Monday Morning Offering: 4/7

Morning Coffee by George Mendoza

  

Good morning, good God!

 

Yesterday I posted the Palm Sunday readings

at the top of the sidebar on my blog

so that means Lent is drawing to a close...

 

I'm disappointed, Lord,

that I haven't lived this season

more faithfully, 

more fully

and more fruitfully,

- but there's still time left!

 

And I know your Spirit

is calling me yet

to fasting that leads me to prayer

and to prayer that leads me

to serve the poor...

 

And I know the temper 

would love me to give up:

to give up on making more time for prayer;

to give up on my Lenten sacrifices;

to give up on sharing more of my plenty

with those who have next to nothing.

 

But with your help - I won't give up.

And by your grace - I won't give in.

I'll redouble my efforts to live these days

preparing to celebrate Easter

through sacrifice and prayer

and emptying myself 

to fill the needs

of those who are hungry and homeless...

 

I offer you, Lord, these 13 days

that lead from now until Easter:

    draw me closer to you in prayer;

    open my heart to your word and your will;

    open my eyes to your presence around me;

    help me to know and confess my sins; 

    wash me clean with your saving grace;

    and lead me again to follow you:

        my way, my truth and my life...

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Sunday 4/6

On Sundays, Night Prayer will focus on an element from the day's celebration of Mass. Tonight we reflect on several verses from today's first scripture:

When I dwell on my past,

rehearsing the history that haunts me,

I need to heed your word, Lord...

     

I'm slow to let go my shame and remorse

for sins you forgave 

so long ago...

I fail to trust in your mercy,

you who suffered and laid down your life

to pardon and free me 

of all of my sins... 

I will not find you in the past, Lord: 

you're here with me now,

in the moment at hand

and your Spirit is moving, 

afresh and alive,

wanting and ready to do something new 

in my soul, in my heart, 

in my mind, in my life!

 

You're making your way in my wilderness, Lord,

clearing a path for saving waters 

to stream and flow

and quench my thirst for peace of mind,

for healing my body and soul...

 

You're doing something new, Lord,

something new in my life!

 

Help me forget and leave far behind

what keeps me from meeting you now

and finding your Spirit 

moving within me...

 

You're doing a new thing in my life, Lord!

Help me perceive it,

sense it and feel it,

know it and touch it

and welcome it in

to the depths of my heart and my soul...  

 

Guide me, Lord, 

to springs of your blessings

on paths you've cleared to make a way

for me to find 

your presence within me,

to live in the moment, 

in you, 

in your peace...

You're doing something new in my life, Lord:

help me not dwell on the things of the past

but rather to open all that I am

to your healing,

your, mercy, your grace...

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.

All Things New by Big Daddy Weave

 

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Homily for April 6: Fidget spinners!

My homily this week is in "audio only" format

                       - BUT -                          

there's a fun video moment at the beginning 

so take a look and, I hope, give a listen! 

 If a video doesn't appear above, click here!

 

 

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Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 4/6

 

Show me your love today, Lord...

 

Show me how your love is greater 

    than this day's anxiety,

    this day's worries, this day's sadness,

    this day's trials and distress...

Show me your love today, Lord... 

Show me how your love is greater 

    than those I fear,

    those who've harmed me, 

    those I envy,

    those whose memory haunts my dreams...

Show me your love today, Lord... 

Show me how your love for me is stronger

    than anything or anyone threatening 

    to separate me

    from all that's good and pure and holy 

    in my heart and in my life...

 

Show me your love today, Lord... 

 
Help me remember, Lord, 

    that nothing's going to happen today

        that, together, you and I can't handle;

remind me

    that when I'm tired, weak and fearful,

    your love will supply 

    the faith I need to trust

    you'll be my hope and strength...
 

In the quiet of this moment, Lord,
    let me know you're near,

    right by my side, 

and that with your help this day

    in your love today,

      there's nothing I need fear...

 

Lord, show me your love today...

 

Amen.

 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Saturday 4/5

Tonight, Lord, 

I have on my mind and in my heart

    folks who wonder if you've forgotten them,

    folks who feel you've forgotten them,

    folks who fear you've forgotten them,

    folks who believe you've forgotten them;

folks who wonder if you hear their prayers

    if you know their pain,

       if you see their tears;

folks who've waited and waited 

    for such a long time

for an answer, for help, for a sign of your presence,

    for peace and healing 

        in mind and body and spirit...

 

I'm praying tonight, Lord, for all those folks 

    whose plates and laps are full to overflowing;

    whose hearts are burdened 

        with problems and worries,

            fears and anxiety, loss and grief

    - and too much work

        or want of a job to make ends meet...

