12/7/23

Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 12/7

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Prayer comes when I put on the brakes, Lord,
   when I pull off life's highway, step aside from my schedule,
      make a place to be still, clear some space in my mind
          and, in my heart's chapel, wait:
             I wait for you, Lord...

And the waiting can be the hard part.
I know you're there, by my side - you're not hiding.
But I wait to see you,
   not with my eyes but with my heart...
I wait to hear you,
   not with my ears but in your word...
I wait for your touch,
   not on my skin but on my soul...

I wait for your presence beside me, around me,
   and especially within me;
I wait in the stillness, in the quiet
   where I trust I will find you...

Your presence is a fine mist,
      translucent, spun of the Spirit's breath,
a soft but steady light burning
   in dark corners and the tunnel's end:
only in the stillness, in the quiet will I find you,  Lord,
    you whose presence is so real...

And though I wait to find you, Lord,
   I know that first  - you wait for me...

You wait all day for me to call upon your name...
You wait for me to slow my step and find you by my side...
You wait for me to nod my thoughts in your direction,
   to tip my grateful heart towards you,
      to open my soul's windows to your grace...

You wait for me 
    with help for this day's problems...
You wait for me 
    with mercy for my failings...
You wait for me 
    with healing for my bruises...
You wait for me 
    with peace to ease my sorrow...
You wait for me 
    with light to fill my darkness...
You wait for me 
    with grace to bless my nights...
 
You wait for me 
    to make some time and find a place
      where I might rest 
         and wait for you...
 
Truth be told, Lord, 
    I often come to prayer, not to wait for you
but to wait for you to fix me, mend and heal me,
   to wait for you to answer all my questions 
      solve my problems,
         and give me what I want and pray for...
 
I know you understand when I pray like this
   but I also know your first desire 
      is simply for me to know you,
         and to know your love for me...
 
Your first desire is to reveal yourself
   as the One who's waited for me
      since before all time;
   as the One who waits for me 
      when I'm faithful and when I'm not;
   as the One who waits for me 
      to wait for you...
 
You have loved me since before all time;
   you love me when I'm faithful - and when I'm not;       
   you love me when I pray - and when I don't;
   you love me when I love you - and when I ignore you;
   you love me when I wait for you
      and you love me when take off on my own...
 
You love me, Lord,
    and you desire, you wait for me, to love you in return...
 
You love me while I wait for you
    who wait for me
        with loving, open arms...

Amen.


  

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12/6/23

NIGHT PRAYER: Wednesday 12/6

Every year at this time I look for ways to reach out to those who need this season's comfort and joy but who find the holidays to be a difficult time... Perhaps you're one of those folks or perhaps you know some others who are...  Let's  pray together...

    

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Lord,
    the jolly jingle's all around -
    but not in every heart...

    Red and green are everywhere -
    but some folks
    just feel blue...

    The rushing 'round to buy and wrap
    disheartens
    lonely souls...
 
    Plans for Christmas eve
    forget
    the ones who'll be alone...

    This merry month can be,
    for some,
    the saddest time of year...            
 
    So, help me, Lord,
    to share, not miss,
    the comfort I might share...
 
    Help me see
    when clouds of blue surround
    and shade my neighbor's heart...
 
    Help me hear and tend
    whose tears may fall
    as Christmas bells chime out... 
 
    Help me wrap my love,
    a gift to share
    with those who'll be alone...

    You came, O Lord,
    as one like us,
    to heal our wounds and grief...

    You know our loss,
    you share our pain,
    you feel our empty ache...

    Then drop a blessing
    from your hand
    on brokenhearted souls:
        your gentle touch
        as soft as snow
        - your peace on Christmas day...
 
Protect us, Lord, while we're awake,
    watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we keep the watch with you
    and sleep, rest in your peace...
 
Amen.

Your Hands by JJ Heller

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I have unanswered prayersI have trouble I wish wasn't thereAnd I have asked a thousand waysThat you would take my pain awayYou would take my pain away
 
I am trying to understandHow to walk this weary landMake straight the paths that crooked lieOh Lord, before these feet of mineOh Lord, before these feet of mine
 
When my world is shaking    Heaven standsWhen my heart is breaking    I never leave your hands
 
When you walked upon the earthYou healed the broken, lost, and hurtI know you hate to see me cryOne day you will set all things rightYeah, one day you will set all things right
 
Refrain
 
Your hands, your hands that shape the worldAre holding me, they hold me stillYour hands that shape the worldAre holding me, they hold me still
 
Refrain

  

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It's Saint Nicholas Day!


