A Summer Blessing
May you walk with God
This summer
In whatever you do
Wherever you go

Walking with God means…
Walking with honesty
And with courage,
Walking with love
And respect
And concern for the feelings of others

May you talk to God
This summer
And every day and
In every situation

Talking with God means…
Praying words of praise
For the beauty of creation
Saying prayers of thanks
For friends and good times,
Asking God’s help
In all your decisions
Expressing sorrow
When you have failed

May you talk with God
Every day. Amen.

– Author unknown

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Join us in prayer as we plead for peace…

Sad, Tired and Angry: A Prayer in the Face of Gun Violence
Almighty God,

I come before you,
once again,
after another shooting.

I am sad, God.

So I ask you
to receive into your loving care the souls of those who were killed,
to care for those who were wounded or hurt in any way,
to console the family members and friends of those who died or were wounded,
to strengthen the hands of the rescue workers, medical professionals and caregivers

I pray too for the shooter, as I must as a Christian.

All this makes me inexpressibly sad, God.
But I know that the sadness I feel is your sadness.
It is the same sadness your son expressed
when he wept over the death of
his friend Lazarus.

I know that the sadness I feel is your sadness.

I am tired, God.
I’m tired of the unwillingness to see this as an important issue.
I’m tired of those in power who work to prevent any real change.
I’m tired of those who say that gun violence can’t be reduced.

All this makes me tired.
But I know that the tiredness I feel is your tiredness.
It’s the same tiredness that Jesus felt after his own struggles against injustice
that led him to fall asleep on the boat with his disciples.

I am angry, God.
I’m angry at the seeming powerlessness of our community to prevent this.
I’m angry at the selfish financial interests who block change.
I’m angry that these shootings happen at all.

But I know that this anger is your anger
It’s the same anger Jesus felt when he overturned the tables in the Temple,
angry that anyone would be taken advantage of in any way.

Help me see in these feelings as the way that you move me to act.

Help me see in these emotions your own desire for change.
Help me see in these feelings your moving me to act.
Help me see in these reactions your pushing me to do something.

Because I know this is the way you move people to action.
And I know that you desire action.
For Jesus did not stand by while people were being hurt.
He plunged into their lives.

So help me to answer these questions:
How can I help?
How can I fight against gun violence?
How can I urge my political leaders to enact change?
How can I help people understand that this is
an issue about life?

I am sad over the loss of life,
tired of excuses for the loss of life,
and angry that we are paralyzed by the loss of life.

Turn my sadness into compassion. Turn my tiredness into advocacy.

So
Turn my sadness into compassion.
Turn my tiredness into advocacy.
Turn my paralysis into the freedom to act.

Help me
to be compassionate,
to advocate
and to act,
as your son did,
Almighty God.

by James Martin S.J.

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Good and gracious God,
This is the day, Lord! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Today is the culmination of years of work, years filled with challenges and triumphs,
losses and laughter, friendships and growth.
We thank you, Lord, for getting us safely to this day.
We thank you for the gift of family, friends and teachers who have supported these children of yours
and celebrate with them now.
Dear God, bless these graduates, every one, and fill them with the Spirit of your love.
We pray that as they go forth to set the world on fire,
may they remember you are in all things and all people.
May they continue to challenge themselves intellectually
and share the fruit of their knowledge.
May their commitment to justice lead them to make a positive difference in our world.
May they build community wherever they go
and remain forever the important part of our community that they are today.
And may they, through their ongoing growth in wisdom and grace,
bring others to you as they share their talents in the wider world.
We ask you, who are both Father and Mother,
to protect and guide these Men and Women for Others throughout their lives.
We ask this in the name of your son Jesus, who unites us with one another and with you forever.

Amen.

God of journeys, endings, and new beginnings,
through the highs and lows, the twists and turns
this class has faced along the way,
we have faith that your love has guided them
from the moment they began up to graduation day.

We give you thanks and praise for the goodness that shines
in the relationships formed, knowledge learned,
and memories made through this school.

