Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 4/22

Pick me up, Lord,
and dust me off:
polish my tarnished spots...

Give me a kick
just where I need it
to get me going again...

Open my eyes
to see what's before me
now, in the moment, today...

Jump start my will

to do the right thing

as fully as I may be able...

Breathe in my soul,

fill my heart to the brim

with the peace and joy of your Spirit...

Grant me the grace
of a new brand new day,

blessed by your wisdom and truth...

And stay with me, Lord,
hour by hour,
step by step by my side...

And when day is done
I pray for good rest
till you shake me awake in the morn...

Amen

 

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

  

NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 4/22

Passover begins at sundown today, April 21, and will conclude on Tuesday, April 30.  This year the joy of Passover will be tempered by the tragic situation in the Holy Land.  For our meditation tonight I turn to my friend, Alden Solovy, and his beautiful prayer: "Children of Gaza, Children of Israel." 

 

Dear Children,
What can we say to you in times of war?
What can we say when you run for shelter, not for joy,
When you hide, not to seek, but huddle in fear?
No, it is not a game when you
Cry tears of dread in the night.

O grief,
O war and terror,
You have stolen our children.
You have stolen our rest.
And now you wish to steal our hope
In tomorrow.

Children of Gaza and Israel,
We pray for you to find each other,
In laughter and friendship,
Before someone teaches you
Anger and hatred,
While you are still pure with
Curiosity and wonder.

Children of Israel and Gaza,
We pray for you to find comfort
In the cradle of your mothers’ arms,
In the bosom of quiet and peace,
Without rocket or mortar to break
The gentle stillness of the air,
The lovely silence of the night.

One G-d,
Maker of All,
Is this too much to ask?
Is this too much to dream?
That one day all children of the world
Will run with glee toward one another,
Will hold hands together in delight,
To skip and twirl and dance
To the rhythms of peace?

© 2014 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com.

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 song is as beautiful as it is simple...

Peace for the Children  by Doreen Lankshear-Smith

If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!

Peace for the children, peace, peace,

Peace for the children we pray.

Following the path of One of peace,

we work for healing, we work for peace;

peace for the children today.

 

    Peace for all people...

    Peace in our families...

    Peace for the nations...

    Dona nobis pacem 

        Give us peace

    Peace for all creatures...

    Peace for our planet...

    Peace for in the cosmos...

    We pray... for peace.

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

 

MONDAY MORNING OFFERING: 4/22

Morning Coffee by George Mendoza

  

The scriptures for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (4/21 this year) always offer images of Christ as the Good Shepherd.  Eight years ago I wrote this Good Shepherd Monday Morning Offering.  Of all the prayers I've written over 17 years of blogging, this is one of my favorites. Here's the latest rendition...

 

With yesterday's scriptures
still in my mind and heart, Lord,
I offer you this prayer:
    shepherd me
    through the ups and downs,
    joys and sorrows,
    temptations and graces

    that come my way every day... 

 

Shepherd me, O God, 

    from here to there,
    from where I am 

        to where I'm meant to be,
    from one moment to the next,
    from today into tomorrow,
    from my past into my future...

Shepherd me, O God,

    from yesterday's problems

        through today's dilemmas

            to the peace your Spirit offers..

Shepherd me, O God,
    from memories that hold me back
        to a future I've yet to experience...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from my failings, sins and errors
        to the grace of a new beginning...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from fantasies and daydreams
        to a life that's authentic and certain...

Shepherd me, O God,

    far from all my foolish ways

        to the path where Wisdom beckons...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from selfishness and greed
        to a generous, giving spirit...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from arrogant pride
        to humble self-knowledge...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from the lies I've come to believe
        to the truth that sets me free...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from all that's less than pure
        to what's clear and clean and chaste...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from my lazy habits
        to work that satisfies and serves...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from mindless wandering
        to the path you'd have me walk...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from flirting with temptation
        to doing what is right...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from prejudice and bias
        to understanding and acceptance...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from wasting what I have
        to sharing all that's mine...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from hopelessness and fear
        to confidence and trust in you...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from feeling sorry for myself
        to gratitude for all I have...

