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NIGHT PRAYER: Thursday 5/21

Tonight's prayer requires a little background which will prepare us not only for this Night Prayer but for the feast we'll be celebrating this weekend.  This coming Sunday (May 24)  we will celebrate Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in the form of tongues of fire.

Consider these words from the first reading for Pentecost Sunday:

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

It's easy for Christians to misunderstand what's meant here by the fulfillment of "the time for Pentecost."  The disciples of Jesus were in Jerusalem (where they had gone at Jesus' instruction in (Acts 1:4-5) to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jerusalem was mobbed at that time because faithful Jews had come there to celebrate their Feast of Weeks or Shavuot, which falls 50 days (pente) after Passover. 

What is Shavuot?  The helpful site tells us:

Shavout is a two-day holiday that commemorates the date when God gave the Torah (the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai over 3,000 years ago. Preceded by 49 days of counting in eager anticipation, Shavuot is celebrated through  abstaining from work, candle-lit dinners, staying up all night to study Torah,  a and listening to the reading of the Ten Commandments in synagogues.

The period from Passover to Shavuot is a time of great anticipation with the people ritually counting the days from the second day of Passover to the day before Shavuot, 49 days or 7 full weeks, hence the name Feast of Weeks.   Shavuot is also known as Pentecost, because it falls on the 50th day.

The date for the Christian feast of Pentecost is determined each year by the date of Easter, just as the date for Shavout is determined by the date of Passover. Perhaps you remember that this year Passover (April 1-9) and Easter (April 5) were very close on the calendar. Thus, the celebration of Shavuot begins at sundown today (May 21) with the Christian Pentecost falling on this Sunday, May 24.

Over at To Bend Light, my cyber-friend Alden Solovy suggests the following prayer for Shavout...

What if God arrived unannounced?
No smoke. No thunder.
A gentle appearance of radiance and love.

What if God snuck in on tiptoes?
No earthquake. No blast of the shofar.
A luminous presence of wonder and glory.

What if God’s voice whispered in your ear,

so quiet that you had to hold your breath to hear?
A silent surrender of hope and faith.

 

What if holiness packed the empty space with light 

as your lungs filled with the one divine breath

together with every other living being?

 

What if God’s voice is as near

as your willingness to listen quietly

to the soul of the universe
as a sense of calm and peace

pass through you?

 

What if that moment

is now?

© 2017 CCAR Press from This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day

 

The holiday of Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. This composition is an attempt to convey some of the mystery surrounding the theophany, the revelation of the Lord’s presence. The text begins and ends with a medieval Jewish hymn praising God and asking permission to chant the Decalogue. The middle section presents the first few words of each of the Ten Commandments. The composition is based on traditional Jewish chant, an English translation is provided in subtitles.

 

Shavuot by Joshua Jacobson  

 

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Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 5/21

Thank you, Lord, 
   for getting me over bumps in the road
      that I once thought were mountains...

Thank you for leading me and guiding me 
   through days, nights and weeks
      I thought impossible, impassable...

Thank you for helping me 

    accomplish and endure 
what I thought I never would,
    what I thought I never could...
         
Help me hold these memories close, Lord:
   I need their strength today,  

        I need their promise for tomorrow...

I know I can't make it alone, Lord,
   but with you by my side,
      and your hand on my shoulder,
   my sorrow is halved 
      and my joy is doubled...

 

Don't ever let me forget this, Lord,

    just, please -  don't let me forget... 

Amen.

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NIGHT PRAYER: Wednesday 5/20

What a glorious day, Lord:

    bright sun in a clear sky,

        mild breezes, fresh spring air!

 

Just the way I'd love things to be

    all the whole year 'round 

- but I know that in other places, 

    the weather's not as kind

and in other hearts, even some close by, 

    right beneath my sunny skies

        clouds of grief cast shadows over joy,

        waves of anger crash on tender souls,

        driving winds batter worried minds,

        and frost chills what warmth is left

        in memory's fading embers...

 

And so, my evening prayer, Lord...

I'm grateful for this wondrous day

as I pray for my suffering brothers and sisters

    in Iran, Buffalo, Ukraine, Haiti, Gaza,

    Beverly, Yemen, Nigera, Lecanto, 

    and so many other places... 

