A Concord Pastor Comments

4/7/26

NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 4/7

Lord, let the peace of your Rising
       envelop me
       cover me
       overshadow me

guide me
fill me

        comfort me
       overwhelm me
        engulf me
       anoint me

quiet me

caress me

support me

guard me

heal me

bless me

come upon me
flood me

lead me

still me

hold me

strengthen me

move me

melt me

lift me

challenge me

       anoint me
        inebriate me
       infuse me

mold me,
bathe me

       mend me
       engage me
       embrace me
       feed me
       touch me

seduce me

grip me

and calm me...

Let your peace surround me
   from above and below
   on my left and my right
   from behind and before me

from every direction

from inside and out,

let your peace come upon me

and cover me, Lord,

with your mercy, compassion

and kindness...

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.

Cover Me, Lord by Andrew Culverwell

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Cover me Lord
   with your presence
Cover me Lord
    with your righteousness
Cover me Lord
    with your Holiness
Lord Jesus
    cover me

I need your protection from danger and harm

shelter me safe in your strong loving arms

help me to see there's no cause for alarm,

Lord Jesus, cover me

Under your shadow I won't be afraid;

cover me, Lord, 'til the storm goes away

then, in the heat of a beautiful day,

Lord Jesus, cover me

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4/6/26

Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 4/7

Every day, Lord,
you give me all the help I need
to do what I need to do,

to go where I need to go,
to say what I need to say,

to trust what I need to trust,

to let go what I need to let go,

   to hear what I need to hear,
   to help whom I need to help,
   to stop what I need to end,

to start what I need to begin,
and to pray as I need to pray...

Open my mind and my heart, O Lord,

to the grace and strength you offer me

to live this day as a gift from you,

blessed with your mercy and peace...

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 4/6

There are so many things I take for granted, Lord:

things I seldom give a second thought to,

things I think I can always count on,

things I think will always be there for me

- until I realize, discover and find out -

things aren't as sure as I'd thought them to be,

as I'd wished and hoped, dreamed and prayed

expected, imagined and planned them to be...

Even the basic things, Lord,

things as fundamental as:

freedom

truth

tenderness

justice

humility

empathy

kindness

liberty

benevolence

integrity

generosity

gratitude

mercy

honor

fairness

compassion

virtue

honesty

common sense

common courtesy

common knowledge

common decency

More and more, Lord,

even the most simple, basic things

can't be taken for granted...

So, I'm left feeling lost,

disoriented and bewildered;

I'm set adrift feeling unsettled,

displaced and vulnerable;

I'm no longer sure

where the boundaries are

and if they keep me in or out...

I worry and I stress

over what might might happen next,

what might next befall me,

what more will I lose...

I question and I wonder

what I can do or say,

how will I make my way

from here to there,

from now to then,

from this day to the next,

from tomorrow to the future...

So I turn to you, Lord!

You're timeless

- you never change;

you're constant, faithful

and steadfast;

your justice, mercy and love

are enduring and eternal...

Remind me Lord, that I can trust you,

that I can be sure

of your love and your goodness,

that I can depend

on your faithful mercy,

that I can rely

on your wisdom, word and truth;

that I can count on your promise

to be with me, lead me and guide me,

in good times and bad,

through sorrow to joy,

from here to there,

from now to then,

from today to tomorrow,

and into a future that has no end...

Lead me, Lord,

from sin to grace

from lies to truth

from despair to hope

from war to peace

from inequity to justice

from subjection to freedom

from brutality to tenderness

from tears to laughter

from the distress to relief

from prejudice to acceptance

from fear to trust

from entitlement to gratitude

from iniquity to integrity

from heartbreak to happiness

from duress to liberty

from selfishness to sacrifice

from grief to joy

from foolishness to common sense

from rudeness to common courtesy

from ignorance to common knowledge

from vulgarity to common decency,

from here to there

from today to tomorrow

and from death to life

with you for ever...

Protect me, Lord, when I'm unsure,

watch over me night and day,

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

There's a long intro to this evening's music

but the piece is not instrumental

and the lyrics are uplifting...

Prayer for Peace by Margaret Rizza

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4/5/26

Monday Morning Offering: 4/6

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

It's Easter Monday and I'm wondering, Lord:

what was it like for your friends

the day after you rose from the dead?

