Happy Valentine’s day dear ones!
What do you remember about Valentine’s day? What does Valentine’s Day mean to you? How does Valentine’s day make you feel. These are questions that are sometimes hard to answer when you are single, widowed, and are marginalized. When I was a child and in elementary school we would bring Valentines and place them in our fellow student’s handmade heart envelopes. It was a hard time for me because I was a special needs child. Valentine’s day brought me pain because I didn’t receive very many of them. When you are considered different, Valentine’s day is painful. It was painful for many years until I was in a relationship that began on Valentine’s day. The year after my partner Steve died, Valentine’s day became bittersweet. Fast forward to today ,Valentine’s day is a day of social justice action and a reading of Matthew 25 and The Beatitudes. Valentine’s day needs become a day where we salute all people with love in our hearts and by practicing the CALM Principles. CALM = We need to be compassionate, accepting, loving, and merciful. We cannot use Valentine’s day as a way of isolating our family members just because of their looks, financial status, race, etc. This is a day where we need to truly to love God, Our Neighbors, and ourselves. It is time to wipe out the hype and replace it with unconditional love in our hearts. Today's readings are from the Feast of Absalom Jones.
Let us begin with this canticle from Enriching Our Worship 1:
A Song of God’s Love
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, *
for love is of God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, *
for God is Love.
In this the love of God was revealed among us, *
that God sent his only Son into the world,
so that we might live through Jesus Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us *
and sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, *
we ought also to love one another.
For if we love one another, God abides in us, *
and God’s love will be perfected in us.
And this Prayer
God our rock and refuge: keep us safe in your care and strengthen us with your grace, that we may pray to you faithfully and love one another boldly, following the example of Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives forever and ever. Amen. (source: Veronese Sacramentary)
Today's quotes!
"Agape doesn't love somebody because they're worthy. Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love. Agape doesn't love somebody because they're beautiful. Agape loves in such a way that it makes them beautiful." ~ Rob Bell
"If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them. Let us open wide our hearts. It is joy which invites us. Press forward and fear nothing." ~ Katharine Drexel
"Agape is something of the understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill for all men. It is a love that seeks nothing in return. It is an overflowing love; it's what theologians would call the love of God working in the lives of men. And when you rise to love on this level, you begin to love men, not because they are likeable, but because God loves them." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"What you must do is love your neighbor as yourself. There is no one who knows your many faults better than you! But you love yourself notwithstanding. And so you must love your neighbor, no matter how many faults you see in him." ~ Martin Buber
"I'm a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world." ~ Mother Teresa
"In the Spirit which draws us into honest engagement with one another, including those who may be very different from us in various ways, God calls us to wake up and learn how to love and respect one another, period." ~ Carter Heyward
"Agape love is...profound concern for the well-being of another, without any desire to control that other, to be thanked by that other, or to enjoy the process." ~ Madeleine L'Engle
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God" ~ John the Apostle
"Agape, the love of each one of us for the other, from the closest to the furthest, is in fact the only way that Jesus has given us to find the way of salvation and of the Beatitudes." ~ Pope Francis
"Love your neighbor as yourself. That's what we need to adopt to be a better country." ~ Brandon Marshall
"On this special day of love, remember that your Father loves you more than you could ever imagine...no matter what you’ve done or haven’t done. No box of candy or flowers can compare to this kind of agape love!" ~ Joyce Meyer
"God loves each of us as if there were only one of us." ~ Saint Augustine
"But what does it mean to be on God's side? I believe it starts with focusing on the common good - not just in politics, but in all the decisions we make in our personal, family, vocational, financial, communal, and, public lives. That old but always new ethic simply says we must care for more than just ourselves or our own group. We must care for our neighbor as well, and for the health of the life we share with one another. It echoes a very basic tenet of Christianity and other faiths - love your neighbor as yourself - still the most transformational ethic in history." ~ Jim Wallis
Come let us worship God who is Love!
Joseph Barth: A Grace
We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.
