NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 3/3

Tonight's prayer is a short list of reminders about what Lent is - and what it isn't...  

 

Some things about Lent  

    I need to remember, Lord:

 

Lent's not a marathon, contest or race:

    it's a time to slow down, breathe deeply and pray... 

 

Lent's not a test, an exam to be passed:

    it's your invitation to love and be loved...

Lent's not a burden, a duty or task:

    it's a break, a respite, a time to refresh... 

 

Lent's not a season to go on a diet:

    it's a time for indulging what feeds my soul...

 

Lent's less a time of what I do for you,

    it's more for discerning what you do for me...

 

Lent's not a season of guilt and of shame:

    it's a springtime of mercy, pardon and hope...

 

Lent's not a trial, a judgment or sentence:

    it's a grace, it's a blessing, a healing, a gift... 

 

Lent's not a calendar, program or course:

    it's an exodus, journey, a path to new life... 

 

May my fasting lead me to prayer, O Lord;

    may my prayer lead me to serve the poor

        and my deeds of mercy lead me to you...

 

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. 

 

In searching for a song for tonight's prayer I came across two artists I've never met before: Malcolm Guite, a poet and Steve Bell, a composer.  Tonight's song (The Lovely, Longed-for Blue) is Steve's musical adaptation of Malcom's poem, First Steps. In the second video below, you'll find Steve interviewing Malcolm about his poem which he also reads in its fuller, original version.  

 

The Lovely, Longed-for Blue by

   Malcolm Guite and Steve Bell 

 

If two videos don't appear below, click here! 

 

   

This is the day to leave the dark behind you.

Take the adventure, step beyond the hearth.

Shake off at last, the shackles that confined you

and find the courage for the forward path.

 

You yearn for freedom through the long night watches

the day has come and you are free to choose

to set aside your still familiar crutches,

to step into the lovely, longed-for blue.

 

After the dimly burning wick of winter

that seemed to dull and darken everything,

the Lenten sun shines clear beyond your shelter,

clean as sight itself while reed birds sing

 

As heaven bows to kiss creation’s surface,

as light surrounds and glimmers on the dew:

you pause to pray, “the holy saints preserve us!”

and step into the lovely, longed-for blue.

 

Breathe deep and be renewed by what you breathe in

kin to the keen east wind and the cleansing air,

as though the blue itself were blowing through you,

as though you always knew you’d find it there.

 

For all you know, the aching of the ages

awaits the blessed courage of the few

that join the company of pilgrim sages

that step into the lovely longed for blue 

 

And, here's the interview and the full poem...

 

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Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 3/3

 

Lent is a season to prepare ourselves to celebrate Easter when new Christians will be baptized and when all of us will, on Easter Sunday, renew our own baptismal promises.  That will happen when we answer the familiar questions:

• 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 to each: "I do."   But ... do we?   Is this what we believe?   Is this what we live?  Do we even understand the questions?

Fr. Bill Reiser, SJ has proposed some additional questions for us to ponder as a way to better understand the profession of faith and the renewal of our baptismal promises...  His questions can be food for our prayer 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 commitments. Soon we’ll be renewing our baptismal promises at Easter. Let's  pray for one another that Lent will prepare us all to answer, I do! - with faith-filled hearts and voices. 

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NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 3/2

You might remember tonight's prayer which I usually post on one of the Sundays of Advent as we light the candles on the Advent wreath.  You might retrieve a window candle from your Christmas decorations and put it in a window or on your kitchen table where to remind you to pray for peace in the midst of all the violence we're witnessing in so many places in the world today...

Let us pray for peace...

Let us pray for an end to terrorism and war,
    an end to violence and bloodshed...

Let us pray for peace in the United States, 

    in Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Palestine, Israel,
    Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria,
    Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, the Sahel, 

    Haiti, the Central African Republic, Somalia,

    Rwanda,  the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
    and every place where the poor are the victims 

        of power and greed...

