Here's a quick video look at monthly deportation statistics comparing the Biden and Trump administrations.
2/4/26
2/3/26
Two weeks from today: ASH WEDNESDAY!
God is about to do something in your life!
It doesn’t matter if you are 7, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57,67, 77, 87 years
old - God is about to do something in your life! Whether you come to church only
occasionally or every week - or not at all - God is about to do something in your life.
Perhaps
you're a mom or a dad, busy with a thousand things to do and 10,000 things to
worry about; perhaps you are a youngster in the third grade; you might be a
middle school or high school student; maybe you’re retired; perhaps you live
alone; you might be a young single adult; you might be happy or sad, tired or
rested; perhaps you are engaged to be married or you may have been recently
widowed; perhaps you are separated or divorced; you might be a single parent;
you might love the Church or you might be fed up with the Church; maybe you
have forgotten about God, or you might think that God has forgotten about you:
whoever you are, God is about to do something in your life.
Do you have an idea, a thought, a notion of how God might
want to touch your life this Ash Wednesday (February 18) and in the forty days of Lent that
follow? Perhaps you do! Perhaps you know, sense, intuit, fear or anticipate just what it is God may want to do in your life... OR... perhaps what God might want to do in your life this Lent is a complete mystery to you... Either way, don’t doubt for a moment that
God waits to touch your heart in the holy season ahead of us. As a matter of
fact, no day in our lives goes by
without the Lord reaching out to touch us, to speak to us, to forgive us, to
heal us, to comfort and challenge us. But Lent is a time when we make an extra effort, for 40 days, to listen for God’s word, to ask
for his mercy, to open ourselves to
his healing touch, and to invite the
Lord to enter more deeply into our hearts and lives.
AT LEAST OR A SEASON... for forty days, we make a special effort to be open to God -
and you can be sure that God is ready to take advantage of our seasonal
readiness! God is about to do something in your life.
Just what IS
Lent, anyway?
LENT is a season to do some spring-cleaning in the many rooms of our hearts and to ready them for celebrating God’s gift of new life at Easter.LENT is a season to prepare for Easter by: prayer (with the church and alone); fasting (learning to hunger for God); and generous giving (caring for the poor).LENT is a time for getting back to basics: to learn again and to practice for forty days how we should live as Christians every day of the year.LENT is a time for coming home: coming home to the Church community; coming home to prayer; coming home to God.LENT is spring training for Christians: a time to get in shape, spiritually; a time to strengthen what's weak within us and tone up what's already strong within us.LENT is a time to make the time to begin to actually do the things we so often say we want and hope to do - but just never seem to have or make the time to get around to doing them...LENT is a time for getting ready to celebrate EASTER (April 5). Easter is at the heart of our life as Christians and Lent is the way to prepare for Easter joy!
NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 2/3
Lord...
Be with me, stay with me,
close by my side...
Speak to me, hear me
and answer my prayer...
Lead me and guide me
along the right path...
Show me each day
what you want me to do...
Calm my anger
and heal my resentment...
Stand as a guard
at the door of my lips...
Give me the grace
to make wise decisions...
Save me from harm,
from temptation and sin...
Hold me and mold me
as you'd have me be...
Fill me with hope
when worry consumes me...
Grant me the courage
to speak what is true...
Keep me at peace
with all those I know...
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.
Be With Me, Lord by Marty Haugen
If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble,
be with me, Lord, I pray!
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord most high,
who abide in the shadow of our God,
say to the Lord, "My refuge and fortress,
the God in whom I trust!"
Be with me, Lord...
No evil shall befall you, no pain come near,
for the angels stand close by your side
guarding you always and bearing you gently,
watching over your life.
Be with me, Lord...
Those who cling to the Lord live secure in God's love
lifted high those who trust in God's name
Call on your Lord who will never forsake you,
God will bring you salvation and joy.
Be with me, Lord...
be with me, Lord, I pray!
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord most high,
who abide in the shadow of our God,
say to the Lord, "My refuge and fortress,
the God in whom I trust!"
Be with me, Lord...
No evil shall befall you, no pain come near,
for the angels stand close by your side
guarding you always and bearing you gently,
watching over your life.
Be with me, Lord...
Those who cling to the Lord live secure in God's love
lifted high those who trust in God's name
Call on your Lord who will never forsake you,
God will bring you salvation and joy.
Be with me, Lord...
Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 2/3
Snow is God's reminder of what grace looks like.
It doesn't pick and choose where it will fall:
it covers everything...
Especially now, Lord,
in the middle of winter
when it's snowing all around us...
