Monday Morning Offering: 6/12

Image: George Mendoza

 

If you follow this page you know that for the past few days 

brokenness has been a recurring theme in my posts this

Corpus Christi weekend.  Although that feast is now behind

us, we'll pray again this morning from the brokenness of 

the Church, the Body of Christ, whose members we are...

Good morning, good God!

We come this morning with our arms full, Lord,
because today we offer you the Church,
    the whole Church,
    the beautiful, blessed Body of Christ:
    all your faithful sons and daughters,
    born again in the waters of the font

    and the grace of the Holy Spirit...
 

And yet, Lord,

the Church we offer, the Body of Christ,

comes with its mystical beauty scarred,
marred  by our pride and carelessness, 

our passion and hunger for power...

You call us to serve one another in love

    but we've failed you, Lord...
 

You call us to be pure in word and deed
    but we sully ourselves and others
        for the sake of  prestige and passion...
 

You call us to be your channels of peace,
    but we've damaged innocent souls,
    betrayed the faith of our elders

    and choked the trust of believers...
   
You call us  all to be merciful, Lord,
    but we set ourselves up as judges,
    handing down verdicts we hope and pray
    you'd never hand down on us...

You call us to be just in all we do
    but we fail to be accountable
    to you, your truth, your Word,

     your wisdom, your law, your will... 

You call us to be the city a hill,

    but we grow content with the darkness...

You call us to be fresh yeast for the dough
    but our leaven is old and stale...

You call us to be the servants of all

    but our self-interest leaves so many in need…

You call us to be your people, Lord,
    Corpus et Sanguis Christi,
but our words and deeds betray you,
    you whose Body we are...

Lord, have mercy!
Christ, have mercy!
Lord, have mercy!

Help us turn to you, Lord,

    with honesty, humility and trust

to become the Church we're called to be,

    your presence in this world...

Help us change our hearts, Lord,
    and offer them to you, 

that your Spirit might anoint us
    to do the work that's ours...

Let your Cross, Lord, be our hope
    as we let go our selfish ways
and we learn that in surrendering

    there's everything to gain...

Let your Holy Spirit guide us
    to reform, rebuild your Church:

        its customs and traditions,
        its methods, ways and laws,

        its outreach to all peoples

        and its faithfulness to you...

Preserve what's right and just, Lord,
    and change what must be changed;
turn us upside down and inside out
    until we have become

nothing and more and nothing less

    than your presence in the world,

        your Body, Jesus Christ!

We offer you your Church, Lord,
    as we wait in joyful hope 

until you come again,

    in your power and your glory

until we are made one

    in your eternal reign of grace...

Amen.

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