Bless the body, mind, and soul of every graduate,
that they may celebrate your glory in themselves and all creation,
and use their education to build your kingdom of peace.

Amen

~Rev. Timothy J.S. Seamans

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PRAYER FOR MEMORIAL DAY
In the quiet sanctuaries of our own hearts,
let each of us name and call on the One whose power over us
is great and gentle, firm and forgiving, holy and healing:

You who created us,
who sustain us,
who call us to live in peace,
hear our prayer this day.

Hear our prayer for all who have died,
whose hearts and hopes are known to you alone…

Hear our prayer for those who put the welfare of others
ahead of their own
and give us hearts as generous as theirs…

Hear our prayer for those who gave their lives
in the service of others,
and accept the gift of their sacrifice…

Help us to shape and make a world
where we will lay down the arms of war
and turn our swords into ploughshares
for a harvest of justice and peace…

Comfort those who grieve the loss of their loved ones
and let your healing be the hope in our hearts…

Hear our prayer this day
and in your mercy answer us
in the name of all that is holy.

Amen.

Austin Fleming

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“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ~ Acts 2:38

Pentecost Prayer

May the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
bring fire to the earth
so that the presence of God
may be seen
in a new light,
in new places,
in new ways.

May our own hearts
burst into flame
so that no obstacle,
no matter how great,
ever obstructs the message
of the God within each of us.

May we come to trust
the Word of God in our heart,
to speak it with courage,
to follow it faithfully
and to fan it to flame in others.

May the Jesus
who filled women
with his Holy Spirit
fill the world and the church
with new respect
for women’s power and presence.

Give me, Great God,
a sense of the Breath of Spirit
within me as I…
(State the intention in your own life at this time for which you are praying.)
Amen.

~Joan Chittister, OSB

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“May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know it’s beauty all the days of your life.”

~ Apache Blessing

Let Your Light Shine
As the sun rises, Lord, Let your light shine on me. Destroy the darkness about me, Scatter the darkness before me, Disperse the darkness behind me, Dispel the darkness within me. Let your light shine on me. As the sun rises, Lord, Let your light shine on me. The warmth of your Presence, The brightness of your love, The radiance of your joy, The shining of your hope. Let your light shine on me. As the sun rises, Lord, Let your light shine on me. Your light to guide, Your light to lead, Your light to direct, Your light to brighten. Let your light shine on me.

~David Adam

Blessing for All Creation
God of all creation, each morning you send the sun
from the East to bring a new day to birth;
you call the gentle South wind to cool our days
and refresh our lives;
each night the sun sets in the West to bring us the gift
of rest and renewal;
and you summon the great North wind to clothe
the mountaintops in snow and shining splendor.
Send your Holy Spirit over this sacred land we call home,
that the earth may be radiant with your glory
through the care of your people.
From East to West and North to South,
may your blessing be upon every living thing
you have created.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

~ Diana Macalinta

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Visio Divina: seeing with the eyes of love

One warm-and-sunny weekday recently, I took advantage of a canceled work appointment and headed to Five Rivers Environmental Center, just a short drive from my Delmar home. Although it was early spring and I knew there wouldn’t be much in bloom, the thought of meandering down the wooded trails around the pond made me feel lighter, joyful. So out I went, Nikon camera around my neck in case I got lucky enough to spot a heron in flight, not an unusual occurrence there.

So often when we set out on an adventure, whether local or across the ocean, we want to be wowed, but the reality is that we don’t have to move beyond our own backdoor or even our living room window to discover unspeakable beauty right under our nose or above our heads or hiding in plain sight but invisible to us because we are looking for something more, or simply not paying attention.

On this particular day, I headed down Beaver Trail where the only thing to see at first were clusters of parents with children pausing to marvel at spiders and ants and the occasional salamander. But not long after, I turned a bend and saw turtles — dozens of them — sunning themselves on logs. I bent down with my camera and snapped as I smiled, already feeling as if this outing was a success. I continued on my way, taking my time, breathing deep, looking up, and giving thanks. As I stood on the dock at Heron Pond hoping against hope, I was surprised instead by a pair of red-winged blackbirds and then by the fleeting glimpse of a goose paddling silently through the reeds, there one moment and gone the next. Lingering all around the scene was a palpable sense of divinity.

