Spirit of Truth

Spirit of Wisdom, Truth, and Peace, 

Guide us through this difficult time, and help us to resist the temptation to dream nostalgically of the old normal we have lost.

Instead, help us lean forward toward a new normal, a wiser and better way of life that is more in harmony with your love for all people and for all creation. 

Help us better understand and value our interconnectedness on this beautiful, fragile planet. 

Empower all who serve the common good, encourage all who suffer, and expose all who mislead, whether through ignorance, greed, fear, or malice. 

Give birth to a new generation of moral leaders around the world, moral leaders who are guided by a just vision for the future rather than limited habits of the past  … in our families and faith communities, in our cities and states and nations, and around this interconnected world, for the good of all.

Amen

-Brian McLaren

We become what we seek

Today we turn our hearts to the discipline of the psalms. Sister Joan begins with a challenge quoting from the philosopher, Socrates, who said:

The unexamined life is not worth living.

She invites us to recognize that:

The scrutiny of scripture must be brought to every part of our lives because we believe beyond the least doubt the God we seek, is there seeking us.

She concludes today's meditation with a beautiful metaphor on the smelters fire. I invite you to read it slowly, meditatively, in its entirety.

Prayer, and the spirit of these chapters, if we sing praise wisely or well, or truly, becomes a furnace, in which each act of our lives is submitted to the heat and purifying process of the smelter's fire, so that our minds and our hearts, our ideas, and our lives, come to be in sync, so that we are what we say we are, that the prayers that pass our lips change our lives, so that God's presence becomes palpable to us. Prayer brings us to burn off the dross of what clings to our souls like mildew and sets us free for deeper, richer, true lives in which we become what we seek.

God of the Seasons

God of the seasons, there is a time for everything; there is a time for dying and a time for rising. We need courage to enter into the transformation process.

God of autumn, the trees are saying goodbye to their green, letting go of what has been. We, too, have our moments of surrender, with all their insecurity and risk. Help us to let go when we need to do so.

God of fallen leaves lying in colored patterns on the ground, our lives have their own patterns. As we see the patterns of our own growth, may we learn from them.

God of misty days and harvest moon nights, there is always the dimension of mystery and wonder in our lives. We always need to recognize your power-filled presence. May we gain strength from this.

God of harvest wagons and fields of ripened grain, many gifts of growth lie within the season of our surrender. We must wait for harvest in faith and hope. Grant us patience when we do not see the blessings.

God of geese going south for another season, your wisdom enables us to know what needs to be left behind and what needs to be carried into the future. We yearn for insight and vision.

God of flowers touched with frost and windows wearing white designs, may your love keep our hearts from growing cold in the empty seasons.

God of life, you believe in us, you enrich us, you entrust us with the freedom to choose life. For all this, we are grateful.  Amen.

-A Prayer for Autumn Days By Joyce Rupp

Liturgy of the Hours

We have frequently talked about the liturgy of the hours.  Here is brief history and summary.  Click on the three white dots in the bottom right of the image and select view full screen.

We are called to pray....

We know we are called to pray. Do we? Without ceasing?

Open my heart Oh Lord.  

Draw me near. 
Arouse my careless mind.  

Incline my ear to your word, 

my heart to yours.
Let me know at all times 

and in all place 

what you would have me do,

so that I might serve only you.
Amen

To Learn what has been Learned before Us

"It is better to ask the way ten times than to take the wrong road once," a Jewish proverb reads. The eighth degree of humility tells us to stay in the stream of life, to learn from what has been learned before us, to value the truths taught by others, to seek out wisdom and enshrine it in our hearts. The eighth degree of humility tells us to attach ourselves to teachers so that we do not make the mistake of becoming our own blind guides.

It is so simple to become a law unto ourselves. The problem with it is that it leaves us little chance to be carried by others. It takes a great deal of time to learn all the secrets of life by ourselves. It makes it impossible for us to come to know what our own lights have no power to signal. It leaves us dumb, undeveloped and awash in a naked arrogance that blocks our minds, cripples our souls and makes us unfit for the relationships that should enrich us beyond our merit and despite our limitations.   Sr. Joan   

Sister Joan's commentary today speaks to each of us--listen.  Imagine what life would be like if we too were to but

"...learn what has been learned before us, to value the truths taught by others, to seek out wisdom and enshrine it in our hearts."

Listen, learn, and grow.... 

Our living communities have a great deal to teach us. All we need is respect for experience and the comforting kind of faith that it takes to do what we cannot now see to be valuable, but presume to be holy because we see the holiness that it has produced in those who have gone before us in the family and the church.