Monday Morning Offering: 6/1

Coffee in the Morning

The Lorica (Breastplate) is a prayer attributed to Saint Patrick (c. 337). You might picture Patrick donning his faith as the breastplate in his armor as he faces a new day.   The Lorica comes to mind this Monday after Trinity Sunday because it opens and closes with these words:

    I arise today
    through a mighty strength,
    the invocation of the Trinity:
    through a belief in the Threeness,
    through confession of the Oneness
    of the Creator of creation.

 

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Good morning, good God!

Like Patrick, Lord, I want to don 

    the armor of faith, hope and love:

    the breastplate of the Father, Son and Spirit,

    the strength of the grace you offer me

        to meet whatever challenge

            may come my way today...

 

Give me the armor of perseverance 

    to move through this day with courage;

give me wisdom I need to think clearly

        and to make good choices and decisions;

give me humility, that I might learn

    to put my neighbor's needs before my own;

give me purity, to seek what's true, 

    praiseworthy, genuine and whole;

give me patience, 

    to bear with others kindly;

give me the generosity to share 

    not just from my bounty but also from my want; 

and give me the reverence I owe to you, 

    to all creation, to my neighbor and to myself...

 

I offer you my person, Lord,

my heart and soul, my mind and body,

I offer you my self, Lord:

    arm me with conviction,

    drape me in mercy,

    vest me in virtue,

    garb me in grace,

    equip me with strength and courage,

    clothe me in a generous spirit

    and be my shield against any and all

        who would come between you and me...

I offer you my weak, naked self, Lord:

    cover my shame, 

    gird me with strength,

    clothe me in dignity

    and wrap me in your glory,

    the robe of my salvation

lest anyone or anything

    come between you and me...

Amen.

 

The Deer's Cry by Shaun Davey

    performed by Rita Connolly 

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Trinity Sunday

 

On Sundays, Night Prayer will reflect some element from the day's mass.  Today is Trinity Sunday!

 

I pray to you, O God, 

    Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

your triune mystery 

    more than I can fathom...

So many ways to name you,

    to seek you and to know you, 

        to call on you in prayer...

So many holy images

    to ponder and reflect on,

        to feed my dreams and visions....

 

Glory and divinity,

    touching my humanity,

         inviting me to sanctity... 

 

You are God, my Father

    triune in your majesty,

        your power and your strength...

 

You are God, Eternal Word,

    triune in your mercy,

        in your kindness and compassion...

You are God, the Holy Spirit,

    triune in your wisdom,

        in your blessings and your gifts...

 

You are one, my Lord and God,

    may I be one with you

        in your triune, holy peace...

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.

Here's a trinity of musical possibilities to close this evening's prayer: a very simple piece, almost a mantra, from Sandra McCracken; a powerful choral piece from the master composer Tchaikovsky and a reflective, contemporary song from by Jason Upton...

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Trinity Song by Sandra McCracken

 

 

 

Holy Father, Son and Spirit 

Holy Communion, Three in One 

Holy Father, Son and Spirit 

Holy Communion, Three in One 

 

Come with Your peace, with Your invitation 

Bind us together in holy love 

Come with Your peace, with Your invitation 

Bind us together in holy love 

 

Holy Father, Son and Spirit 

Holy Communion, Three in One 

Holy Father, Son and Spirit 

Holy Communion, Three in One 

 

Three in One 

Three in One

Three in One 

Three in One 

 

 

Cherubic Hymn 

   by Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky,

    The Saint Peters burg Chamber Choir

 

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Let us represent the cherubim 

in mystic harmony, 

praise the Father, Son and Spirit, 

raise our three-fold song, 

praise the Trinity,  

raise our three-fold song to the Trinity, 

Let us now cast aside,  

let us cast aside all this earthly life, 

cast aside, cast aside, cast aside, 

all this earthly life. Amen. 

 

Izhe kheruvimy tayno obrazuyushche, 

I zhivotvoryashchey Troytsye, 

trisvyatuyu pyesn’, pripyevashche, 

trisvyatuyu pyesn’ pripyevashche. 

Vsyakoye nynye, nynye zhityeskoye 

otlozhim popyecheniye, otlozhim, 

popyecheniye. Amin’. 