We sometimes complain about how people tote their phones around with them and snap images of food and vacation and every detail of their lives (guilty as charged). But, when we slow the process down and look for God in those same scenes, we can turn a simple image into a sacred keepsake. Most of us are familiar with Lectio Divina, sacred reading; what I’m suggesting is Visio Divina, sacred seeing. Can you behold something before you with awe and look for the divine in your yard, or on a trail, or on a busy city street? Can you pause, not because you are hoping for something frame-worthy, but because you want to soak in what is before you and feel the hand of God at work?

In his book In Praise of the Useless Life: A Monk’s Memoir, Paul Quenon, OSCO, explains that he spends 30 minutes outside daily observing nature, no matter what the season or weather. “Each year is a course taken with nothing omitted, dropped, or skipped — no choosing and picking  …” he writes. “One day may be Eden, another a dim limbo. Each mood molds my soul to its profile. I am governed and made into something larger than myself.”

As I crossed a wooden bridge at Five Rivers, I paused and looked down into the green water. Suddenly I saw mud being kicked up, and I watched an enormous turtle slowly paddle toward me. I stood there for a long time, marveling at this prehistoric-looking and majestic, if moss-covered, creature, and feeling a deep connection to it and to God. This moment of sacred seeing was an experience lit up from the inside by the spark of the divine, one I would have missed if I had been impatient or looking only for my beloved heron.

You don’t have to venture onto a nature trail to see things with the eyes of love. Everything around you presents an opportunity to use this spiritual practice: your breakfast, your garden, your afternoon tea, even your hands as they work. Pause. Be patient. Pray. And, yes, snap a photo. Then see if you, too, aren’t slowly molded into something and someone new.

This column first appeared in the May 4, 2023, issue of “The Evangelist”.

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“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” ~Jeremiah 29:11

Prayer of One Who Is Moving On
Guardian, Guide, no pillar of cloud by day nor fire by night,
yet I sense your presence with me, God of the journey.
You are walking with me into a new land.
You are guarding me in my vulnerable moment.
You are dwelling within me as I depart from here.
You are promising to be my peace as I face the struggles
of distance from friends and security,
the planting of feet and heart in a strange place.

Renew in me a deep trust in you. Calm my anxiousness.
As I reflect on my life I can clearly see
how you have been there in all of my leavings.
You have been there in all of my comings.
You will always be with me in everything.
I do not know how I am being resettled,
but I place my life into the welcoming arms of your love.

Encircle my heart with your peace.
May your powerful presence run like a strong thread
through the fibers of my being.

~Joyce Rupp

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Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,

that my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit,

that my work, too, may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,

that I love but what is holy.

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,

to defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,

that I always may be holy.

Amen.

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To Mother

You painted no Madonnas
On chapel walls in Rome,
But with a touch diviner
You lived one in your home.
You wrote no lofty poems
That critics counted art,
But with a nobler vision
You lived them in your heart.
You carved no shapeless marble
To some high-souled design,
But with a finer sculpture
You shaped this soul of mine.
You built no great cathedrals
That centuries applaud,
But with a grace exquisite
Your life cathedraled God.
Had I the gift of Raphael,
Or Michelangelo,
Oh, what a rare Madonna
My mother’s life would show!

~Thomas W. Fessenden

A Mother’s Love

There are times when only a mother’s love
Can understand our tears,
Can soothe our disappoints
And calm all of our fears.

There are times when only a mother’s love
Can share the joy we feel
When something we’ve dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.

There are times when only a mother’s faith
Can help us on life’s way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.

For a mother’s heart and a mother’s faith
And a mother’s steadfast love
Were fashioned by the angels
And sent from God above.

~Author Unknown

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