The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
The day began with a wonderful walk with my sweetheart
Exploring and enjoying the beauty of creation
Then a wonderful retreat with the Abbey’s Wisdom Council
Followed by a relaxing afternoon and evening with my sweetheart and our puppy
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“We will find God present throughout the journey toward reconciliation, in the depths of fear, in the hopelessness of dark nights, in the tears of reconnection. The pathway through conflict toward reconciliation is filled with God-enconunters, if we have the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the heart to feel.”—John Paul Lederach
| Verse of the day Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.– Isaiah 42:1 |
| Voice of the day To serve the cause of justice in an unjust world; it cannot be said too often that the work of justice, the vocation of the Servant, is the temporal form of honoring and glorifying God. It is true worship. And the consequences will not be long in coming. – Daniel Berrigan |
| Prayer of the day Glorious God, put your spirit upon us that our work for justice may be true worship. |
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
As a day of ministry winds down
I am thankful for pastoral calls and fellowship
I am thankful for moments to simply Be Still
I am thankful for my sweetheart and our puppy
Spirit, continue to watch over those we love
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”—Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
| Verse of the day “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.” – Luke 4:18 |
| Voice of the day Whenever the church fails as a prophet it also fails as an evangelist. – Rene Padilla (1932-2021) |
| Prayer of the day God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we call to mind your presence within us and around us. Inspire us with the Gospel message, that we may celebrate all that is life-giving, restore hope where it has been lost, and work to bring about change where it is needed. – Adapted from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council |
“Simplify your life. Don’t waste the years struggling for things that are unimportant. Don’t burden yourself with possessions. Keep your needs and wants simple and enjoy what you have. Don’t destroy your peace of mind by looking back, worrying about the past. Live in the present. Simplify.”—Henry David Thoreau
| Verse of the day For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. – James 2:26 |
| Voice of the day There are just some kind of men who — who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results. – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) |
| Prayer of the day Holy Lord, maker of us all, you call us to love our neighbors as ourselves and teach us that faith without works is dead. Open us to the opportunities for ministry that lie before us, where faith and words and the need of our neighbor come together in name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. – From Revised Common Lectionary Prayers |
“…stand up and raise your heads…”
When your shoulders are stooped
When you are weary and carrying great burdens
When your soul is overwhelmed
When you feel terribly alone
Stand up…
Jesus offers his hand
Stand up…
Spirit offers her embrace
Stand up…Raise your head…
Behold, I am with you… even to the close of the age…
Stand up…
I am with you…
Stand up…
Lectio Divina exercise based on Luke 21:25-28 from the Abbey of the Arts retreat based on Christine Valters Paintner’s book, Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life.
Somewhere a bell rings
Somewhere monks and sisters pray
Somewhere a child cries in hunger
Somewhere a veteran relives her battlefield trauma
Somewhere a spouse takes her children, seeking freedom from their abuser
Somewhere a refugee prays in a detention cell
Somewhere an activist prayerfully engages in nonviolent protest
Somewhere….
Somewhere….
Somewhere God weeps
Somewhere Jesus holds the brokenhearted
Somewhere Spirit offers Her healing balm
Somewhere…
Somewhere…
Everywhere they offer their love
Creator, Christ, Spirit
Everywhere they give me strength for the coming day
Everywhere…
Everywhere…
Thanks be to God
This was written as a response to an exercise for the Abbey of the Arts retreat based on Christine Valters Paintner’s book, “Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life.”