I pray tonight, Lord,

for all who find it hard to believe,

to conceive, expect and to hope

    that all shall be well, all shall be well,

    that all manner of things shall be well...

I pray you make yourself known to them, Lord,

    that your presence be palpable, clear and abiding...

 

I pray you pierce through their veil of sadness

    with the light and warmth 

        of your grace and peace...

I pray, Lord, you lessen their many burdens, 

    lighten their load

        and relieve their stress and strain...

I pray you rise up strong in their hearts 

    and lift them with you, to trust and hope 

that all shall be well, indeed

    that all manner of things shall be well - for them...

I pray for those who'll toss and turn tonight,

    unable to sleep, 

their thoughts caught up in worry and fear

    of what tomorrow may bring...

 

Give them peace, give them rest, 

    give them hope, O Lord,

that awake, you'll be always by their side

    and asleep, you'll guard them through the night

        until a new day dawns...

Amen.

 

Two songs for prayer and reflection tonight...

For times when you're really struggling in faith

to believe and understand...

God Help Me by Plumb

 

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There is a wrestling in my heart and my mind
A disturbance and a tension I cannot seem to drive
And if I'm honest, there's quite a bit of fear
To sit here in this silence and really hear you

 

What will you ask of me?
Will I listen to your voice when you speak?

 

Help me to move
Help me to see
Help me to do whatever you would ask of me
Help me to go 

God help me to stay

I'm feeling so alone here
And I know that you're faithful
But I can barely breathe
God help me

 

Sometimes things, they are black and white
But sometimes they are not and it leaves us torn inside
And in the middle we are left to wonder
Who we are, what you want and where we're going
Oh, such a mystery
I don't always understand
But I believe

 

Chorus

 

I don't know the future
It's one day at a time
But I know I'll be okay with your hand holding mine
So take all my resistance
Oh God I need your grace
One step and then the other, show me the way

 

Chorus

    

And for times when the struggle has deepened your faith...

O God, You Search Me 

    by Bernadette Farrell

 

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O God, you search me and you know me. 

All my thoughts lie open to your gaze. 

When I walk or lie down you are before me: 

Ever the maker and keeper of my days. 

 

You know my resting and my rising. 

You discern my purpose from afar, 

and with love everlasting you besiege me: 

In every moment of life or death, you are. 

 

Before a word is on my tongue, Lord, 

you have known its meaning through and through. 

You are with me beyond my understanding: 

God of my present, my past and future, too. 

 

Although your Spirit is upon me, 

still I search for shelter from your light. 

There is nowhere on earth I can escape you: 

Even the darkness is radiant in your sight. 

 

For you created me and shaped me, 

gave me life within my mother’s womb. 

For the wonder of who I am I praise you: 

Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.

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Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 4/5

 Today's Pause for Prayer comes in a lighter-than-usual vein:  I hope you'll enjoy it  - and take it to heart...

Lent is a penitential season when we're encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, that is: to go to confession.  Some folks look forward to doing this - others, not so much!  Many just don't think they need to go.  Whatever group you find yourself in, I'm pleased to offer you:   A Dozen Reasons NOT to Go to Confession:

1) Your natural tendency to love God in all things and to love your neighbor as yourself causes you to walk about an inch off the ground on an invisible cloud of holiness.

2) Your husband/wife never tires of telling you what a perfect spouse you are.

3) Your faithfulness in getting yourself and your family to Sunday Mass is often mentioned by your pastor as a model for all Catholics.

4) You've been so faithful in honoring your mother and father that they’ve asked you to loosen up a little and enjoy yourself once in a while.

5) You've been so generous in helping the poor that you no longer can afford transportation to get to church for confession.

6) You speak to God in prayer so often that He sometimes asks if He can put you on hold for a few minutes.

7) You're so well known at school as an honest, hardworking and friendly student that you're often called to the Principal’s Office to offer your advice on school policy.

8) Your purity in thought, word and deed has been awarded a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

9) You're so honest that you once felt guilty about stealing second base.

10) You're so completely content with what you have that winning the lottery would pose a moral dilemma prompting you to ask that another number be drawn.

11) Your efforts to what is just and to make peace (in your home, at work at school)  have won you a nomination for the Nobel Prize.

12) You already come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation so often that coming in Lent would unnecessarily lengthen the line of others waiting to go to confession.

On the other hand, if these twelve reasons don't describe you and your circumstances, you just might want to consider availing yourself of this sacrament in preparation for the celebration of Easter.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 4/4

From the psalm at today's mass:

    The Lord is close to the brokenhearted...

