7/7/26
NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 7/7
I received word this afternoon that Gary Daigle has passed over to eternal life. Since the 1970's Gary has been a composer, arranger and producer of liturgical music; a campus minister; a parish music director; and a nationally known speaker on liturgy and music. Tonight's song is a well-known Daigle composition: I've used its refrain as a recurring verse in tonight's prayer. Please keep Gary and his family in your prayer.
There's so much going on, Lord
- too much going on -
in this crazy world of ours
and in the craziness each of us knows
in our own lives,
in our minds and hearts,
and in our families and communities...
Remember your love
and your faithfulness, O Lord,Remember your people
and have mercy on us, Lord...
There's so much mean-spirited acrimony,
nasty name calling,
discord and division,
violence and abuse;
and so many wars
with the death and destruction
war leaves in its wake...
Remember your love
and your faithfulness, O Lord,Remember your people
and have mercy on us, Lord...
In our desperation, Lord, we need to remember
that none of this comes from your hand,
that all of this comes from our pride and envy,
our hunger for power, our lusty greed,
our lazy response to those in need;
and our wrath and anger, often quick-triggered
and too often lethal...
Remember your love
and your faithfulness, O Lord,Remember your people
and have mercy on us, Lord...
The craziness all around us, Lord,
follows our path away from you,
away from the will of your wisdom and word,
away from our call to tend the earth,
our common home,
and to tend and care for one another,
all sisters and brothers
in you and your love.
It was all meant to be so simple, Lord,
so good, so pure, so innocent,
so free, so just, so fair,
so beautiful - so delightful!
Remember your love
and your faithfulness, O Lord,Remember your people
and have mercy on us, Lord...
Restore us, O Lord!
Restore us all and restore our world
to be the people you made us to be,
to tend the garden you left in our care,
to be the holy people and place
where your love for us is revealed.
Remind us, Lord,
that our lives are in your hands,
that you give us what we need,
that you always show us the path to life,
the road to peace,
the highway that leads us home to you...
Remember your love
and your faithfulness, O Lord,Remember your people
and have mercy on us, Lord...
Protect us, Lord while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
(If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!)
Remember Your Love by Gary Daigle
Remember your loveAnd your faithfulness, O LordRemember your peopleAnd have mercy on us, Lord
The Lord is my light and my salvationWhom should I fear?The Lord is my life and my refugeWhen I call, He hears
If You dwelt, O Lord upon our sinfulnessThen who could stand?But with You there is mercy and forgivenessAnd a guiding hand
Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 7/7
I love all the little things others do
to lighten my load and brighten my day
but I often miss, I overlook,
all the little things, Lord, you do for me
in the course of my day-to-day...
While I wait some dramatic intervention
in the story of my humble life,
I miss each day the scores of ways you:
whisper your word in my heart,
open my eyes to beauty,
lead my mind to truth,
invite me to walk by your side,
open my ears to music,
lift me up when I'm down,
give me a second chance,
guide me when I'm lost,
touch my grief with joy,
catch me when I'm falling,
mend some broken part in me,
spark my will to move on,
shine your light in my darkness,
help me find reason to hope,
nudge me when I'm really stuck,
give me good cause to smile,
steady my faltering step,
calm me in my anxiety,
give me a second wind,
share a bit of your wisdom,
heal my heart with your mercy,
comfort me in my sadness,
lead me to trust in your love,
counsel me in my confusion
- and a hundred other little things, Lord,
many more than I can count...
Open me up to know you, Lord,
in all the small ways
you fill my day
with your presence,
your peace
and your promise...
And help me, Lord, find my true joy
in the little things
I do for others...
Amen.
OK - some might think this song a little to precious- but I'm going with it! I hope you'll give it a listen - and a look-see!
Little Things by Forever Be Sure
If a video doesn't appear below - click here!
7/6/26
NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 7/6
On another post, a reader asked if I'd be posting prayers reflective of my time here in Colorado - here's my first one!
I'm grateful, Lord, that I arrived in Colorado
while the Harison yellows are still in bloom!
I've been looking forward
to taking in their simple beauty
and the random way they grow:
here, there and all around,
requiring no special care,
just stopping by to visit
and to share
their spicy, musky scent...
I can't resist this, Lord:
It's time to stop and smell the roses!