Starhawk: Invocation
Nameless One—of many names
Eternal—and ever-changing One
Who is found nowhere—but appears everywhere
Beyond—and within all.
Timeless—circles of the seasons,
Unknowable mystery—known by all.
Lord of the Dance—Mother of all life:
Be radiant with us,—
Engulf us with Your love,
See with our eyes,
Hear with our ears ,
Breathe with our nostrils,
Touch with our hands,
Kiss with our lips,
Open our hearts!
That we may live free at last
Joyful in the single song
Of all that is, was, or ever shall be!
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.Isaiah 60: 1
A voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.’Matthew 3:17
O Lord my God you are great indeed, you are clothed in majesty and splendour. You cover yourself with light as it were with a garment.Psalm 104:1, 2
I have seen it myself, and bear witness, that this is the chosen one of God.John 1:34
Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world; those who follow me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’John 8:12
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.2 Timothy 1:7
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but citizens together with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19
God is Spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24
A Call to Prayer
Hildegard of Bingen
The earth is at the same time mother,
She is mother of all that is natural, mother of all that is human.
She is the mother of all, for contained in her are the seeds of all.
The earth of humankind contains all moistness, all verdancy, all germinating power.
It is in so many ways fruitful.
All creation comes from it. Yet it forms not only the basic raw material for humankind, but also the substance of the incarnation of God's son.
A Prayer of Awareness
Hildegard of Bingen
God is the foundation for everything
This God undertakes, God gives.
Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking.
Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God.
This body is supported in every way through the earth.
Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.
Come let us join together in a sacred circle of love and unity and hold space for one another and carry one another's burdens.
THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES - Anonymous
Lest we forget the great traditions of freedom and faith which are the heritage of humanity; lest we forget the pioneers, the statesmen, the bridge builders, the artists; and lest we forget You, the God of our fore bears who is our God also:
We light this candle of remembrance.
For the hope of a better world, in which righteousness and peace shall prevail among the people of the earth, and to create which is the task of the generations in which we stand, as well as for the courage and faith we shall need if we are to carry on this unfinished work:
We light this candle of consecration.
May the flame upon the altar of free faith shine in our hearts al ways, reminding us of the dark places to which we may carry light and strengthening us in every moment of doubt and discouragement with unwavering faith in You whom we serve and whose we are.
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
Behold now, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, *
you that stand by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the LORD; *
the LORD who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.
Psalm 141:1-3,8ab Domine, clamavi
O LORD, I call to you; come to me quickly; *
hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth, O LORD,
and guard the door of my lips; *
let not my heart incline to any evil thing.
My eyes are turned to you, Lord GOD; *
in you I take refuge.
Diann Neu: Blessed Be Our Hands
Blessed be the work of our hands.
Blessed be these hands that touch life.
Blessed be these hands that nurture creativity.
Blessed be these hands that hold pain.
Blessed be these hands that embrace with passion.
Blessed be these hands that tend gardens.
Blessed bed these hands that close in anger.
Blessed be these hands that plant new seeds.
Blessed be these hands that harvest ripe fields.
Blessed be these hands that clean, wash, mop, scrub.
Blessed be these hands that become knotty with age.
Blessed be these hands that wrinkle and scar from doing justice.
Blessed are these hands that reach out and are received.
Blessed are these hands that hold the promise of the future.
Blessed be the works of our hands and hearts.
Confession of Need
Let us confess our need for God’s healing grace.
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.
Minister
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
God we light our candles and pray to be lights to the world sowing the seeds of the Fruits of the Spirit to all. We light the world with your love and share it with all of our family members and even our enemies. We light the world with joy as we empower each of us with the love energy of joy. We light the dark places as we become peacemakers and pray for the peace of the world. We pray for the resolve to be patient and take time to breathe when we are anxious and tense. We pray that we may be kind in our words and deeds and see You Abba God face to face in all of our family members' faces. We pray that we may convey and practice a spirit of generosity and that we may become cheerful givers. We pray that we may engage in faithfulness that we may never lose heart when we are afraid and unsure. We pray that all our actions may be guided by self-control. We light our candles and pray that we may use the gifts of the fruits of the spirit wisely in God's service and in the service of all of our family members. We lift up these our prayers to you O God, this night and always. Amen.