 

Let us pray for the wisdom 

    to make peace our greatest and ultimate goal, 
    to negotiate rather than attack,
    to speak rather than to raise a fist,
    to reconcile differences in favor of the common good,
    to value human life above any other cause or concern,
    to forgive one another as we would want to be forgiven...

Let us pray for the safe return of those in harm's way, 
    who are far from home, family and friends...

Let us pray for peace at our nation's borders
    and at the borders of nations around the world...

Let us pray for legislation 

    to end the violence of mass shootings...

Let us pray for racial peace and harmony
    all around the world...

Let us pray for a bipartisan political peace in America...

Let us pray for peace of mind
    for those who grieve loved ones lost in war...

Let us pray for our enemies...  

Let us pray for the unity of all who believe in Christ...

Let us pray for peace and understanding
    between the people of different beliefs and faiths... 

Let us pray for an end to the wars we wage
    in our own families, at our kitchen tables,         

 in our communities and neighborhoods,

    at work and at school...

Let us pray for the peace and safety
    of all who live with domestic violence...

Let us pray for those we make our personal enemies...
    and for those who make enemies of us...

Let us pray for an end to the wars we fight
    with ourselves

        and within ourselves... 

 

Let us pray for healing peace 

    in the minds and hearts
        of all who live with anxiety, 

            fear and depression... 

 

Let us pray for peace 

    in our hearts' secret places   

where only God knows how great is our need 

    for serenity, stillness and calm...

 

Let us pray for that peace the world cannot give,

    the peace we hunger and thirst for, 

the peace that comes from God alone,

    the peace that will set us free...

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. 

Two songs tonight:  the first is the plaintive chant of those who long for peace, the second, a more upbeat call to embrace the hope of a world at peace...

If two widgets don't appear below, click here!

Peace by Dan Loewen 

     

The waters are raging, the storm clouds are near 

How long till this chaos will cease 

Come silence the waves of our worry and fear 

Will you come, will you come, bring us peace 

 

Come O Come Emmanuel 

Come O Come Emmanuel 

 

The waves would obey you 

If you just speak the word 

So we wait in the silence 

For your peace here on earth

 

 

No Wars Will Stop Us Singing by

   Debbie Wiseman and Don Black  

 

 

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Monday Morning Offering: 3/2

Morning Coffee by George Mendoza

Every Lent I post a version of this prayer: while it's unfortunate that our sins may be the same, year to year - it's a blessing that God's mercy is also the same, year to year...

 

Good morning, good God!

 

In this holy Lenten season, Lord,
I come to offer my contrite* heart...

I can't fathom the depths of your mercy,

I can't comprehend your infinite patience:
   you love me even in my sins;
   you never fail to find what's good in me...

Without ceasing you reach out, gently,
      to rescue me from my selfish ways,
      to mend what's broken within me,
      to heal what's sick,
      to forgive what's sinful,

      to bring me home to your embrace,...

I may not understand this

    (I don't understand this!) 

but I'm ever grateful

    for the mystery of mercy 

        you never fail to offer,

so I come this morning,

    to offer my contrite heart...

 

So great is your love for all of us, Lord,

    so exquisite your delight in each of us
that even when we forget or tarnish - or deny -
    the image of your beauty within us

     - still, your love for us remains... 

 

So this morning, Lord, 

    I come to offer my contrite heart...

I often lose sight of your goodness within me:

    I fear you see only what I see:

        my brokenness, faults and failings....

So, I come to offer my contrite heart...

I forget that you come to meet me

    precisely where I need you

that you might smooth me;

    where I am rough,

that you might mend me

    where I am broken,

that you might strengthen me

    where I am weakest,

that you might heal me

    where I am wounded

and forgive and forgive me

        again and again...

 

I come to offer my contrite heart,

    this morning, today, through the week ahead:

jelp me trust the depths of your mercy, Lord,

    the mystery and grace of your love for me,

I come, Lord, to offer my contrite heart...

Amen.

*apologetic, humble, remorseful, repentant
    - just plain sorry!    