Shepherd me, O God,
    from doubts that cloud my thoughts
        to faith that clears my soul...

Shepherd me, O God,

    from here to there,

    from one moment to the next,

    from today into tomorrow,

    from my past into my future...

 

Shepherd me, O God,

    beyond my wants,

        beyond my fears,

        from death into life...

Amen.

Shepherd Me, O God by Marty Haugen

If a widget doesn't appear below, clcik here!

 

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

God is my shepherd, so nothing shall I want,
I rest in the meadows of faithfulness and love,
I walk by the quiet waters of peace.

Gently you raise me and heal my weary soul,
you lead me by pathways of righteousness and truth,
my spirit shall sing the music of your Name.

Though I should wander the valley of death,
I fear no evil, for you are at my side,
your rod and your staff, my comfort and my hope.

You have set me a banquet of love in the face of hatred,
crowning me with love beyond my pow'r to hold.
Surely your kindness and mercy follow me all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of my God forevermore.

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

  

Homily for Sunday, April 21

Here's the audio of my homily for April 21, 2024. 

For better understanding, here's the gospel text I was preaching.

 

If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!

 

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

  

NIGHT PRAYER: Sunday 4/21

On Sundays, Night Prayer will focus on an element from the day's celebration of Mass. Tonight we'll pray for the help of the Good Shepherd who searches out and finds us, his sheep, when we're lost...

We'll begin with some words from Entering the Silence, by the great spiritual writer, Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton.

Good Shepherd,
you have in me a wild and crazy sheep
in love with thorns and brambles.
But please don’t get tired of looking for me!
I know you won’t.
You have found me.
All I have to do is stay found.

    Image source

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know better than I, Lord,

the brambles where I ramble,

the thorns that scratch my soul

and wound the tender flesh 

your love once bared for me...

 

You know how often and how easily

I go astray, on my own way

and end up lost, alone 

and longing just to hear your voice

calling me by name 

and finding me again

and again and again

- as you have found me now...

 

I know you won't give up on me

- I know you never have.

 

You've found me!

Now, help me, Lord,

stay found...

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 music is not a hymn, it's from the musical   

Dear Evan Hansen.  It's a song about being lost - and 

being found.  It's a song I hear as a prayer and a blessing 

to listen to in light of Merton's prayer and today's Good 

Shepherd Sunday...

 

You Will Be Found by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

 

If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!

 

 

Have you ever felt like nobody was there?
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall, and no one would hear?

 

Well, let that lonely feeling wash away
Maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay
'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand
You can reach, reach out your hand

 

And oh, someone will coming running
And I know, they'll take you home

 

Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you're broken on the ground
You will be found

 
So let the sun come streaming in
'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again
Lift your head and look around
You will be found...

 

There's a place where we don't have to feel unknown
And every time that you call out
You're a little less alone
If you only say the word
From across the silence your voice is heard

 

Oh, someone will come running

to take you home

Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
When you're broken on the ground
You will be found
So let the sun come streaming in
'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again
If you only look around
You will be found 

(You will be found)...

 

Out of the shadows
The morning is breaking
And all is new, all is new
It's filling up the empty
And suddenly I see that
All is new, all is new

You are not alone 

(You are not alone)...

Even when the dark comes crashin' through
When you need someone to carry you
When you're broken on the ground
You will be found!
So when the sun comes streaming in
'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again
If you only look around
You will be found....

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

  

Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 4/21

Every year, the gospel on the Fourth Sunday of Easter tells us about the Good Shepherd.  You might want to pray over Psalm 23 this morning before moving on to my Pause for Prayer for Good Shepherd Sunday...

The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the meadows
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord's own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.

-Psalm 23

    Lord, it's hard to imagine wanting for nothing but I love what you promise in Psalm 23: meadows, fresh and green?  that sounds great! restful waters to lift my spirits?  I'll dive right in!

    Shepherd me to just such a place, Lord - not a vacation spot - but a place in my heart, in my soul, where solace abounds because you're there for me with gifts of peace that only you can give...