I praise you for today's clear skies as I pray

    for the homeless living in shelters 

        or on the street,

    for the hungry starving for food 

        and thirsting for clean water,

    for the poor and unemployed 

        struggling to survive another day,

    for the chronically and terminally ill 

        whose pain never ends,

    and for those haunted by fear, 

        anxiety and depression,

    those for whom the weather never seems to clear...

I'm grateful for this day, Lord, 

    but keep me mindful, always,

        of those whose "weather" holds them captive...

 

Strengthen and encourage me,

    in the sunshine and the warmth,

to reach out and as I'm able

    to relieve those waiting, waiting, waiting 

for the skies to finally clear

    and a day of healing peace to dawn...

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. 

 

I couldn't find a "weather hymn" to pair with tonight's prayer

but The Summons seems to serve well - rain or shine...

 

The Summons by John Bell

   

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Pause for Prayer: WEDNESDAY 5/20

 

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368 1088

NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 5/19

The sun is setting on the 53rd anniversary of my ordination day and this photo joyfully and prayerfully reminds me of days not-so-long-ago...

 

 

 

It's my hope that some of my readers will relate to my prayer tonight - and that my younger readers might pause and consider what's ahead for them..  

 

I forget many things, Lord, 

but fresh in my memory still

are my younger, active, suppler days,

my tireless, spirited, peppy days,

my vigorous, stronger, sprightly days...

 

My steps have slowed and lost their spring,

I tire more quickly, my energy lags;

I'm much more content with taking it easy

and watching while others pick up the slack...   

 

But I hope, I trust and I certainly pray

that in my heart there still lives a youth

who's only grown wiser, 

more cautious and prudent,

slower to judge, quicker to pardon,

more understanding of all the burdens

each of us carries for years, for decades

- through a life's time -

'til it's time to lay down  

what we've carried so long

and surrender to you,

to your mercy and love...

 

But I'm not done yet, Lord,

    - no, not at all!

I've more to do, to give and to share,

to ponder and pray on,

to survey with awe,

to wonder at, sing for, delight in

and cherish

as gifts of your grace,

enlivening and healing

and filling my soul 

every day, every night

with your generous presence,

your calming Spirit

and the gift of your everlasting peace...

 

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. 

 

God of My Youth, I Remember

    by The Living Words

 

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God of my youth I remember

Your call on my life took me o'er

Your love has seen

me through all my days

I stand here by Your grace

on this altar I've written my life

tells of a story I have with You my Lord

I want the world to know

God of my forever

and forever I'm with You

my life is saved with a price

Your sacrifice redeemed my soul

God of my forever

and forever I will sing

my greatest honor will always be

to serve my Lord and King

God of my all I've surrendered

my heart finds rest in Your word

praises will not be enough to show

how my love for You has grown

nothing matters when You're here with me

in the end just to hear You say

"well done"

bowing before Your throne

God of my forever

and forever I'm with You

my life is save with a price

Your sacrifice

redeemed my soul

God of my forever

and forever I will sing

my greatest honor will always be

to serve my Lord and King

forever and ever

Jesus You alone in glory reign

forever and ever

with You I walk this narrow way

God of my forever

and forever I'm with You

my life is saved with a price

Your sacrifice redeemed my soul

God of my forever

and forever I will sing

my greatest honor will always be

to serve my Lord and King

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Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 5/19

    Image source

 

A priest breaks open the words of Scripture as he breaks open the bread of the Eucharist: to feed the people of God... 

 

A Prayer for Priests*

Gracious God, loving Father,
font of every gift and good,
make of the priests  who serve us: 

men of faith, men of love,
humble servants of your Word,
prophets of your Spirit’s grace;

men of hope, men of peace,
strong defenders of the truth,
heralds of your holy gospel;

men of prayer, men of praise,
guardians of our sacred rites,
of the scriptures and tradition;

men of changelessness and change,
men who follow you each day,
when and where your Spirit leads;

men of tenderness and strength,
comfort for the sick and weary,
shepherds leading home the lost;

men of counsel, men of wisdom,
gentle guides for the confused,
lights along the darkened path;

men of mercy, patient men,
understanding and consoling
of the grieving and abused;

men of justice and compassion,
reconciling and forgiving,
men of healing in your name;

men of sacrifice and honor,
single minded in your service,
set apart to do your will;

men of holiness and joy,
men anointed by your grace,
men ordained to serve as Christ.