Especially now, when,
at every twist and turn,
the snow is piled high...
Especially now, when
the brilliant silver-blue
fills our senses with your beauty...
Especially now, remind us
how you blanket us with grace, Lord,
how you cover us with mercy...
How your grace falls from the heavens
down on us and all our neighbors,
on our country and the world...
How we're snowed in by your kindness,
not by flakes and not by flurries
but in drifts of your compassion,
your mercy and your grace...
Amen.
2/2/26
NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 2/2
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Today's gospel tells the story of Mary and Joseph presenting the child Jesus in the temple, as was Jewish law, and their encounter with Simeon and Anna who greet the child as the "light that shines" in darkness and shadows of every human being. You can read the story here.
On the dark days, Lord,
when thick clouds shade my heart,
shine your guiding light upon my steps...
Be the light that burns within me,
in my corners of confusion...
Be the light upon my path
to show the way when I am lost...
Be a light to search me out
when I'm huddled in the shadows...
Draw me out of my own darkness
to the light your presence brings...
Be the midday sun and share with me
the warmth of your embrace...
Be the moon's light in my night sky,
aglow in all my dreams...
Be a light of truth and wisdom
in my random, foolish thoughts....
Be my light of hope and trust, Lord,
when sadness fills my soul...
And when I choose the darkness, Lord,
or close my eyes in fear
then shine your light upon me
with your mercy, grace and peace...
Brighten the darkness around me, Lord,
illumine the darkness within me;
shine through the darkness that hides me,
burn in the darkness that chills me;
shimmer in shadows that dull me,
gleam in the shade that shrouds me;
pierce the darkness that clouds my hope
and warm me with rays of 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.
About tonight's song... The Liturgy of the Hours is the church's daily prayer and the last "hour" each night always includes the Canticle of Simeon, found in today's gospel. That canticle is preceded by and concludes with an antiphon - which is also the last stanza in each of my daily Night Prayer posts here on my blog. Here's a beautiful setting of Simeon's song, composed by Steve Warner, an old friend from my days at Notre Dame.
Canticle of Simeon by Steven Warner
If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!
Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake,
watch over us as we sleep
that awake, we may keep watch with Christ
and asleep, rest in his peace...
Lord, now you let your servant go in peace,
your word has been fulfilled
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now
and will be forever. Amen.
Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake,
watch over us as we sleep
as awake, we may keep watch with Christ
and asleep, rest in his peace...
Lenten Pocket Crosses!
This will be the 15th year that I've had small Lenten pocket crosses made to send to my readers. Each year, the cross is engraved with a few words, usually from scripture. (There's no charge for receiving a cross - you just need to send me a self-addressed stamped envelope (3 first class stamps!) Here are some samples from the past:
I'm about to order this year's crosses - but I'm not sure about what words to have engraved on them...
I'd be happy to receive your suggestions!
Just leave a comment on this post with your idea. As you can see above, 3 lines is the maximum!
I need to order these crosses soon - Ash Wednesday is February 18! - so don't delay in sending a suggested text.
Monday Morning Offering: 2/2
 |
| Image: George Mendoza |
Good morning, good God!
I'm stuck on Saint Paul's words from yesterday's mass: that I'm wise by no one's standards - human or divine and that those I count as foolish - may be wise beyond my dreams...
Foolishly, I sometimes think - I know it all! And you, Lord, know so well - I don’t!
Keep me from the pretense that I know more than most - at least much more than anyone around me...
Keep me from thinking I know it all - and have nothing left to learn...
Keep me from thinking I know enough - especially when I hardly know enough to just get by...
Keep me from thinking I know myself so well - when I'm often such an easy mark
for my own self-deceit...
Keep me from thinking - and over-thinking: too much, too often and all to no avail...
Keep me from thinking that others don't
think... open my mind to others' thoughts, Lord...
Keep me from self-doubt and thinking all my thoughts are foolish - but help me
know when they are!
Keep me from thinking you’d ever fail to forgive my foolish thoughts and ideas and plans...
Keep me from thinking I know better than
you, Lord, the difference between what's true, what's false... what good, what's bad... what's right, what's wrong...
Keep me from always thinking: The worst will happen! And help me always to hope for the best…
Keep me from thinking, Lord, that you don't understand - you who dwell in the depths of my heart...
Keep me from thinking I can do it alone - especially when I need all the help I can get…
Keep me from thinking it's always my fault - and help me to trust in the good that I do...
Keep me from thinking I know all there is to know - about you and your love…
And keep me from thinking there's ever a moment when you're
not thinking of me...