Father, Son, Spirit by Jason Upton

 

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Pause for Prayer: Trinity Sunday

There's a saying that "anyone who preaches on the Trinity for more than three minutes will lapse into heresy."  And this because the Trinity is a mystery we can name - but cannot fully comprehend.  As soon as we begin speaking about the Trinity, human language, inadequate for revealing let alone explaining this mystery, opens us to making statements that are neither true nor reflective of more than 2,000 years of faith and Church teaching.

 

Our Lutheran friends have produced a short, lighthearted and entertaining video that explains this quite well.  If you follow the link here - be sure to watch until the end!

 

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So I've decided not to risk writing an heretical prayer for Trinity Sunday!  Instead, I offer you a prayer by theologian Karl Rahner.  In response to his own prayerful question, Rahner he names neither the Trinity nor the Persons in it - but you'll recognize, nonetheless, the Father, Son and Spirit in his words.  Wisely, Rahner does not answer his own question - apart from finally naming our triune God as Love - as we find so eloquently stated in 1 John 4.

 

Here, then, is Rahner's prayer:

What can I say to you,  my God?

 

Shall I collect together all the words

    that praise your holy Name?

 

Shall I give you all the names of this world

    - you, the Unnameable? 

 

Shall I call you 

    "God of my life, 

    meaning of my existence, 

    hallowing of my acts,
    my journey's end, 

    bitterness of my bitter hours,
    home of my loneliness, 

    you my most treasured happiness"?

Shall I say:

    "Creator, Sustainer, Pardoner,
    Near One, Distant One, 

    Incomprehensible One,
    God both of flowers and stars,
    God of the gentle wind 

        and of terrible battles,
    Wisdom, Power, Loyalty, and Truthfulness,
    Eternity and Infinity, you the All-merciful,
    you the Just One, 

    you  - Love itself!"

 

Be with me, God of Love, 

    Father, Son and Spirit,

as you are one, be one with me,

    most Holy Trinity.

Amen.

Here's Rachmaninoff's Glory to the Trinity where, I believe, 

he succeeds in not lapsing into heresy!  This powerful peace ends

with intercessory prayer.

 

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Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
both now and ever and to the ages of ages
Amen
Only begotten Son, Word of the Father
Who art immortal
Thou didst vouchsafe for our salvation
to become incarnate of the Holy Spirit
upon the Virgin Mary
Changeless essence
lo, Thou wast made very man
and crucified, Thou the GodMan
to vanquish death by dying
Thou alone, O Christ art glorified
in the Trinity with Father and Holy Spirit.
O save us…

 

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord
Lord, have mercy upon us
Help us, save us, have mercy on us
and keep us O God by Thy grace
Lord, have mercy upon us
Let us entrust ourselves and each other
and all our life unto Christ our God
To Thee, O Lord, we cry
For Thou art a good God
and lovest mankind
and unto thee w render 

Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
both now and ever
and to ages of ages
Amen

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Saturday 5/30

On this eve of Trinity Sunday, we'll turn to the prayer of the great poet John Donne and his ode to our three-person'd God... Donne's language and style are of his time (17th century) but with just a little time and effort - and the help of the Thornton singers - I'm sure you'll grasp Donne's message...  

 

Image source

Batter my heart, three-person'd God
-by John Donne

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town to another due,
Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me. 

 
Batter My Heart Three-person'd God

compoased by Richard Nance 

performed by USC Thornton School of Music 

 

 
 
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. 

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Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 5/30

   Madonna of the Streets by Roberto Ferruzzi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May is a month of special devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. On this last Saturday of May, I'm pleased to feature the well known Ferruzzi Madonna (above).  It was a favorite of my mother and this image graced our living room for many years. This morning's prayer is a very contemporary Marian litany, written by Joseph Lackner, a priest of the Society of Mary.

A Marianist Litany to Mary

 

Holy Mary,  pray for us!
Mother of God, pray for us!
Mother of our redemption, pray for us!
Mother of a lost child, pray for us!
Mother of comfort and understanding, pray for us!
Mother who shares our joys, pray for us!
Mother who endures our sorrows,pray for us!

Mother whose heart 

    was pierced by a sword, pray for us!

Mother most merciful, pray for us!