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NIGHT PRAYER: Sunday 3/1

On Sundays, Night Prayer will focus on an element from the day's celebration of Mass. Tonight's reflection is rooted in today's gospel where Jesus is transfigured on a mountain top and his friends (Peter, James, John) catch a glimpse of his glory...

For a few moments, Lord,

you showed yourself in all your glory

to Peter, James and John...

Even before your suffering and death,

you gave them a glimpse of the glory

that Easter would reveal...

They were accustomed to your humanity

but now you disclosed your divinity,

the fullness of who you are...

 

Like all of humanity, Lord,

I'm created in your image, made in the image of God:

    though I'm not divine,

        my being reflects your divinity;

    though I'm not eternal,

        I'm made for everlasting life;

    though I'm broken, not perfect,

        I'm called to be holy;

    though I tarnish with sin your image within me,

        your grace never fails to restore my soul;

    you wash me clean 'til once again

        my being mirrors the grace of your face...

 

Transfigure me Lord,

    transfigure me this Lent! 

Cleanse me with your grace

    and heal the wounds my sins have caused;

mend my fragile, broken parts

    'til once again my soul reflects

        the beauty of your divinity

            alive in my humanity,

        a promise of the glory

            I pray one day I'll share...

     

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. 

 

This song picks up the theme of today's gospel and this Night Prayer - and does so in the context of the Lord's journey to Jerusalem and his suffering, dying and rising - just the journey we make in this Lenten season...

If two widgets don't appear below, click here!

Transfigure Us, O Lord by Bob Hurd

 

 

  

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Dorothy and the Wizard, Jesus and us: a homily

Above you'll find a video of my homily based on today's gospel and below you'll find the text of my homily:

Do you remember that scene near the end of the Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion, finally encounter the Wizard - whose booming voice they hear amidst all kinds of special effects? And then Dorothy's little dog, Toto, scoots over and pulls back a green curtain, exposing the man and the machinery behind the wizard's voice. And now, revealed for who he is, the Wizard shouts out, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

 

Remember that? Well, the story of the transfiguration of Jesus is something like that – except the exact opposite.

 

Bear with me here…

 

Something I love about this gospel is the place to which it brings us - and I don't mean the top of a mountain, the mountain Peter, James, and John, and Jesus climb together.

 

In the gospel here, Jesus takes his friends up Mount Tabor - but the message of the transfiguration brings us not so much UP and AWAY and APART from... as it does draw us NEAR and UP CLOSE to

   - to a presence we often ignore

   - to a light from which we sometimes turn away

   - to a voice whose word we often miss in the noise of our daily lives. 

 

Near and up close to:  a presence, a light, and a voice…

 

   • The presence that I can so easily miss or ignore isn't far away, up on a mountaintop. Rather, it lives and breathes in the depths of my soul - and your soul – and in the lives and the circumstances, in which we live - and in all the people around us.

 

   • The light from which I turn away is the light that reveals the reality of things as they are: be they right or wrong, beautiful or tawdry, true or false,  healthy or harmful, of God or not of God. I sometimes turn from the light that shows me what is right before me. 

 

   • And the voice I fail to hear speaks a word that comforts me in my pain and distress – and - challenges me in my laziness and my apathy.

 

Most of us will willingly acknowledge that God is everywhere. But if that's true - and it is - then God is in my life and in your life 24/7.

   God is in my mind and in my every thought. God is in my heart and my soul.

   God is in all of my relationships.

   God is in my joys, and my sorrows, and my hopes and my dreams, and my plans and my schemes.

   God is not just sitting up in heaven, or on some mountain top - not even just sitting here in church - waiting for us to come see him.

   Our God is everywhere. Everywhere in my life and yours.

 

God has been present to you and me since we opened our eyes in bed this morning. And before that, all through the night.

 

We might like to think or pretend that God lives in heaven - and we live down here - in relative obscurity. Or we might like to imagine that we are clever enough to HIDE from God.

 

But we can't.

 

What water is to a fish, so is the presence of God to our existence - yours and mine.

 

We live in the presence of God.