But then, it's always time...
to stop and smell the roses,
to bathe in old Sol's summer warmth,
to be surprised by sudden joy
and trust it comes from you...
to breath in deep the evening air,
to try to count the heavens' stars,
to see a soul in someone's eyes
and reverence what I see...
to find the face that masks the moon,
to watch the waves that lap the shore,
to hear a silent cry for help
and find the words I need to say...
to wonder at a mountain's heights,
to wander through a forest's depths
to find the pulse of someone's love
and learn its gentle rhythm...
Lord, it's always, time...
to look for you in every place,
especially in just that place
I least expect to find you...
to wait for you and trust you'll come
when and where and how you choose
to make your presence known...
to stop and spend some time with you
who wait for me to join you,
who wait to hold and keep me...
It's always time
to stop smell the roses,
and to open wide my eyes and ears,
my heart and soul,
my mind's imagination
to the power and the presence,
the brilliance and the beauty
the grace, the peace and joy,
of all the ways you bless me, Lord,
in every time and place...
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep rest in your peace...
Amen.
Tonight's song is not from a hymnal but its lyrics pair well with our prayer tonight...
Smell the Roses by Garrison Urich
If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!
There's a long and winding road ahead
A few black clouds lay over head
And the shining sun is nowhere to be seen
But with every step and fall you take
All your thoughts and leaps of faith
There's a silver lining somewhere in between
Close your eyes
Breathe in slow
Then let it go
Stop and smell the roses
when your journey's getting long
When you feel your life's against you,
when your energy is gone
'Cause not everybody knows
when it's just time to catch a break
When you're draining
and you just don't wanna show it
Stop and smell the roses
Today has found another way
To turn right into yesterday
'
Cause time has taken all the light again
But if I fiddle with reality
To try and change who I should be
I'm tucking my own destiny in bed
Monday Morning Offering: 7/6
 |
| Coffee in the Morning by George Mendoza |
Lord, I offer you the day ahead
whether I'm dreading it
or looking forward to it:
may it be a day I look back on
in peace...
I offer you this day
because it's the one you've given me,
the only day I have,
the day I hope you'll walk with me,
the day I want to walk with you...
I offer you this day's burdens, Lord:
large and small, heavy and light,
and I pray you'll help me carry them...
I offer you this day's mistakes
- even before I make them:
help me avoid them, Lord,
and, please, when I make them,
pardon and forgive me...
I offer you,
this day's work: may it be fruitful;
this day's rest, may it be peaceful;
and this day's time, may it be blessed...
I offer you this day's smiles and joys
and pray you make sure
I don't miss even one of them...
I offer you this day's worries and fears,
the real and the imagined,
and I pray you'll be, through all of them,
my courage and my strength...
I offer you my tears this day
and pray you wipe each one away:
heal the hurt from which they flow,
the brokenness and pain...
I offer this day's challenges,
the ones I can expect
and those that will surprise me:
be with me, Lord,
and help me make my way through every one...
I offer every chance I have
to comfort and heal, to pardon and forgive,
to lift up any who, in need,
may reach out for my help...
I offer this day's quiet times
when in my mind and heart
I might turn to you in prayer, in praise,
and find you by my side...
I offer what little I might have
and pray, Lord, I'll be open
to all you offer me...
Amen.
Be With Me, Lord
by Marty Haugen
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Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble,
be with me, Lord, I pray!
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord most high,
who abide in the shadow of our God,
say to the Lord, "My refuge and fortress,
the God in whom I trust!"
Be with me, Lord...
No evil shall befall you, no pain come near,
for the angels stand close by your side
guarding you always and bearing you gently,
watching over your life.
Be with me, Lord...
Those who cling to the Lord live secure in God's love
lifted high those who trust in God's name
Call on your Lord who will never forsake you,
God will bring you salvation and joy.
Be with me, Lord...
7/5/26
NIGHT PRAYER: 7/5
In 2020, my friend, John Hudson, pastor of Pilgrim Church in Sherborn, MA, created the video below for his congregation's prayer. I'm pleased to share it here as our Night Prayer as this holiday weekend comes to a close. (Note that our usual order of prayer is reversed this evening: the song comes first and then the prayer!)
If a video doesn't appear below, click here!