Tonight let us form a virtual circle with our hands interlocked like this.
Let us stay here together and imagine what it would be like to be truly united as the Family of God in Community.
Let us imagine relying upon one another without fear and reservation.
Let us imagine the richness each one of us brings to the world and to the table.
Let us imagine speaking gently with words that heal not to harm.
Let us imagine being able to look at one another and see God's face in everyone we meet.
Let us imagine no longer having to be suspicious just because of the color of our skin, faith community, gender expression and sexual orientation, or where we come from.
Let us imagine actually listening in holy dialog and finding common ground.
Let us imagine being in solidarity with one another when times get tough and we need to lean upon one another.
Let us imagine and pray as we light this single candle of unity.that we are together as the Family of God in Community right here, right now, and in the holy presence of God and each other.
God we pray that we may build bridges by learning from each other, walking united in love and peace, and by letting go of our agendas that seek only to divide and harm. We pray that we may build bridges where we may at the beginning meet each other halfway and begin a holy dialogue seeking peace and understanding. We pray that we may build bridges based on unconditional love and acceptance and common ground. We pray that we may build bridges by seeing God in and through each other by acknowledging that God made us in God's image and likeness. We pray that we may build bridges by engaging in holy listening with our listening ears and hearts. We pray that we may build bridges together and tear down the walls that seek only to divide, harm, and cause us to be afraid and hate one another without cause. We pray that we may build bridges of Compassion, Acceptance, Love and Mercy beginning this night and always. Amen.
SLOW US DOWN…YET ALSO - Anonymous
Slow us down, O God. Ease the pounding of our hearts by the quieting of our minds;
Yet also, wake us up. Shake the complacency out of our souls by opening our minds to the cry of the wounded, the refugees wandering without homes, the homeless at home, and the children who starve.
Steady our hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time;
Yet also, quicken our steps with a vision of the urgent action now required to cure the causes of stunted growth, premature death, battered women, and abused children.
Give us, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills;
Yet also, alert our eyes not to the comforting illusion of constancy divorced from change, but rather to such sharp reality as deep poverty surrounding us at home and abroad.
Break the tensions of our nerves and muscles with the soothing mu sic of the singing streams;
Yet also, give us, amid the calm days of our years, souls which are prepared to cope with the confusion necessarily occurring amidst new creation in the cities, towns, and the countries of the earth.
Help us to know the magical, restoring power of sleep;
Yet also, break the chains of euphoria deluding us to think that we are acting responsibly when we do no more than listen to music which protects our feet from marching.
Remind us of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that we may know that there is more to life than increasing its speed;
Yet also, remind us of the fable of the astrologer who fell plumb to the bottom of a well, not seeing his feet while reading the sky.
Slow us down, O God, and inspire us to send our roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values, that we may grow more surely toward the stars;
Yet also, wake us up, so our eyes may see the people around us and our arms may be open to embrace the suffering who cry.
Joan Goodwin: To The Four Directions
Spirit of the East, spirit of air, of morning and springtime: Be with us as the sun rises, in times of beginning, times of planting. Inspire us with the fresh breath of courage as we go forth into new adventures.
Spirit of the South, spirit of fire, of noontime and summer: Be with us through the heat of the day and help us to be ever growing. Warm us with strength and energy for the work that awaits.
Spirit of the West, spirit of water, of evening and autumn: Be with us as the sun sets, and help us to enjoy a rich harvest. Flow through us with a cooling, healing quietness and bring us peace.
Spirit of the North, spirit of earth, of nighttime and winter: Be with us in the darkness, in the time of gestation. Ground us in the wisdom of the changing seasons as we celebrate the spiraling journey of our lives.
