Pause for Prayer...... First Friday in November...... in the Month of All Souls

                                     Open Your Heart by Timothy P Schmalz

 It's the "First Friday" of November and the first Friday of each month is considered a day devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Beyond our imagining, the breadth and depth of Jesus' heart expands eternally to hold in its beating chambers every human being created in God's image. In the heart of Jesus are found the peoples of every time and age, of every race and nation: past, present and to come. We are in Christ's heart now, already - and we always have been. All things came to be through him and without him, nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race.  

In the heart of Jesus we are brothers and sisters. Our life's work is to grasp that each heart is made and meant to beat as one with Christ's heart. And if each heart beats as one with Christ's, then all hearts will beat together and live in the Spirit's breath. 

Sin is congestive heart failure in the body of Christ and we need the healing touch of the divine Physician to make of us one heart, one breath. 

In this month of November, the month of All Souls, let us pray that all who have died will find their eternal home in the heart of Jesus.

Litany of the Sacred Heart

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

So loving
So humble
So gentle
So compassionate
So faithful
So wise
So patient
So steadfast
So tender
So spacious

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

God’s joy
God’s shalom
Harp of the Trinity
Wingbeat of the Spirit
Breath of God
Five-petaled rose

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Womb of justice
Birthplace of peace
Our dearest hope
Longing of our lives

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Freely flowing fountain
Spring of grace
Freshet of forgiveness
Merciful river
Mystical dew

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Warmth of our hearts
Transforming fire
Cosmic furnace
Enflamer of hearts

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Heart of evolution
Beginning and ending
Center of all

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Garden of virtues
Mystical dew
Table and food

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Our refuge
Our shelter
Our comfort
Our rest
Our welcoming breast

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Wounded by love
Pierced by our cruelty
Broken by our hardness
Mystic winepress
Poured out as gift

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Have mercy, gracious heart,
Give us gratefulness
Teach us tenderness
Let us learn to love.

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

- Wendy Wright

Let us pray...

 
God of all our hearts, open your heart 

    that we might see in yours
        the beauty of every soul created in your image...

 
We pray for all who have died
    that they may find in your heart
        the eternal peace you offer us...

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Thursday 11/6

I pray the day will come, Lord,

when I'll no longer need to pray for  peace

    - but that day's not today... 

 

So once again...

 

I pray for an end to all aggression, 

    terrorism and violence

        and for peace between those nations 

            still and now at war...

 

I pray for peace across our nation

    and for the healing of all that tears us apart...

 

I pray for a spirit of peaceful cooperation 

    in and between the branches of government,

        legislative, executive and judicial...

   

I pray for peace in our neighborhoods 

    and for those afraid to walk down the street

        on the way to work or school or the store... 

         

I pray for peace in our homes and our families

    and in the lives of those with no place to call home... 

 

I pray for peace among different religions

    that faith be the bond to bring us together...

 

I pray for the healing of hate and resentment

    and for peace among coworkers, 

        colleagues and classmates...

 

I pray for peace in my own life

    between me and those with whom I'm at odds...

 

I pray for a spirit of peace in the hearts

    of those who hold sway with power and might...

 

I pray for peace in the hearts of us all:

    peace in our minds and peace in our thoughts,

    peace in our hearts and peace in our souls, 

    peace in our words and peace in our deeds,

    peace in our hopes, in our dreams and our plans

and peace between us and you, O Lord,

    the peace that is only yours to give,

    the peace for which we hunger an thirst,

    the peace you pour forth from your heart,

    the peace we're called to make and to share... 

 

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 a powerful, arresting piece of music.  It's not scripture based, it's Kim Andre Arnesen's musical setting of Charles Silvestri's poetry.  The composition might deconstruct some of our naive notions, redefine our hope and set our agenda...

 

What Is Peace? 

    by Kim Andre Arnesen and Charles Silvestri  

 

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Peace is not a silent state  

That comes upon us from within -

    serene, detached, oblivious.     

 

Peace is not a force like rain  

That comes, unbidden, from above - 

    gentle, enfolding, natural.     

 

Peace is fire! Peace is passion!  

Peace requires strength of will,  

A certain courage, a heart of iron,  

A force abiding to fulfill.     

 

Peace is not a foregone fate;  

For peace, like war, must be waged—  

Mindfully, deliberately,  

With arms ever ready,  

And eyes wide open.     

 

The waging of peace is our highest call.

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Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 11/6

Lord,
I know your Spirit is always with me      

     24/7/365 
pushing and pulling me,
prompting and prodding me,
nudging and urging me
to love what's good,
to do the next right thing,
to speak the truth,
to help my neighbor,
to choose wisely,
to lift my heart in prayer
and to walk humbly by your side...

But so often,
too often, Lord,
I'm deaf to your voice,
blind to your presence
and too busy, too lazy,
too foolish, too self-absorbed
to see, to hear, to notice
all the ways your Spirit moves
in me, around me and through me...

Today, Lord,
open my ears, my eyes,
my imagination, my prayer,
my heart and my soul
to your Spirit,
living and breathing in me
and those all around me...

Amen. 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Wednesday 11/5

I'm very grateful, Lord,
    for the peace and consolation
        you've recently given me;

you've been more than kind and generous

    so I offer you my thanks

        for all that I've received...        

    
But I wish I had a ladle, Lord, 

to portion out the grace that's mine:

    like cups of hearty soup

        on a cold November day... 