    So many needs and problems nagging me, so many fears and concerns haunting me, too many worries and distractions keeping me from just that place within where I know you wait, inviting me to come, to settle down and find my rest in you...

    Sometimes you give me grace to see what I so often miss: my running too fast, my waste of time, my selfishness; my thinking I'll get by without your help, that I can do it all alone...

    Without your shepherd's lead I lose my way; without your shepherd's crook I go astray; without your shepherd's voice to call my name I wander in dark valleys in my grief and my fear...

    But you're there by my side, always my shepherd; your crook pulls me back when I'm off on to your meadow of presence and peace... you call my name to call me home to your meadows of presence and peace...

    Guide me on my journey, Lord, on the right path: be true to your name and call me to be true to your word. When I step away from your side, find me, bring me back and show me the way you'd have me walk...

    Turn me around and let me see how close you are, Lord; with your crook and your staff give me comfort and hope; open my heart and my ears to your voice and your word, and grant me the peace you offer each day...

    When I'm hungry for bread and thirst for your mercy: prepare a banquet to nourish my soul with your wisdom, and fill me with your grace and goodness...

    Help me see, Lord, how I'll only want for nothing when nothing comes between you and me and the peace you give to lift my drooping spirit...

    In the quiet of my prayer, good Shepherd, let me rest in your presence and find the peace that waits for me each time I listen for your voice...

    In the stillness of your meadow: calm my soul, forgive my heart; anoint me with your pardon and fill me with your Spirit...

    In the quiet of my prayer, Lord, let your light shine in my dark valley and with your shepherd's crook dispel my fears and comfort me...

 

    Amen.
  

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

  

NIGHT PRAYER: Saturday 4/20

In anticipation of tomorrow's gospel 

    for Good Shepherd Sunday...

 

When I find myself alone,

when I need someone to talk to,

someone who really listens,

remind me then, O Lord:

    you're my shepherd, 

    you're my friend... 

 

When I want someone to lead me,

to guide me on the right path

toward serenity and peace:

remind me then, O Lord:

    you're my shepherd, 

    you're my friend... 

 

When the silence is too much,

when I need to hear another's voice,

to hear a lover's song,

remind me then, O Lord:

    you're my shepherd, 

    you're my friend... 

When it seems there's no one at my side,

when I need someone who has my back,

who'll stand by me through thick and thin,

remind me then, O Lord:

    you're my shepherd,

    you're my friend...

When I'm frightened of what's yet to be

and worried I don't have the strength

to face whatever lies ahead,

remind me then, O Lord:

    you're my shepherd, 

    you're my friend... 

Like a shepherd, protect me while I'm awake

    as well as when I'm asleep, Lord,

that awake I might keep the watch with you

    and asleep, rest safe in your peace...

 

Amen.

Because the Lord Is My Shepherd  

    by Christopher Walker 

performed by

    Arundel and Brighton Diocesan Choir  

If a musical widget doesn't appear below, click here!

Because the Lord is my shepherd,
I have everything I need.
He lets me rest in the meadow
And leads me to  quiet streams.
He restores my soul
And he leads me in the paths that are right...

 

Lord,
You are my shepherd,
You are my friend.
I want to follow you always,
Just to follow my friend.

 

And when the road leads to darkness,
I shall walk there unafraid.
Even when death is close I have courage,
For your help is there.
You are close beside me with comfort,
You are guiding my way...

 

In love you make me a banquet
For my enemies to see.
You make me welcome,
Pouring down honor from your mighty hand;
And this joy fills me with gladness,
It is too much to bear...

 

Your goodness always is with me
And your mercy I know.
Your loving kindness strengthens me always
As I go through life.
I shall dwell in your presence forever,
Giving praise to your name...

 

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

  

Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 4/20

Image source

Lord,
so many people need a break...

- folks who bear loss and grief deep inside,
whose tears are a sign of the ache that throbs
in an empty place in their heart of hearts...

- folks who need rest from working too hard,
seldom, if ever, getting a chance
to relax, to rest and recoup...