Today (December 6) is the feast of St. Nicholas,
    friend of the poor and giver of gifts...

Saint Nicholas (the fourth century bishop of Myra, a province of Asia Minor) is the subject of many legends, including being the man behind "Santa's" beard.  The red-vested cleric also enjoys the lead in Benjamin Britten's cantata, Saint Nicholas, the lyrics of which tell the life and legends of Nicholas, all of which you can read about and listen to here.

Hagiographical research reveals that St. Nicholas is the patron saint of:

Apothecaries, Bakers, Barrel Makers, Boatmen, Boot Blacks, Boys, Brewers, Brides, Captives, Children, Coopers, Dock Workers, Druggists, Fishermen, Greece, the Greek Catholic Church in America, Grooms, Judges, Lawsuits lost unjustly, Longshoremen, Maidens, Mariners, Merchants, Murderers, Newlyweds, Parish Clerks, Paupers, Pawnbrokers, Perfumers, Pharmacists, Pilgrims, Poor people, Portsmouth - England, Prisoners, Russia, Sailors, Scholars, Schoolchildren, Shoe Shiners, Sicily, Students, Thieves, Travelers, and Unmarried girls!
In some countries December 6 is the day for gift-giving, not December 25. So you might want to surprise a family member, a friend - or someone in need - with a gift today.

Lord, while shopping for gifts for family and friends,
while putting up decorations and going to parties,
keep me mindful of your humble birth
and the claim of the poor on the bounty that's mine...

  

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Pause for Prayer: WEDNESDAY 12/6



 

  

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12/5/23

NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 12/5


On of my favorite pieces of music is the simple Advent hymn: O Come, Emmanuel.  Peter Hollens' arrangement of this classic lays bare its urgent, plaintive cry... As you listen to the music, reflect on how these words might be your own cry, your own prayer, in Advent 2023...  It might be helpful to listen to the song before the prayer - and then again after the prayer...

O Come, Emmanuel by Peter Hollens

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O come, O come, EmmanuelAnd ransom captive Israel
 
O come, O come, EmmanuelAnd ransom captive IsraelThat mourns in lonely exile hereUntil the Son of God appear
 
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheerOur spirits by Thine advent hereDisperse the gloomy clouds of nightAnd death's dark shadow put to flight
 
O come, O come, Thou Lord of mightWho to Thy tribes, on Sinai's heightIn ancient times did give the lawIn cloud, and majesty, and awe

Rejoice! Rejoice!Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O IsraelShall come to thee, O Israel

Help me see what holds me captive, Lord,
    and come with grace to set me free...

My lonely heart's in exile, Lord,
    come rescue me and bring me home...

Come, touch and heal my grief, O Lord:
    anoint me with your Spirit and with joy...

See the burdens that weigh heavy on my heart:
    help me carry them with dignity and grace...
 
Scatter far what clouds my vision, trust and hope:
   pierce my shadows in my darkness with your light...

In my weakness, Lord, I stumble, trip and fall:
   with your strong and gentle arm, come lift me up...

Help me trust you are Emmanuel, God-with-me
    come with mercy and with peace...
 
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
    and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch for you
    and asleep, rest in your peace...
 
Amen.

O Come, Emmanuel by Peter Hollens

 
 

  

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Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 12/5


Every year, early in December, my ordination classmates get together for dinner.  Last night there were seven of us at the table.  We first met at Cardinal O'Connell Seminary in Jamaica Plain in September  of 1965, right out of high school.  We studied together for 8 years, were ordained in 1973 and have served as priests of the archdiocese of Boston for five decades.  We've known each other for 58 years... Here's what I prayed when I got home last night...

We've all changed so much, Lord
    - and we haven't changed at all...
 
We're smarter and wiser than once we were
    - but we've still got so much more to learn...
 
Our prayer is more genuine, honest and real
    - when we make and find time to pray...

We're grown to be much more patient, Lord
    - though still not as patient as you are with us...
 