Oh beautiful, for heroes proved
In liberating strife
Who more than self, our country loved
And mercy more than life
In liberating strife
Who more than self, our country loved
And mercy more than life
America, America, may God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine
And you know when I was in school
We used to sing it something like this, listen here
We used to sing it something like this, listen here
Oh beautiful, for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain
But now wait a minute, I'm talking about
America, sweet America
You know, God done shed his grace on thee
He crowned thy good, yes he did, in a brotherhood
From sea to shining sea
America, sweet America
You know, God done shed his grace on thee
He crowned thy good, yes he did, in a brotherhood
From sea to shining sea
You know, I wish I had somebody to help me sing this
(America, America, God shed his grace on thee)
America, I love you America, you see
My God he done shed his grace on thee
And you oughta love him for it
Because he, he, he, he, crowned thy good
He told me he would, with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea
Oh Lord, oh Lord, I thank you Lord
(Shining sea)
..................................................................................
Protect our nation day by day
and guide us to your truth, Lord;
set our hearts to work for justice
for the poor and all in need...
Guide this independent nation, Lord,
with wisdom, strength and purpose;
keep us mindful of your law of love
and all that it demands...
Keep vigil while we sleep, Lord:
be our sentry through the night;
be the night light in our darkness,
the fulfillment of our dreams...
Give us rest, sleep and peace, Lord,
'til the the light of day breaks through
and prepare us for tomorrow's course
of sorrows, joys and grace...
Amen.
Leo's July 4th Letter to the USA
Here's a link to Pope Leo's Independence Day message to the United States of America. As we have come to expect, his words here are wise and compelling.
Note: this is a different message than the one I posted yesterday with Leo's words upon receiving the Freedom Medal from the National Constitutional Center.
Where's my homily? Good question!
I am in Georgetown, Colorado and I did celebrate mass yesterday at Our Lady of
Lourdes - but - the pastor double-booked, leaving me AND a missionary
priest for this weekend and next. Since the missionaries are
fundraising - they get to preach. So, my next homily will be on July
19.
Character
Here's the video of Doris Kearns Goodwin's interview today on Meet the Press. This is not a partisan, political polemic but rather the Independence Day reflections of an acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize winning presidential historian and biographer. I hope you'll watch the whole video but if you deem it too long - at least skip ahead to 08:59 for her concluding comment on character.
(If a video doesn't appear, click here.)
Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 7/5
This weekend, Lord,
we celebrate our nation's birthday
and our independence
from those who would oppress us...
Independence:
a freedom declared by claiming the right
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,
calling on you, Supreme Judge of all,
to witness our righteous intentions...
But this year's 4th is shadowed, Lord,
by discord, strident and angry,
by betrayal wounding our unity,
tearing the fabric of mutual trust,
each time we default to selfish folly
and ignore your wisdom and grace...
Hear our prayer, Lord!
Give us reason to hope and cause to rejoice!
Wash away the many faults and sins
that betray our unalienable rights
to life, to liberty and the pursuit of happiness...
Restore our good will and integrity, Lord
til we learn again and earn the right
to be called a godly nation...
Make us worthy of gifts which you endow
and by which we struggle to build and be
one great nation, under God,
with sweet liberty and justice for all...
Amen.
Pray for America
If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!
When sorrows are befallen
And shadows darken her door
When the fever spreads and a silent scourge
Outshines her golden shores
When a cry for comfort reaches forth
Like you've never heard before
Pray for America
Our promised land
And shadows darken her door
When the fever spreads and a silent scourge
Outshines her golden shores
When a cry for comfort reaches forth
Like you've never heard before
Pray for America
Our promised land
America, to thee
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America
When the tears just keep falling
And the glory light's gone dim
And the barren ground is full of holes
We hasten to fill in
When the firmest faith is shaken fast
By a fear that's creeping in
Pray for America
Our promised land
And the glory light's gone dim
And the barren ground is full of holes
We hasten to fill in
When the firmest faith is shaken fast
By a fear that's creeping in
Pray for America
Our promised land
America, to thee
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America
Where the peaceful hour is broken
By the pounding tumult quake
And all is torn asunder
What we thought could never break
Well, all your saints come marching
Through hell for heaven's sake
Pray for America
Our promised land
By the pounding tumult quake
And all is torn asunder
What we thought could never break
Well, all your saints come marching
Through hell for heaven's sake
Pray for America
Our promised land
America, to thee
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America
Oh, pray for America
God, set Your grace on thee
God, set Your grace on thee
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