"We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred and the mistrust. We must dissent from a nation that has buried its head in the sand, waiting in vain for the needs of its poor, its elderly, and its sick to disappear and just blow away. We must dissent from a government that has left its young without jobs, education or hope. We must dissent from the poverty of vision and the absence of moral leadership. We must dissent because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better." ~ Thurgood Marshall
"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
"Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human." ~ Henri Nouwen
Ecclesiastes 3:1–11
3For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
9 What gain have the workers from their toil? 10I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. 11He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
126 In convertendo
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
3 Then they said among the nations, *
"The Lord has done great things for them."
4 The Lord has done great things for us, *
and we are glad indeed.
5 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
like the watercourses of the Negev.
6 Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.
7 Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
6Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, 2so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. 3Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.* 5You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem* on your forehead, 9and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
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.
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,*
a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
A Song of Faith
1 Peter 1:3-4,18-21
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, *
by divine mercy we have a new birth into a living hope;
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, *
we have an inheritance that is imperishable in heaven.
The ransom that was paid to free us *
was not paid in silver or gold,
But in the precious blood of Christ, *
the Lamb without spot or stain.
God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory *
so that we might have faith and hope in God.
John 15:12-15
12 ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants* any longer, because the servant* does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.
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. From A New Zealand Prayer Book.
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.
Collects of the Day
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Collect for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - A New Zealand Prayer Book
Exalted God, you care for all who suffer, remind us of our shared humanity, move us with your compassion to the outcast and lost. May we never turn away from those in need, but share with generosity and joy the love we have received. For you are alive and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Set us free, heavenly Father, from every bond of prejudice and fear: that, honoring the steadfast courage of your servant Absalom Jones, we may show forth in our lives the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Almighty and everlasting God, who by the power of the Holy Spirit moved your servants Cyril and Methodius to bring the light of the Gospel to a hostile and divided people: Overcome all bitterness and strife among us by the love of Christ, and make us one united family under the banner of the Prince of Peace; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Praise to you, Jesus Christ,
God in human form.
You show us the fulness of life;
help us to find this life for ourselves
and for others.
Thanksgiving and love and praise to you Jesus Christ.
You are God revealed in human form;
you are the baby visited by the shepherds,
the boy in the temple learning the law;
the man baptised in water and the Spirit
driven to the desert to face the devil.
You are Christ the teacher, Christ the healer.
You went to Jerusalem to give your life
as a ransom for us all.
May we who have been your guests
at this communion
reveal your life to all the world.
May we be no longer your servants,
but know your will,
and be your friends.
You give us your life, may we be worthy of it;
you give us yourself, may we embody you.
Gracious God, lover of all,
by this sacrament
you make us one family in Christ your Son,
one in the sharing of his body and blood,
one in the communion of his Spirit.
Help us to grow in love for one another
and come to the full maturity of the body of Christ.
We ask this in his name.
God of glory,
you nourish us with bread from heaven.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit,
that through us your light may shine in all the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:1–12
The Beatitudes
5When Jesus* saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely* 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.
Almighty God, whose prophets taught us righteousness in the care of your poor: By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, grant that we may do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly in your sight; through Jesus Christ, our Judge and Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Intercession of Servant of God Dorothy Day. (From the Dorothy Day Guild)
God our Creator,
Your servant Dorothy Day exemplified the
Catholic faith by her conversion,
life of prayer and voluntary poverty,
works of mercy, and
witness to the justice and peace
of the Gospel.
May her life
inspire people
to turn to Christ as their savior and guide,
to see his face in the world’s poor and
to raise their voices for the justice
of God’s kingdom.