Our take on life is more inclusive, expansive
    - except for where it's still narrow and cramped...
 
We're grateful for all the gifts we've received
    - blessed far beyond what  our deeds deserve...
 
Keenly aware of the ways we've failed you
    - we deepen our trust in your mercy and love...
 
Help us to learn to laugh at ourselves
    - and to find the peace of your grace in our tears...

We are the clay, Lord and you are the potter,
    we're all the work of your hands:
continue to form and shape in our lives
    what waits to be changed by your love...

Amen.

  

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12/4/23

NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 12/4



In choosing a theme from yesterday's mass for last night's Night Prayer, I debated between  two quotes from the readings: the potter's image in Isaiah and Jesus' call in the gospel for us to be alert and to watch.  Having gone with the potter, I offer here a prayer I wrote 5 years ago on the Lord's word:  Watch!

Teach me to watch, Lord:
    to stay awake,
    to keep vigil,
    to wait for you
    as the night waits for dawn...

Teach me to watch
    for your approach,
    your drawing near,
    your coming up alongside me
    - especially when I least expect you...

Teach me, Lord, to watch
    for your advent,
    your arrival,
    your appearing...

Teach me to watch
    for signs of your grace in my life,
    in the lives of those around me
    and in the whole of your creation...

Teach me to watch
    for the light of your word,
    for your hand upon my shoulder,
    for your healing touch,
    for your mysterious, elusive presence...

Teach me, Lord, to watch, 
    for your warm fingerprints
    on everything, everywhere I turn
    and especially on my heart... 
 
Teach me to watch for you
    when I think you've forgotten me,
    when it seems you've disappeared,
    when I've given up looking for you...

Teach me to watch
    with eyes of faith,
    with a hopeful heart,
    with a trusting spirit...

Teach me to watch for you, Lord,
for I know you're there:
    making yourself known,
    revealing yourself in so many ways,
    inviting me to desire you,
    prompting me to seek you,
    leading me to find you...

Teach me to watch for you 
who so faithfully watch over me: 
    night and day,
    never nodding, never blinking,
    moment to moment to moment...
 
Teach me to watch for you, Lord:
    for your arrival, your appearing,
    for your advent in my life,
    in my mind, my heart, my soul... 
 
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 song invites us to be grateful 
    for how the One we watch for 
        watches over us... 
 
Watch Over Me by Aaron Shust
 
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I was lonely
You came waltzing over to me
And Your eyes they saw right through me
And You heard each one of my cries for help
And You came to rescue me
 
I was broken
Every prayer that I had spoken
Reached Your ears and all my tears weren't cried in vain
You carried all my pain
And put me back together again
 
You watch over me in the darkest valleys
You watch over me when the night seems long
You help me to see the way before me
You watch over me; You watch over me
 
Always faithful
To be leading, at this moment
Interceding for Your children
Though I've wandered astray from Your infinite ways
You've never left me alone 
 
Refrain
 
Take this frozen heart; awaken me
Never once have You forsaken me
Take this frozen heart; awaken me
Never once have You forsaken me
 
Refrain
 
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will guide and defend me
You'll guard and protect me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will lead me home
 
 
  


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12/3/23

Pause for Prayer: MONDAY 12/4


Morning Coffee by George Mendoza 

I don't know about you - but I can use all the new beginnings, fresh starts and clean slates I can lay my hands on!  That's why I keep drawing our attention to the "new year of grace" that begins with the first Sunday of Advent as, once again, over the course of a year, we unfold the mystery of Jesus: in history, in word and sacrament, and in our prayer...

Good morning, good God!

With Advent comes a new year of grace:
    grace that's yours alone to give 
        and mine to receive...

In this new year I want to offer you
    an open door to my heart
        where you can come and make your home...

I offer you the corners of my heart's garden
where I've let the weeds grow wild:
    help me uproot and prune away
        what fails to nourish my soul...

I offer you the closets of my heart,
stuffed with old grudges and resentments:
    Lord, help me discard
    what fails to help me heal and grow...

I offer you boxes of wasted time,
sacks of foolishness
and trunks of misspent effort:
    help me bag the trash of past mistakes
    and give me a new beginning...