Such is my prayer for wisdom, Lord, offered this Monday morning: make me wise in your ways - in your word and your truth - in all that I say and do...
Amen.
2/1/26
Could it be? A prayer of hope...
Candler School of Theology alumna Ingrid Arneson Rasmussen (seen above being arrested) is lead pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in south Minneapolis, the epicenter of recent ICE raids and protests. She and fellow clergy have been active on the scene, bearing witness through ministering to those in the fray, accompanying those detained, observing, praying, and nonviolently resisting.
She and nearly 100 other faith leaders were arrested last week during a peaceful demonstration at the Minneapolis airport. She recently offered this prayer at a community service.
Attentive One,
we come to you as weary people,
laid low by the grinding weight of federal occupation.
Even before a word is on our lips, O Lord,
you know it completely.
The disappearances, you know.
The cries of those left behind, you know.
The school grounds turned battlefields, you know.
The truth-tellers dragged from their cars, you know.
The grief met with teargas and flashbangs, you know.
If we’re honest,
some days it feels as though
all we are doing
is holding our breath
and wondering what we are to make of this moment.
Could it be, Holy One,
that even in the face of utter cruelty
something is waiting to be born—
like the moment when the seed,
planted in fertile ground,
is summoned forth—
by sun and water and grit—
to become something no regime can stop?
Could it be that this is the moment,
in the shadow of helicopters that circle day and night,
when compassion and courage,
empathy and wisdom,
understanding and LOVE
are finally given hospitable conditions
to change, to grow, to live?
Could it be that this is the moment
when that tender green,
that brilliant green,
pushes up through fear and ICE—
as if to signal
that nothing—
no mask, no order, no convoy—
will stand in the way of
abundant life
emerging?
Renewing Spirit,
we want to believe this is the moment.
But we need you to fill the spaces
of our disbelief and doubt.
We need you to bridge the chasm
between peacekeeping and peacemaking.
We need you to uproot the cynicism
that quietly feeds brutality.
And from detention cell to Signal chat,
we need you to bind your people together again.
Living Spirit,
the truth is that you can already see
a new world,
one we have not yet known.
May this be the moment, God of All,
when we catch a glimpse
of that world arising.
NIGHT PRAYER: Sunday 2/1
On Sundays, Night Prayer will focus on an element from the day's celebration of Mass. This evening we'll continue to pray with Matthew's account (chapter 5) of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount where he gives us the Beatitudes as a template for Christian life. This passage immediately brought to mind John Becker's setting of this text as "Lead Me, Lord," exquisitely arranged in the widget below by Mark Hayes. There's a line in Becker's refrain which comes later in Matthew's gospel (chapter 7) where Jesus counsels us to follow the narrow path to life forever. This evening, I invite you to pray first with the song and then to reflect on the prayer that follows it...
Lead Me, Lord by John Becker,
arranged by Mark Hayes
published by Hope Publishing Company
If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!
Blessed are the poor in spirit, longing for their Lord,
for God's coming kingdom shall be theirs.
Blessed are the sorrowing, for they shall be consoled,
and the meek shall come to rule the world.
Lead me, Lord, lead me, Lord, by the light of truth
to seek and to find the narrow way.
Be my way; be my truth; be my life, my Lord,
and lead me, Lord, today.
Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be theirs,
and the pure in heart shall see their God.
Blest are they whose hunger only holiness can fill,
for I say they shall be satisfied.
Blest are they who through their lifetimes sow the seeds of peace;
all will call them children of the Lord.
Blest are you, though persecuted in your holy life
for in heaven, great is your reward.
NIGHT PRAYER
"By the narrow way..."
That's the way I need to go, Lord,
and I do need you to lead me
to seek and to find - the narrow way...
I'm so easily led down wider paths,
roads with broad, undefined shoulders:
lots of room for weaving back and forth
and waffling on decisions, choices
and changes to be made...
The wider path is looser, less constricting,
leaving me free to follow the latest fad,
the crowd's lead or whatever whim or fancy
might currently amuse me...
Multiple lanes on the road offer me
more room than I need,
more sway than is wise,
more chance of losing my way...
It's the narrow way, Lord,
the path you chart for me,
that focuses my goals and desires,
keeps me straight on the way that's mine,
protects me from making wrong turns
and leads me, always, closer to you,
to your word, your grace and your love...
So lead me, Lord, by the light of your truth,
lead me to seek and to find the narrow way.
Be my way; be my truth; be my life, my Lord,
and lead me, Lord, today...
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.
Listen again?
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