- folks who've lost homes to fires and floods,
lost all they loved and claimed as their own:
their treasured possessions, the memories dear...

- folks whose plates are always too full,
whose burdens are heavy and far too many,
who truly need help to cope and get by....

-folks who work hard at more than one job
and still come up short at the end of the month,
facing debt that never stops growing...

- folks who are lonely, who long for a friend,
for a spouse, a companion, a neighbor,
for someone to talk to and walk by their side...

- folks who are sick and burdened with pain
with multiple diagnoses,
with chronic illness that just won't quit...

- folks who are suffering injustice, Lord,
who are always the last, always the least,

with no one to shield and defend them...

- folks who are fearful, worried and anxious,
whose hope has grown thin and dim,
who hunger for peace, for serenity...

- folks who have tried and tried yet again
and haven't yet found what they seek
and wonder now if ever they will...

So many people who need a break

and for them this morning I pray:

   please smile on them in your kindness,
   grant them some respite from worry,
   lighten the burdens they carry,
   heal and ease the pain they bear,
   right the wrongs they suffer,
   comfort them in their loss and grief,
   refresh and renew their resolve,
   deepen their hope and renew their trust,
   open their hearts to new love,
   help them get up and begin once again
   and grant them good rest and sweet dreams...

And if in some way I might be of help
and offer some respite, a break,
give me the love of a selfless heart
to reach out and do what I can...

And when others offer to help me, Lord,
to give me the break I might need,
let me welcome, humbly, their gift of love,

an open and outstretched hand...

 

In so many ways, Lord we all need your help:
be our strength, our guard and our guide.

Open our hearts to the gift of your grace:

O God, we all need a break!

 

Amen.

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

  

NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 4/19

Yesterday, 

an unusual noise led me to bring my car in for service

and I learned that my brakes were in need of repair,

which work was done this morning.

On way home, the first time I hit the brakes 

I became immediately aware 

of how bad my brakes had been!

 

Now, just a tap of my foot was enough to begin 

to slow my car towards a stop

    - but what about before ?

 

I was immediately grateful for that unusual noise

that helped me discover 

    I'd been living dangerously,

    that I couldn't stop as easily, as quickly

        as I'd imagined I could

    that something I took for granted

        had been slipping beyond my control...

So I'm praying tonight, Lord, help me hear

whatever strange noises I need to hear

lest I live in danger of loosing control

    of the thoughts I think,

    the foolishness I entertain,

    the words I speak,

    the feelings I harbor,

    the deeds I do,

    the resentments I feed

   and the grudges I bear...

    

And most of all, Lord,

help me maintain the wisdom I need

to put the brakes to my unchecked speed

    when I'm losing control and in harm's way,

    unable to stop when I want to stop,

    careening down a collision course

    with danger, destruction and damage

    of all I hold dear and cherish...

 

Help me check my internal brakes, Lord:

    help me hear when my conscience rattles and scrapes,

    when my will to stop is spongy and loose,

    when I'm losing control and need your strength

        to hit the brakes when it's time to stop...

And if and when I forget all this, Lord,

    please, put your foot on my brakes for me

        and save me before it's too late...

   

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.

 

I couldn't find any music about brake jobs - but

here's a song praying for the Lord to slow me down...

Slow Me Down  by Robbie Seay

If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!

 

 

 

Slow me down, O Lord
Slow me down
Help my heart to hear Your sound
Speak into my life
Lord speak now
Slow me down, O Lord
Slow me down

 

Clear my mind, O Lord
Clear my mind
Bring me peace that I cannot find
Take my worried thoughts
Break my pride
Clear my mind, O Lord
Clear my mind

 

Wake my soul, O Lord
Wake my soul
With this mess I've made
Make me whole
Of this life called mine, take control
Wake my soul, O Lord
Wake my soul

 

Slow me down, O Lord
Slow me down
Help my heart to hear Your sound
Speak into my life
Lord speak now
Slow me down, O Lord
Slow me down

Slow me down, O Lord
Slow me down

Slow me down, O Lord
Slow me down 

Tweet   

SUBSCRIBE HERE!