I offer you my heart's hopes and dreams, Lord,
for this new year of grace:
    my pledge to pray more faithfully,
    my desire to grow in your love;
    my need to rely on your wisdom and word;
    my promise to ask for your help each day
    and to be more faithful in serving others;  
    my hope to forgive with a gracious spirit
    and to welcome warmly all I meet and know...

I offer you the new year ahead, Lord
- one day at a time -
and I pray for the serenity and grace
    to accept the things I cannot change,
    the courage to change the things I can
    and the wisdom to know the difference...

Amen.

 

 

  

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PLEASE! Whatever you do - don't do this!


Here's a link to my homily for the First Sunday of Advent!


  

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NIGHT PRAYER: Sunday 12/3


On Sundays, Night Prayer will take its lead from
an element of the day's mass.  Tonight's prayer
flows from the last verses of today's first reading...

In a conversation about changes in our lives, 
a good friend told me:
    "Well, that was back when I was Version 2.
            but I think by now I'm probably a 4.5. 
    My Creator keeps remaking me!"

I love that image, Lord!

You created me 76 years ago 
    but you're still not finished with me.
I'm still a work in progress, 
    your work in progress:
you're the potter, I'm the clay
    and you're still gently molding me
        on your spinning potter's wheel...

I'm not sure what version of me I've become
but of some things I'm certain:
    you never give up on me;
    you never stop refining me,
    smoothing my rough edges,
    sharpening places where I've grown dull;
    mending and replacing
    the torn and broken parts 
    of my heart, my mind and soul...

Whatever version I become, Lord,
you continue to offer me free upgrades
through the guaranteed terms of your warranty:
    patience, compassion and mercy...

You're my Creator, Lord,
and you never stop:
    retooling me, recasting me,
    repairing me, remodeling me, 
    restoring me, reworking me,
    reforming me, rebuilding me, 
    reshaping me, remolding me;
you never stop remaking me
    more and more in your image,
    closer and closer to becoming
    the person you're creating me to be...

I'm still a work in progress, Lord,
    your work in progress,
you're the potter, I'm the clay
    and you're still gently shaping me
        on your spinning potter's wheel...

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.
 
Two songs this evening - very different in style and tone! 
 
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In the Potter's House by Varn Michael McKay
     performed by Tramaine Hawkins
 


In case you have fallen by the wayside of life 
Dreams and visions shattered, you're all broken inside 
You don't have to stay in the shape that you're in 
The potter wants to put you back together again 
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again 
 
In case your situation has turned upside down 
And all that you've accomplished, is now on the ground 
You don't have to stay in the shape that you're in 
The potter wants to put you back together again 
 
You who are broken, stop by the potter's house 
You who need mending, stop by the potter's house 
Give Him the fragments of your broken life 
My friend, the potter wants to put you back together again 
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again 
 
You who are broken, stop by the potter's house
You who need mending, stop by the potter's house
 
Give Him the fragments of your broken life 
My friend, the potter wants to put you back together again
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again
You who are broken, stop by the potter's house
You who need mending, stop by the potter's house 
 
Give Him the fragments of your broken life 
My friend, the potter wants to put you back together again 
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again 
 
Joy in the potter's house, he'll give you joy, 
yes he will, joy in the potter's house,
I know there's peace, peace in the potter's house
For the weary soul, peace in the potter's house
 
You'll find love, yes you will, yes you will
love in the potter's house, if you're looking for love
the potter has it for you, yes he does
 
And there is salvation, do you believe it? 
yes there is salvation,
there is salvation in the potter's house 
 
God can change your life,
if you believe, healing for your body
there is healing in the potter's house 
thank god there's deliverance
there is deliverance in the potter's house 
for every kind of habit, there is deliverance
 
You'll find everything you need in the potter's house 
You'll find everything you need in the potter's house 
You'll find everything you need in the potter's house 
You'll find everything you need in the potter's house 
 
Because the potter wants to put you back together again 
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again

You Are the Potter by Carey Landry
 
 
Abba, Abba Father 
You are the potter 
And we are the clay, 
The work of your hands 
 
Mold us, mold us and 
Fashion us, Into the image
Of Jesus, your Son 
Of Jesus, your Son. 
 
Father, may we be one in you, 
May we be one in you, 
As he is in you, 
And you are in him 
 
Glory, glory and praise to you 
Glory and praise to you 
Forever, Amen
Forever, Amen

 

  

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