Woman responsive to God's word, pray for us!
Woman willing to believe the impossible, pray for us!
Woman who rejoices in her lowliness, pray for us!
Woman with an undivided heart, pray for us!
Woman of perfect freedom, pray for us!
Woman wrapped in mystery, pray for us!
Woman moved by the Spirit, pray for us!
Woman champion of the poor and lowly, pray for us!
Woman graced by a husband's love, pray for us!
Woman widowed by a husband's death, pray for us!
Woman at the cross, pray for us!
Woman patient and waiting, pray for us!
Woman clothed with the sun, pray for us!

Queen of the fullness of times, pray for us!
Queen of beauty unalloyed, pray for us!
Queen of integrity, pray for us!
Queen of painful meetings, pray for us!
Queen of all our heart's treasure, pray for us!
Queen of our destiny, pray for us!
Queen of peace, pray for us!

Mary, you are 

    mother and virgin, 

    wife and widow,

    peasant and queen,

    blessed for all time. 

We need the comfort of your prayers. 

Remember us always to our Father 

    through your Son, Jesus Christ,

        who is our Lord for ever and ever. 

Amen. 

- Rev. Joseph H. Lackner, S.M.

We often hear the Schubert Ave Maria sung at weddings and funerals. Here's an instrumental performance by Emmanuel Rossfelder which is stunning in its artistry, simplicity and interpretation.

Ave Maria (Schubert) 

    performed by Emmanuel Rossfelder

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NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 5/29

Lord...

When I take for granted
all that I have:
help me find
my deepest joys -
in the simple things of life...

When I want more and more,
so much more than I need:
help me remember 
the joy that's mine
in the simplest of my possessions...

When I want what I want
- and must have it now -
then help me remember
the joys at hand -
in all that I already have...

When greed and envy
spoil my heart:
help me cherish
true peace
in the simple joys

that heal and fill my soul... 

 

And remind me, Lord,

to share with others

the bounty that's mine:

the joys I've known

and joys yet to come,

the joy that I find

in your and your love... 

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. 

Simple Song from MASS  

    by Leonard Bernstein

        sung by Alan Titus

 

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Sing God a simple song, lauda laude*
Make it up as you go along, lauda laude
Sing like you like to sing, 

God loves all simple things.
For God is the simplest of all, 

For God is the simplest of all.

 

I will sing the Lord a new song, 

to praise him, to bless him, to bless the Lord.
I will sing his praises while I live, 

all of my days.

 

Blessed is the man who loves the Lord,
Blessed is the man who praises him.
Lauda, lauda, laude, 

and walks in his ways.

 

I will lift up my eyes, 

to the hills from which comes my help.
I will lift up my voice to the Lord, 

singing lauda, laude.

 

For the Lord is my shade, 

is the shade upon my right hand.
And the sun shall not smite me by day, 

or the moon by night.

 

Blessed is the man who loves the Lord 

lauda, lauda, laude,
And walks in his ways.

 

Lauda, lauda, laude, 

lauda, lauda di da di day
All of my days

* Lauda, Laudē = praise!

 

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Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 5/29

Photo by CP

 

From before all time

you knew these blossoms, Lord

- each by name -

and you called them to flower 

in one family's yard,

on a particular street, 

in a certain town,

near the end of the month

in May 2026... 

From before all time

you knew, by name, 

each flake that fell

on this shrub's wintry wait 

for spring 

and for the warmth it needed 

- first to bud -

and then to blossom 

in your praise...

From before all time

you knew, by name, 

each raindrop sent
to baptize and caress 

each leaf and petal
blushing with your glory 

to remind us

you are near...

 

And from before all time 

you've known precisely 

just how many days
these blooms will last 

before they fade
and then let go the branches 

now that hold them fast...

 

And if you know so well 

a flower
- whose season is so short, 

whose life span is so brief -
how much more 

must you know us

- each by name - 

and call us, Lord,

your chosen, 

your beloved,

your own... 

 

With what care then

do you number

every decade, every year, every month, 
every hour, every minute, every second,

every season after season 

of our comings and our goings,

our sorrows and our joys

our flowering and fading... 

From before all time, O Lord,

you knew us and you loved us 

- each by name -
and called us into being 

in a place,

in a family, 

in a year, 

on a day
at an hour, 

in a season 

of your choosing... 

 

And just as surely, Lord,

will you call us

- each by name -

to let go our grasp, our grip

on the branch where we once blossomed

and we'll fall into your arms,

into your mercy and your peace,

into the season of your life

that is for ever,

without end... 

Amen.

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