God into a Holy Family.”
― G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man
G. K. Chesterton. 1874–
92. A Prayer in Darkness
THIS much, O heaven—if I should brood or rave,
Pity me not; but let the world be fed,
Yea, in my madness if I strike me dead,
Heed you the grass that grows upon my grave.
If I dare snarl between this sun and sod, 5
Whimper and clamour, give me grace to own,
In sun and rain and fruit in season shown,
The shining silence of the scorn of God.
Thank God the stars are set beyond my power,
If I must travail in a night of wrath, 10
Thank God my tears will never vex a moth,
Nor any curse of mine cut down a flower.
Men say the sun was darkened: yet I had
Thought it beat brightly, even on—Calvary:
And He that hung upon the Torturing Tree
| Heard all the crickets singing, and was glad. |
O God of Earth and Altar
| . |
| G. K. Chesterton |
1 O God of earth and altar,
bow down and hear our cry,
our earthly rulers falter,
our people drift and die;
the walls of gold entomb us,
the swords of scorn divide,
take not thy thunder from us,
but take away our pride.
2 From all that terror teaches,
from lies of tongue and pen,
from all the easy speeches
that comfort cruel men,
from sale and profanation
of honour and the sword,
from sleep and from damnation,
deliver us, good Lord!
3 Tie in a living tether
the prince and priest and thrall,
bind all our lives together,
smite us and save us all;
in ire and exultation
aflame with faith, and free,
lift up a living nation,
a single sword to thee.
Collects for the Feast day of G.K. Chesterton
O God of earth and altar, you gave G. K. Chesterton a ready tongue and pen, and inspired him to use them in your service: Mercifully grant that we may be inspired to witness cheerfully to the hope that is in us; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
God Our Father, Thou didst fill the life of
Thy servant Gilbert Keith Chesterton with a
sense of wonder and joy, and gave him a faith
which was the foundation of his ceaseless
work, a charity towards all men, particularly
his opponents, and a hope which sprang from
his lifelong gratitude for the gift of human
life. May his innocence and his laughter, his
constancy in fighting for the Christian faith in
a world losing belief, his lifelong devotion to
the Blessed Virgin Mary and his love for all
men, especially for the poor, bring
cheerfulness to those in despair, conviction
and warmth to lukewarm believers and the
knowledge of God to those without faith. We
beg Thee to grant the favours we ask through
his intercession, [and especially for……] so
that his holiness may be recognized by all
and the Church may proclaim him Blessed.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Catholicgkchestertonsociety.co.uk
Now let us turn our hearts once again to remember the Orlando 49 with prayers from last year's blog. They may be a repeat but they need to be said and the names of our family members seen and said aloud.
God we come to you in the silence with heavy hearts to light our candles in memory of those who lost their lives in Orlando and to pray for the courage to act to stop the scourge of gun violence and terror in our nation and the world..Give us courage to speak truth to power with action words and I messages. Help us to think before we speak and to use words and actions to bring peace and heal.
Help us O God to learn to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. Help us to begin a listening dialogue to unite and not divide but to find common ground. Give us God this time of togetherness to see you in each other. This night we pray for our LGBTQIA, Muslim, Hispanic Family members and all who are in danger at the margins of society. We pray for protection of all people and that we ourselves must be vigilant and keep watch and report if necessary. Help us O God not to be fearful but to be fearless with your help and light. We pray for all of our family member who are alone and do not know how to reach out for help. We pray with heavy hearts in need of healing and solace and soulace. We pray and encircle and wrap each other in a prayer quilt of Compassion, Love, Acceptance, and Mercy. Amen.
We remember the words of St. Francis:
The Peace Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
We pray for the victims by Name:
Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old
Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
Cory James Connell, 21 years old
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old
Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
A Word about Self- care before we continue our prayer time!
This is a week where we all need to pay it forward as part of healing and showing the world that we carry God's light in to the dark places. But first before we do this I would like us to take part of the days to come to be in prayer. Our hearts need to be healed by prayer and time away in the presence of God. Taking this time will give us the strength to go forward to do what God is calling and challenging us to do today and everyday. Part of self-care involves prayer, refreshment, and renewal. Let us begin with our breathing exercises with an old favorite at Walk With Me On Our Journey:
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know
Be still
Be
Imagine you are breathing in either sage, rosemary, or lavender to calm our tender hearts and spirits.
Don't forget to do some relaxation exercises to get your bodies in prayer mode.
God we pray this day for all of us who are in grief over the loss of life in the terrorist attacks in Orlando and elsewhere. We pray for all our family members throughout the world who are constantly being victims of terror and violence. We pray for an end to violence and terror.
God we pray this day that we my use our tender hearts as the driving force to affect change in the world.
God we pray that the loving hearts you instilled in our souls at our birth may continually be used to find purpose and be reawakened into the Love Energy you give us each day.
God we pray for all our enemies that they may come to know that violence, terror, extremism and hatred are not the answer but love, listening and compassion are.
God we pray for an end to religious extremism of any kind and that a spirit of love and understanding may grow flourish with in each of all faith communities.
God we pray for all refugees,captives, victims of human trafficking. We pray this day that we may never forget about all of our family members who are being held by terrorist organizations.
God we pray for all families who are beginning to grieve the loss of loved ones and we remember all of our family members who are pre-grieving as they sit vigil at the bedside of the dying.
God we pray for and end to environmental terrorism and that we may become good conservationists of your Cathedral of Life.
God we pray that we may use the gifts you have given us in Social Media to foster love and respect and that what we post or tweet may be loving and with lips that are mindful of all of our family members.
God as we take time to sit and be with you in your loving and abiding presence may we seek to come to know you in the many ways you show us each and every day. We pray that we may come to know you as Jesus as the risen Christ who was made known to the pilgrims on the road to Emmaus. We pray that we may find you in our kinship the bread made broken and the prayers offered and in the works of love you are calling us to do. May we come to know you more deeply and find out that you are more than what's in scripture and more than our minds can fathom.
God may we offer our own prayers and thanksgivings and lift them up unto you this day in the name of your Son Jesus who heals, reconciles, and brings and makes us truly family. Amen.
++++
Good Night Dear Family ! I love you and give thanks to God for you this night and always. Let us all be of one heart, mind, and spirit and being the change we and God wants us to see in the world.
Love and Blessings.
Sara
G.K. Chesterton Biography
Resources:
Enriching our Worship
Satucket Lectionary
G.K. Chesterton Quotes, hymns, prayers
Walk With Me On our Journey Prayers and vigils
Resources:
Enriching our Worship
Satucket Lectionary
G.K. Chesterton Quotes, hymns, prayers
Walk With Me On our Journey Prayers and vigils
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