We pray that you grant the favors we ask
through her intercession so that her goodness
and holiness may be more widely recognized
and one day the Church may
proclaim her Saint.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Ursula M. Niebuhr: For the Day of Light
O God, who has placed us in a world You and we constantly create, we give thanks as we work and as we pray. We praise You for the day of light and life, for the night which brings rest and sleep, and for the ordered course of nature, seedtime and harvest. We bless You for the joy of children and the wisdom of the old. We thank You for the love of God and people which shines forth in commonplace lives, and above allfor the vision of You in silent meditation, in fellowship, in the sacrament of the shared life, and in prayer. We praise Your name now and forever more.
Else Niemoeller: For the World’s Children
Lover of humanity, who cares for even one sparrow’s fall, we thank You that Your infinite eye is upon all the children of the world. Whatever the circumstances, we pray that we may help to release them from the forces that scar: hunger, homelessness, hatred, and lies. Give to each of us some sense of responsibility that all children everywhere may come into their full human heritage.
THE GRACE TO LISTEN - Anonymous
O God, as I grow in experience, I pray I may keep from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to try to straighten out everyone’s affairs. Give me the grace to listen to the tales of others’ pains, but seal my lips to my own increasing aches and pains since my love of rehearsing them grows stronger as the years go by. Keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to become a sour old person. May I be thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. With my growing store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all—but You know, O God, that I don’t want to lose all my friends!
Loving Jesus: Protect and sustain us with your hand. Open the door of your love that, sealed with your wisdom, we may be free to serve you with joy. Amen.
(a prayer of St. Gertrude)
Holy Wisdom, in your loving kindness you created and restored us when we were lost: inspire us with your truth, that we may love you with our whole minds and run to you with open hearts, through Christ our Savior. Amen.
(source: Alcuin of York, Mass of Wisdom)
A Prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we 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.
O God our shield and armor of light, whom we adore with all the angelic host: defend us from evil; watch over any who are in danger this night and give your angels charge over them; and grant that we may always rejoice in your heavenly protection and serve you bravely in the world; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Christ Has No Body. by Teresa of Avila.
Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks. Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Voluntary poverty isn't going around with some burlap bag around you and imitating the poor. It means being indifferent to the material, doing as Christ said. He went and sat down with the rich and Zachaeus and publicans and sinners. Dorothy Day
Prayers for Sanctuary
God we pray this night that wherever we maybe we may find sacred space. May this be such a time a and place as this is.
God we pray that when we don't feel safe that we may look inwardly and find our heart homes a place of sacred space and safety.
God we pray that we may be a soft place in which to fall for all of our family members.
God we take this time to be together as one family where we can truly pray and feel the love we have for one another.
God we pray for all who are lonely, lost, and afraid that we may extend a loving hand and prayer towards them.
God we pray for peace in this fragile and broken world that we may seek to be peace makers, hope bringers, love givers, and radiate joy to all.
God we pray to be in harmony with nature and all living things and for the protection and conservation of your Cathedral of Life.
God we pray for all who are ill and in pain that their suffering may be relieved and given you healing balm.
God we pray for an end to all division and hatred that we all may be one and learn from each other.
God we lift up these our prayers in your holy and life giving name. Amen.
Song of Simeon Nunc Dimittis
Praise be to God, I have lived to see this day.
God’s promise is fulfilled, and my duty done.
At last you have given me peace,
for I have seen with my own eyes
the salvation you have prepared for all nations -
a light to the world in its darkness,
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory be God, sustaining, redeeming, sanctifying,
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever.
Amen.
May God whom Jesus called Abba embrace you in love for ever;
may God the Servant bear your burdens with you;
may God the Paraclete grant you life in one another:
so may the blessing of God,
Abba, Servant, Paraclete,
be with you always.
Amen.
O God of love and mercy,
grant us, with all your people, rest and peace.
We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know [God] in the breaking of the bread, and we know each other in the breaking of the bread, and we are not alone anymore. Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust where there is companionship. – From the Postscript of The Long Loneliness, the Autobiography of Dorothy Day, (Harper and Row, 1963)
Today's Good Book Club Reading!
Mark 15:33-47
The Death of Jesus
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’
There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
The Burial of Jesus
When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.
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