If you take a look at the other readings, you'll see that today's psalm is intended to draw our attention to Christ in his suffering and God's pledge to rescue him.  Still, the psalms touch all of us in many ways and the refrain for today's psalm leads me to pray for all the brokenhearted people I know in my life...

 

You promise, Lord, 

    to be close to the brokenhearted 

so in prayer this night

    I lift them up to you...

 

I pray for those 

    whose hearts are broken by grief 

        wounded by loss

            and pierced by loneliness:

    touch them gently, Lord,

        with your healing, peace and presence...

 

I pray for those

    whose hearts are broken by disappointment,

        fragmented by dashed hopes

            and splintered by unfulfilled dreams:

        mend them gently, Lord,

            and renew their hope and trust in you...

 

I pray for those

    whose hearts are broken by disloyalty,

        devastated by deception

            and shattered by betrayal:

    renew them gently, Lord,

        with your steadfast, ever faithful love...

 

I pray for those

    who hearts are broken by hard times,

        by homelessness and hunger,

            unemployment and inequity:

     restore them gently, Lord,

        to their human rights and dignity...

 

And I pray for those, Lord,

    whose hearts are deeply broken,

        whose lonely hurt is sheltered

            with none to share pain:

    embrace them gently, Lord,

        in your strong and loving arms...

 

 

You have promised, Lord,

    to be close to the brokenhearted:

be faithful to your saving word 

    and be for all of us

the gentle, healing, 

    steadfast, loving God

for whom our hearts are restless

    until they rest in you...

           

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.

 

The Lored Is Close by Tori and Shauna

 

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Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 4/4

This morning's post isn't quite a "pause for prayer" - but it's definitely a "pause for reflection."

Getting ready to celebrate Easter...

 

Some individuals in our faith communities are preparing this Lent to be baptized at Easter when they will make a profession of faith.   But we're all preparing to celebrate Easter with minds and hearts renewed and all of us (the already baptized) will be invited to renew the promises of our baptism: we'll be invited to make a profession of faith.

At the Easter Vigil and at all the Masses on Easter Sunday, we will be asked:

- Do you reject sin 

    so as to live in the freedom of God’s children?
- Do you reject the glamor of evil 

    and refuse to be mastered by sin?
- Do you reject Satan, 

    and all his works and empty promises?
- Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, 

    maker of heaven and earth...?
- Do you believe in Jesus Christ, 

    the only begotten Son of God...?
- Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, 

    the Lord and giver of life...?
- Do you believe in 

    one, holy, catholic and apostolic church?
- Do you believe in the forgiveness of sins?
- Do you look for the resurrection of the dead 

    and the life of the world to come?

And we'll respond: I do, I do, I do!

But ... do we? 

Is this what we believe? 

Is this what we live?
Do we even understand the questions?

Here's a way to better understand the profession of faith, the renewal of our baptismal promises...

Fr. Bill Reiser, SJ has proposed some additional questions for us to ponder in preparation for Easter. His questions can be food for our prayer and fasting in this holy season.

- Do you accept Jesus as your teacher, as the example whom you will always imitate and as the one in whom the mystery of God’s love for the world has fully been revealed?

- Do you dedicate yourself to seeking the kingdom of God and God’s justice, to praying daily, to meditating on the Gospels and to celebrating the Eucharist faithfully and devoutly?

- Do you commit yourself to that spirit of poverty and detachment that Jesus enjoined on his disciples, and to resisting the spirit of consumerism and materialism that is so strong in our culture?

- Do you accept responsibility for building community, for being a person of compassion and reconciliation, for being mindful of the poor and the oppressed, and for truly forgiving those who have offended you?

- Will you try to thank and praise God by your works and by your actions, in times of prosperity as well as in moments of suffering, giving loyal witness to the risen Jesus by your faith, by your hope, and by the style of your living?

- Do you surrender your life to God as a disciple and companion of Jesus? Do you believe that God is the Lord of history, sovereign over nations and peoples, and that God’s promise to redeem all of creation from its bondage to death and decay will one day be accomplished?

All of these questions, the traditional and the new ones, are offered here for our Lenten reflection, prayer and action. Soon we’ll be renewing our baptismal promises and professing our faith in God. Let us pray for one another that this Lenten season of preparation will find us ready to answer “I do!” with voices and hearts filled with faith.

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TODAY is a FRIDAY in LENT

  

April 4 is a FRIDAY in LENT:
   - a day of abstinence.

What does that mean?  

On the Fridays of Lent 

Catholics over 14 years of age

are expected to abstain from eating meat.

For more on this topic, check out this earlier post...

Note: Individual, personal health concerns and "doctor's orders" always take precedence over regulations for fast and abstinence!

 

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