NIGHT PRAYER: Thursday 5/28

This image of the Beloved Disciple (in the chapel at Eastern Point) drew me to prayer many times over the 8 days I was on retreat there...

 

Many nights, Lord, 

    I'd just love to

        lean my head upon your shoulder 

    and just  listen 

        while you tell me a story 

            or sing me a song 

    or maybe, just hum softly

         'til I fall fast asleep...

 

Then I could put aside the worries

    I take with me to bed 

and ease my tossing-turning

    over troubles yet to come...

 

So, tonight, Lord:

    let my prayer find your shoulder
        and my heart lean close to yours;
    help me hear your voice, your words     

        as you sing a simple song 

            to calm my anxious soul...

And as you've brought me through this day,
    be in my dreams all through the night
- and be there in the morning
    when I greet the new day's light...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake,
    keep vigil while I sleep,
that awake, I may keep watch for you
    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.    

You may be familiar with this hymn, but perhaps not with this beautiful, peaceful arrangement...

 

Lord of All Hopefulness

    lyrics by Jan Struther;

    tune: Slane (traditional Irish); 

    arranged by Nancy Grundahl

 

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Be with us, Lord, give us your bliss

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy:
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Be with us, Lord, give us you strength.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe:
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Be with us, Lord, give us your love.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace:
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Be with us, Lord, give us your peace.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm:
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

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Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 5/28

Photo by CP

 

12 years ago, on a beautiful spring day, I had a therapy appointment in Jamaica Plain - a day so beautiful that I chose to park at some distance from the doctor's office just to take in a deep breath of spring...

 

If I'd driven instead of walking,
if I'd hurried rather than taking my time,
if I hadn't crossed the street to take a closer look,
I'd have surely missed the mystery:

    a gorgeous eastern red bud tree,

    sprouting from its bark a rare corsage,

    ready for the senior prom... 

    and fragrant lilacs, understated elegance,
    rehearsing the perfect curtsy
    for a timely spring debut...

Photo by CP

Oh, if only I'd slow down, Lord,
and take in what's around me:
    what mystery I might meet,
    what fragrance might give hint
    of your sweet, seductive presence
    blossoming in places I might miss
    - and so miss you...

Photo by CP

If I'd driven instead of walking, Lord,
if I'd hurried rather than taking my time,
if I hadn't crossed the street to take a closer look:
    I'd have surely missed the mystery, Lord,
    and more - I'd have missed you...

Amen.

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It's First Communion season...

 It's First Communion season and I've saved Megan O'Sulllivan's beautiful reflection for now.  I'm sure that many of my readers will enjoy this!

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Wednesday 5/27

 I had lunch today and a long conversation with an old friend whom  I don't see that often... it might have seemed an unremarkable meeting were it not for the pure and simple joy it brought to my heart...

 

What a joy, a grace and a blessing, Lord,

    to break bread and to spend some time 

        with an old friend,

     a friend who's been there over the years

        - many years, even decades...

 

Someone who knows my story...

    someone whose story I know...

someone with whom I've shared many stories

    in laughter and tears,

    in good times and bad, 

    in friendship, love and communion...

 

What a joy, a grace and a blessing, Lord,

    to remember old times 

        and how it was then

            and how things have changed

                - and what lies ahead... 

 

What a joy, a grace and a blessing, Lord:

    speaking the language of memories shared

       in this friendly bond of trust and faith;  

    a break from the humdrum day-to-day,

        an oasis of peace in a world at war; 

    picking right up where we last left off;

        and trusting that what we shared today

            will last forever and ever more

    for you are the source of this joy, O Lord,

        and yours is the grace that binds us as friends

    and you are the blessing we found today

        in telling the stories we've shared...

 

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. 

 

Tonight's music is a song of gratitude for the pure and simple joy of friendship...

 

Thank You for My Life by Ed Tossing

 

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Pause for Prayer: 5/27

 

 

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 5/26

I've only read the first pages of Pope Leo's letter but I'm already breathing in (again) the heady fresh air John XXIII spoke of when he opened the Second Vatican Council and invited the Church to open its windows and let the fresh air of the Spirit blow through.  

 

Leo is opening the windows again!

Founded on Christ, the living stone, we experience the powerful and mysterious action of the Holy Spirit, and we believe that every authentic human effort to cooperate with him for the good will be blessed by our heavenly Father, in whom we place our hope. For this reason, we can diligently contribute to every initiative that builds a more just world, and we can call others to collaborate in promoting the integral development of every human being. We wish to engage in dialogue with all men and women of our time, with whom we share in the events, questions and aspirations of humanity. Together with them, we seek to identify new paths for the common good and for promoting a dignified life for all. Indeed, openness to dialogue is an integral part of the Church’s vocation because, constituted in Christ as “a sacrament of communion..." she recognizes history as the place where the Gospel challenges and directs human experience.  (Magnifica Humanitas #2)

Lord,

I can feel the rush of the Spirit's wind

coming with gifts to fill the Church

and to fill the world 

    with wisdom, understanding and counsel     

        with fortitude, knowledge, and love of you...