We swim in the presence of God.

We breathe in the presence of God.

We are bathed in the presence of God.

Like water for the fish, the presence of God IS our world.

And apart from it - we perish.

 

When Jesus is transfigured before his friends - the curtain, the veil of his humanity, is pulled aside for a moment, and the fullness of his divinity is exposed.

 

Peter James and John are invited to experience with their human senses, what we are invited to experience in faith: the presence, the beauty, and the light, and the voice of God - revealed in Jesus.

 

But unlike the curtain pulled back in the Wizard of Oz, what's revealed here is not pretense - it is the TRUTH.

 

The Wizard told Dorothy and her friends, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”  

 

Jesus invites us to do exactly the opposite.

 

On the mountaintop with his friends, he pulls back the curtain that veils his divinity, and he invites them to pay very much attention to him.

 

Jesus is transfigured and revealed precisely so that his friends can see him, so that they can pay attention to him as he is - the whole of who he is: God and man, human and divine.

 

And he is transfigured precisely so that WE will pay attention to who he is. Who he is in our minds and our thoughts, in our hearts, our souls, our loves, our lives.

 

But... how do you and I see? Where might we go to see Jesus transfigured before us? Well, we don't have to go very far. We don't have to go up the mountain. We can stay right where we are - because the Lord is everywhere! And because he DESIRES to reveal himself to us: in all places, in all times, in all circumstances, in all people.

 

But HOW will we see him? Well, we won't see him with the eyes with which we see each other. But we can, and we WILL see him through the eyes of our FAITH, The eyes of our hearts.

 

And keep this in mind… I see more through the eyes of my heart, through the eyes of my faith, than I can see with my own two eyes.

 

Think about the people you love. Do you not see more of that love through faith and in your heart than through your eyes? If your eyes are closed, if you were to go blind, would you no longer see whom you love? Of course not. With the eyes of faith and love, I can see more, I can see deeper, I can see REALITIES that are invisible to the naked eye.

 

With the eyes of my heart, I can see through the curtain veiling the divinity in each one of us. What I might do then is to pray, to ask the Lord, to open the eyes of my heart, to open the eyes of my faith.

 

Now, what if we prayed that, and what if Jesus DID do that? What if Jesus opened our eyes to his presence everywhere?

 

Suppose Jesus opened our eyes to see him transfigured in the people we live and work with, right in our own homes. at our own jobs. In the strangers we pass by every day whom we never meet.

 

Suppose Jesus opened my eyes to see him in the person I find most difficult to love, the one who annoys me, who hurts me, who has forgotten me, or abandoned me.

 

Suppose we began to see the transfigured Jesus in the neighbors we don't like, the ones we ignore, the ones we talk about.

 

Suppose we began to see Jesus transfigured in everyone we see in the news every day – everyone!

 

Suppose we began to see him transfigured

   - in the lives and stories of the undocumented

   - in those who are victims of violence in our streets and in our homes…

 

Suppose we began to see Jesus

   - in the wholeness and the hungry

   - in the innocent victims of war, in Ukraine, in Iran, in so many other places to the world…

 

Suppose we were to see the transfigured face of Jesus

   - in the politician we most dislike?

 

Suppose we began to see the transfigured Jesus

   - in people who don't look like us

   - who don't talk like us

   - or vote like us

   - or dress like us

   - or love like us

   - or think like us

   - or believe as we believe…

 

Suppose we began to see Jesus transfigured everywhere, in everyone, all the time…

 

If we envy Peter, James, and John for their walk up that mountain, and their experiencing seeing Jesus in all his glory - then it falls to us to pray that our eyes of faith might be opened wider and wider, our hearts’ vision become clearer and clearer, that we might see Jesus all the time in everyone, in every situation.

 

In just a few moments, we will go to the Lord's table, where, with eyes of faith, we will see in bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Jesus.

 

If our faith allows us to see Jesus in the sacrament of the altar, let's pray that that same faith will help us see Jesus – transfigured - in all our sisters and brothers.

  

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