On Sunday, the women came and found your tomb empty

and then ran home quickly to tell the others;

on Sunday night you appeared to your closest friends

who'd locked all the doors where they were

out of anxious fear for their safety

- and still your first, gentle word to them was

"Peace... my peace be with you..."

Did they sleep after that - or stay awake -

wondering what all this might mean...

Monday came, as it came today,

and I wonder, Lord:

were they still confused?

doubting their own experience?

fearful of what might befall them?

unsure of what to believe?

afraid of what others might think

if they spoke of your resurrection?

Had they heard your merciful greeting?

your word of sweeping forgiveness?

your pardon of how they had failed you?

your gentle and healing blessing:

"Peace... my peace be with you..."

It's Easter Monday again, Lord,

and I offer today for your healing:

my doubts and confusion,

my fear of what others think of my faith

and my failing to witness to what I believe...

I offer my need for your pardon and grace,

my desire to hear you speak to my heart,

"Peace... my peace be with you..."

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Easter Sunday 2026

On the evening of that first day of the week, Lord,
   on that first Easter,
you came to your friends who were huddled in fear,
   gathered in dread behind closed doors
       your friends who had fled and abandoned you

and yet your first word to them was - Peace!

These are times when I need your peace, Lord,
when worry and fear

threaten to close the door of my heart

to the peace and joy of Easter day;

when worry and fear

are reaching to rob me
of what my faith assures me;

when worry and fear weary my hope
and leave me awake and restless...

I need your peace tonight
   to calm my troubled thoughts,
   to strengthen my trust and hope in you,
   to assure me one more time, Lord,
       that all shall be well, that all shall be well,
       that in you and your peace
       all manner of things shall be well...

I pray for the gift of your peace, Lord,
your abiding presence, deep in my soul;

and I pray for the gift of deep sleep
to refresh me to face tomorrow;

I pray for the blessing of rest and refreshment

that comes to those who open their hearts

to your mercy, your grace 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.

Deep Peace by John Rutter

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Pope Leo's Easter Message

Here's a portion of Pope Leo's Easter message:

"In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ! Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!
"We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel. There is an ever-increasing “globalization of indifference,” to borrow an expression dear to Pope Francis, who one year ago from this loggia addressed his final words to the world, reminding us: “What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world!” (Urbi et Orbi Message, 20 April 2025).
"The cross of Christ always reminds us of the suffering and pain that surround death and the agony it entails. We are all afraid of death, and out of fear we turn away, preferring not to look. We cannot continue to be indifferent! And we cannot resign ourselves to evil! Saint Augustine teaches: “If you fear death, love the resurrection!” (Sermon 124, 4). Let us too love the resurrection, which reminds us that evil is not the last word, because it has been defeated by the Risen One.
"He passed through death to give us life and peace: “I leave you peace; I give you my peace. Not as the world gives it, I give it to you” (Jn 14:27). The peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us! Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ! Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts! For this reason, I invite everyone to join me in a prayer vigil for peace that we will celebrate here in Saint Peter’s Basilica next Saturday, April 11.
"On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil. To the Lord we entrust all hearts that suffer and await the true peace that only he can give. Let us entrust ourselves to him and open our hearts to him! He is the only one who makes all things new (cf. Rev 21:5)."

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I want an angel who trains at Gold's Gym!

This is a video of my homily for Easter Sunday, based on this gospel. (If a video doesn't appear above, click here!) And here's the text of my homily:

Anyone know where I can get me an angel - like the one in this gospel?

An angel who'd show up just when and where I need him? And I'm not looking for one of those Christmassy angels floating in a starlit sky, playing a harp, and singing Silent Night. I want an angel like the one here at the tomb! An angel who comes DOWN from heaven. An angel who looks like he works out a Gold's Gym and has the guns you need to roll back the stone - the stone that sealed Jesus in death.

I want an angel who comes down from heaven, rolls back that stone - and then sits on it. How sweet is that? An angel who rolls back the stone of death - the death that threatens to entomb every human heart - and sits on that rock. I'm looking for an angel strong enough to roll back the stone of grief and loss in my heart. An angel who plunks himself down on my heart - like it's his park bench.