        
I'd share that soup, that gracious broth,

    with folks I know and pray for,

with folks who need and seek, O Lord,
    your warmth and consolation,

your healing and your pardon,

    your presence and your peace... 

You know the folks I'm thinking of:
    there's S and J and D and M 

        and A and Q and P;        
    and V and E and B and N
        and F and T and O;

    there's W and Y and L

        and H and R and K

    not to mention X and C, 

       and not forgetting I and G… 

 

So many people waiting, Lord,
    and praying for your peace,

for your tender, healing touch

    upon their minds and hearts and souls...

 

 

You know them all, Lord, everyone,

    you call them each by name,

including those I've yet to meet,      

    new friends named U and Z,

who'll one day have their own place

    in my litany of names,

in my alphabetic soup of prayer,

    in cups and bowls of grace... 

    
Be with us in our troubles, Lord,
    be generous, I pray,

when you ladle out your blessings

    to warm and feed us all...

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.

 

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...

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Pause for Prayer: WEDNESDAY 11/5

 

 

 

 

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 11/4

Perhaps like me, you have increasingly frequent moments when you wish you could do something about all that's going on in our nation and in the world.  Most of us don't have the power or authority to make sweeping changes but each of us has power and authority over the integrity of our own lives.  

 

That's the thought that came to mind when I heard this scripture at mass this morning.  It's the feast of Saint Charles Borromeo (of the wealthy and powerful Medici family) who gave up his status to live the gospel of Jesus.  At the height of the bubonic plague in Milan, he was feeding as many as 70,000 people a day at a time when civil officials had fled the scene. He actively sought ways to make himself poor, to be a more faithful shepherd to the people he served.

 

These verses from today's reading from Romans 20 give us two dozen answers to the question, "What can I do?"

 

Let your love be sincere:
    hate what is evil,
        hold on to what is good...

Love one another with mutual affection
    and anticipate one another in showing honor...

Do not grow slack in zeal
    but be fervent in spirit
        and serve the Lord...

Rejoice in hope,
    endure in affliction,
        and persevere in prayer...

Contribute to the needs of God's people,
    offering hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you
    - bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice
    and weep with those who weep.

Live in harmony with one another;
    do not be haughty but associate with the lowly

        and do not be wise in your own estimation.   

 

Do not repay anyone evil for evil.

Be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all.  

If possible, insofar as it depends on you,

    live at peace with all...

Do not be conquered by evil 

    but conquer evil with good...

 

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.

Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly 

    by  Pat Barrett

 

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It all comes down to this 

What you require of me 

Love my neighbor as myself 

And You above all things   

 

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly 

With You, God 

In all things, in all ways, walk humbly 

With You, God   

 

It all comes down to this 

To be Your hands and feet 

Good news to all the world 

The truth will set us free   

 

Refrain 

 

It’s beauty for ashes 

It’s mourning to dancing 

It’s closer and closer 

The Kingdom of heaven (2X)

 

And years from now we’ll see 

The fruit our hands have sown 

Faith just like a seed 

The only way it grows

 

Refrain  

 

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Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 11/4

Image source

 

You will not fail today, Lord:

    to show me your face,
    to speak to my heart,
    and touch my soul with mercy...

You will not fail today:
    to walk by my side
    and show me the way
    to where your peace awaits me...

You will not fail today, Lord:
    to help me carry the burdens I bear,
    to be the light in my darkest hour
    and to pierce my sadness with joy...

You will not fail today, Lord:
    to give me all that I will need          
    to come to this day's end,
    my soul at peace with you...

 

So, help me, Lord, not fail today:
    to look for you
        in everyone I meet;
    to open wide my heart
        to your gentle, healing touch;

    and to find you ever at my side,
        guiding, helping, lifting me
            each time I trip and fall...

 

Help me, Lord, to seek and find

your ever faithful presence:

    in my day as it unfolds,

    with all its ups and downs,

    in its sorrows and its joys...

 

Today's a day that you've made

and I trust, Lord, you'll not fail:    

    to guide me with your grace

        and walk close by my side

    'til evening falls and finds me safe,

        asleep, at peace with you...    

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 11/3

 

These leaves, Lord, 

    tired, faded, worn and mottled 

        fallen now and ready for their raking
catch my wandering eye 

    with the earth-toned burnished beauty
        of their faded, passing glory...  

 

Photo by MarkPenta.com

Souvenirs of summer's loss,
    keepsakes of a season gone,
reminders of warm days once passed
    in sunlight, shade and joy...

Their former beauty now
    but rusty remnants of sweet memories,

they still bear, Lord, your fingerprints

    whose impress never fully fades,

but endures 

    every season's change and turn... 

Help us find in one another then,

    when time and age have readied us 

        for yielding to your harvest,

help us see in one another, Lord,

    your beauty's burnished glory
        fading from our straining eyes 

yet waiting, calling, drawing us 

    to where leaves neither fade nor fall

        and summer never ends...  

 

Falling leaves abounding,

    once above now underfoot,        

falling, fallen leaves, around, aground, 

    all giving you the glory, Lord,
        for ever and a day...

 

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.

 

Stacey has provided a musical setting for some

lyrics she found - a beautiful combining of the

autumn season with the enduring power of the

Cross of Jesus... 

 

Waving in the Autumn Breeze 

   by Stacey Plays Hymns

 

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