Make us one with them in faith
and in Christ your only Son
in whose holy name we pray.

Amen. 

 

*The masculine references in this prayer are not intended  to stake out a position on the question of the ordination of women but rather to pray for the priests who now serve us.

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It's the 19th of May!

    Photo: The Pilot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today (May 19) marks the 53rd anniversary of my ordination as a priest!  (The photo above is of Cardinal Humberto Medeiros laying hands on my head as  was ordained.)

I remember my ordination day as clear as a bell! The weather was beautiful day and I remember driving from the seminary to the cathedral in my blue Volkswagen - with the all the windows rolled down. I was nervous but mostly excited about what was going to happen, what would begin that day, when Cardinal Humberto Medeiros laid hands on my head and anointed my hands with chrism.

Although I could never have dreamed or anticipated then what these 52 years would bring, I'm grateful for every one of them: for five years at St. Ann Parish in Quincy; for four years at the University of Notre Dame in graduate studies and positions in seminary formation and campus ministry; for nine years at St. Ann University Parish in Boston serving Northeastern University and Emerson College; for three years at St. Joseph Parish in Medway; for ten years in my first pastorate at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in West Concord and 15 more years in that beloved town after Our Lady and Saint Bernard parishes were reconfigured as Holy Family; for 2 years in Belmont's New Roads Catholic Community; and these last 5 years at Good Shepherd Parish in Wayland.  And I can't leave out my now annual two months each summer and an Advent-Christmas stretch each winter at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Georgetown, Colorado!

 

And then there's my ministry to my virtual parish here at Concord Pastor and on Facebook!
 

Over more than half a century, the life of the Church and my own ministry have seen both great joy and tragic sadness. Still, in every one of those years I have counted myself blessed to serve God’s people as a priest and blessed by the people it’s been my privilege to serve. I thank God for all of you! Please pray today for all the priests, living and deceased, of the ordination class of 1973!

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NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 5/18

It took a long time, Lord, but I've finally learned:

    when something's amiss 

        on my laptop or smart phone

    the first things to do are

        Refresh the page or reboot the device!  

It's so simple! 

    - Take a deep breath

    - Shut things down

    - Say a prayer!

    - Hope for the best

    - Be patient and wait

    - Start over again

 

So many times, Lord, these simple steps 

   make all the difference in the world!

But if I'm this clever with my laptop and phone,

   why don't I follow the sames steps

   when something's amiss with me?

It's pretty much the same process:

    - Take a deep breath

    - Slow things down

    - Pray!

    - Hope for the best

    - Be patient and wait

    - Begin anew

Sure, it takes more time to reboot me 

   than it does to restart my laptop

but there's a lot more at stake

   and the rewards so much greater

when I'm the one who needs a reset

  and you're my Tech Support... 

 

Prompt me, Lord, when I need a reboot:

   help me trust I'll lose no critical files,

   that important data will all be saved

   and my faith page fully refreshed...

 

Reboot me, Lord:

Restart and refresh me!

Give me a new beginning

    powered by mercy,

        your wisdom and grace! 

Protect me, Lord, when my heart's online

    and watch over my screen when it goes to sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

    and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Refresh Me by Leeland

 

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Monday Morning Offering 5/18

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God! 

I remember last fall, Lord, and

imagining you,

under night's dark cover,
painting the trees in autumn hues...

 

I pictured you with brush in hand,
carefully coloring the leaves, 

one by one,
'til all the trees blazed

in purple, red and gold:

a season's last hurrah...

 

And now you're here for spring, Lord,
coaxing every shade of green 

to bud on every bush and tree, 

in every yard and field:
a new hurrah - an alleluia, 

life refreshed, renewed, restored,

reborn...

 

So while you're here, Lord,
come, I pray:

cajole a springtime in my heart,
a graceful budding in my soul, 

a greening of what's dry and dusty,

thirsty deep within...

 

Let new growth spring to life in me,

to burst old winter's hold

and burgeon now 

with promise unrevealed 

but waiting even now to blossom,
once its time has come...

 

I offer you my heart, Lord,

good God of Monday mornings: 

I want, I need, I pray for

a springtime in my soul...

 

Amen.

 

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