I want an angel to do all of that for me. And then to tell me,

“Don't be afraid – all will be well. Don't be amazed that I rolled back a stone! That was nothing. You want amazing? That’s Jesus. Jesus was dead -- dead as a doornail - buried in this tomb -- and he rose from the dead! He's alive! Now, THAT’S really something – THAT’S amazing. But you might want to get a move on, Austin, because he's waiting for you. Jesus is waiting for YOU. Just down the road a piece… he's waiting to meet up with you.”

That's the kind of angel I want in my life, and I guess maybe you might like an angel like that too...

The two women in the gospel who met this angel when they went to visit the tomb of Jesus: they went to the place of their pain, their loss, their grief, their disappointment, their worry and their fear. They visited the place where their hopes had been dashed. Obliterated. They went to that place, even though they knew it was dangerous to go there. It was dangerous because there were Roman guards there, sent by powerful people, people who were very GLAD that Jesus was dead.

But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were holding the death of Jesus in their hearts. And they needed to visit the place of their grief.

If such an angel, an angel like the women encountered, if such an angel would descend from heaven into MY life, I suspect he will meet me in a place I might fear to go, that I want to avoid, a place where my hopes have been dashed.

Such an angel might meet me in the past that I hold onto - and invite me to move on… That angel might meet me in my ego, in my pride - and urge me to get real… That angel might meet me in my blind prejudice - and call me to open my eyes to the truth… The angel might meet me in my stubborn self-pity - and tell me to get a grip… The angel might meet me in my selfishness - and show me how I can be more generous…

That's an angel for me. But there are angels for the WORLD around us.

Might there not be an angel in the midst of the poor - waiting for us, for us who have so much more than we need - might there be an angel waiting for us to visit there, to invite us to share what we have?

Might there be an angel waiting in Ukraine, in Gaza, in Iran - waiting to call ALL sides to mend and heal this broken world of ours, to lay down our arms, to reconcile, and to make peace - that lasts?

Might there be an angel waiting in all four corners of the globe - waiting to call us beyond our SELVES and TO the God who made us? Beyond our damned foolishness - to wisdom. Beyond the whirling death spiral of our greed for more and more, our lust for power, and our contentment with passing things of little or no value…

Might there be an angel waiting to call us beyond all of this TO all in life, all in the world, that is loving, kind, gentle, patient, genuine, life giving, beautiful, whole, true, and pure.

Might there be an angel waiting to call us TO the spirit of God who made us, who gave this world to us and entrusted it to our care? The God who loves us, who calls us each by name, who never fails to forgive us. Who gave his only son, his SON, who suffered and laid down his life and died for us. Who rose from the dead to send us angels to call us precisely to that peace for which we all hunger and thirst. And to a life that has no end.

Angels are waiting to meet me in my prayer, in my tears, in the advice of good friends, in nature's beauty, in my heart, in gentle nudges from God and whispers from the Holy Spirit…

When there are angels in my life and angels in your life, we need to slow down, look for them, EXPECT to find them, listen to them, and meet them even in those places - where all our hopes have been dashed.

There’s an angel waiting to say to you and to me,

“Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid because Jesus LIVES, and he knows what you carry in your heart. He's going ahead of you, and wants you to follow him. He's waiting to meet you on your way… down the road. He's leading you to healing and peace. And if you'll follow in his footsteps, you, too, will rise from all that holds you down. You, too, will find peace and life forever."

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Another prayer for Easter Day

Image source

Easter's wonder, peace and joy
rise up from

faith and prayer and praise...

Help me treasure Easter's gifts, Lord:
faith and hope and love.

Embed them in my heart

and let them color all my thoughts

and restore my trust in you...

And if I'm waiting still

for Easter's gracious gift of peace

then help me sing, Lord,

while I wait

'til your power and your love come down

and rise up in my soul...

Amen.

Here's one of my all-time-favorite hymns!

Praise His Holy Name

by Keith Hampton

sung by Syracuse University Singers

Sing till the power of the Lord come down.

Shout Hallelujah! Praise his holy name!
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now I'm found,

was blind, but now I see.
Jesus, Jesus, how I love thee!

Shout Hallelujah! Praise his holy name!
Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for everyone and there's a cross for me.
Jesus, Jesus, how I love thee!

Shout Hallelujah! Praise his holy name!
Holy Jesus, praise his name!

Oh Hallelujah, Praise his holy name.
Praise his name, praise his holy name!

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