 

I can see the hope the Spirit brings,

hope for a harvest of

    love, joy, peace, and patience, 

        kindness, goodness and faithfulness, 

            gentleness, generosity and self-control...

 

Leo is calling on all of us, and on the whole world,

    to open our hearts, our minds and our souls,

    to remember again who made us,

    who called and calls us

    to do what is just, to love what is good

    and to walk, humbly, with you...

 

We seek, we hunger and long for, Lord,

    the peace we cannot give ourselves,

    the peace that only you can make,

    the peace that only you can give... 

 

Help us welcome your Spirit,

    your word, your will and your wisdom;

help us believe again 

    that all can be one, 

    that we can be one 

    with you, with one another

    and with the wonder of all of creation...

 

Send the wind of your Spirit, Lord,

    to open our windows and breathe in us

        your mercy, your love and your grace...  

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. 

 

The Wind Is Blowin' Again by Lanny Wolfe

    performed by HCS Junior High Choir

 

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The wind is blowin' again, 

    the wind is blowin' again
Just like the day of Pentecost, 

    the wind is blowin' again

 

There was a crowd gathered 'round 

    from all over town
They came to see what it was all about
There was a sound that came down 

    from the upper room
Where the Holy Ghost was being poured out
It sounded just like the roar of a mighty wind
As it fell on every one of them
And the wind that blew at Pentecost 

- thank God it's blowin' again!

 

2. The wind of God is blowin' 

    through the world today
As the prophet Joel said it would do
For peter said on the day of Pentecost
It's for you and your children too
So open up your heart and let the wind blow in
You'll never, never, never be the same again
For the wind that blew at Pentecost 

keeps blowin' and blowin' again

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Leo's Letter

Yes, I'll be posting on Pope Leo's first encyclical letter: Magnifica Humanitas - once I've read it and had an opportunity to put some thoughts together.  

In the meantime, I encourage you to read it, too - right here!

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Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 5/26

 

Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; 
    they are the charming gardeners 

        who make our souls blossom.
- Marcel Proust

Make of me a gardener, O Lord, 
in the garden of souls you've planted,
souls entrusted to all of us
to care for, nurture and serve...

Let me be as sunlight and warmth,
coaxing others to bud and to sprout;
and let my words be a gentle rain,
refreshing parched and thirsty hearts...   

Let my presence be soil for all
to thrive in, to grow and to flourish
but then I'll leave all the pruning to you,
lest, in haste, I do any harm...

And come, tend my own garden, Lord
be my ground, my grace and my light;
prune away and weed out what I really don't need;
help me grow and bloom and bear fruit! 

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Memorial Day

I've offered this post for the last couple of years - I can't imagine a better Night Prayer for the close of Memorial Day! Please be sure to play the Taps widget before going on to the prayer...

Taps

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Taps sounds the end of day

    and Taps sounds the last of days

when the soldier, sailor, pilot

    completes a life's last mission

and rests until another trumpet

    sounds the end of time

and you, O Lord, will come again

    and call them home to you...

As Taps sounds this night, O Lord,

    we commend to your sweet mercy

those who've gone before us,

    laying down their lives for love 

        of homeland and of freedom...

As we hear the notes of Taps this night 

remind us, Lord, how we're all called 

    to love our neighbor as ourselves,

    to share our life as you shared yours,

    in loving, willing sacrifice, 

    in mercy and in love...

Protect us, Lord, while we're awake

    and watch over us as we sleep

that awake, we might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Tonight's music is a vocal version of Taps, lyrics below. You'll find a history of Taps here, and of the lyrics here.

TAPS: Day is Done by Jari Villanueva

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Day is done, gone the sun 

From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky 

All is well, safely rest 

God is nigh. 

 

Thanks and praise for our days 

Neath the sun, neath the stars, neath the sky 

As we go, this we know 

God is nigh. 

 

Then goodnight, peaceful night; 

Till the light of the dawn shineth bright. 

God is near, do not fear, friend, goodnight.

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Memorial Day Prayer

 

 

I wrote this prayer 18 years ago for the Town of Concord's Memorial Day Parade and Exercises. 

 

A Prayer for Memorial Day

 

In the quiet sanctuaries of our own hearts,

let each of us name and call on the One 

whose power over us is great and gentle, 

firm and forgiving, 

holy and healing...

    You who created us,
    who sustain us,
    who call us to live in peace,
        hear our prayer today...

    Hear our prayer for all who have died,

    whose hearts and hopes were known

        to you alone…

 

    Hear our prayer 

    for those who gave their lives 

    in the service of others

        and accept the gift of their sacrifice…

 

    Hear our prayer

    for those who put the welfare of others 

    ahead of their own

    and give us hearts 

        as generous as were theirs…

 

    Help us to shape and make a world
    where we'll lay down the arms of war
    and turn our swords into plowshares 
    for a harvest of justice 

        and the victory of peace…

 

    Comfort those 

    who grieve the loss of loved ones: 

    let your healing be the hope 

        that heals their hearts...

    Hear our prayer today
    and in your mercy answer us
        in the name of all that's holy...

    Amen.

Hymn to the Fallen by John Williams 

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