prayer – Page 10 – Writing to Pray

2nd Sunday, Lent 2016

Before it became a popular TV show about zombies, the phrase ‘walking dead’ referred to people who are living yet not alive: people breathing with heart beating, yet unaware of the layers, nuances, and abundant gifts of human life. Regardless of politics, we have an obligation to be concerned with the quality of life of those around us, to help others find hope and joy in the fact and details of their life.

Many think of Catholic social teaching, “Right to life,” as centering exclusively on the issues of the death penalty and abortion. Some translate the exhortation into political action, while others feel the social factors and issues are too complex for sweeping, one-size-fits-all laws. However, we have a responsibility to the living, for their ‘right to life,’ which transcends secular laws.

While human life seems singular and internal, it can only exist in communion with others.Jesus’ communion with Elijah and Moses encourages us to take solace and consolation in our own relationships with those who have passed over. These relationships are not fixed or static, but continue to develop and deepen.

When we partake in the sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion), we are affirming our membership in the body or Christ, the Church, the Communion of Saints, living and dead. To accept our responsibility to fight for rich, full lives for those living, we need to rely on those who have preceeded us. These saints, universal and personal lawgivers and prophets, give us the strength, wisdom and courage to protect and love those in need.

1st Sunday, Lent 2016

Satan is tempting Jesus by suggesting specific roles that He could have in society; power over nature, power over people on Earth and power in Heaven. All would belong to Him, thereby leaving Him free to belong only to Himself. Instead, Jesus asserts that He belongs to the Lord God, Father and Creator. Because His identity centers only on belonging to Father, he seems unconcerned about His role in society at the moment.

Through the sacrament of Confirmation, we affirm and assert that our identity lies in belonging to the Lord, not our role on earth.
Summarized clearly on the USCCB website, Catholic social teaching remind us that all people have a role in economics and politics, law and policy, that family life is vital and that we should seek together the common good and well-being of all. We can offer many prayers to God for those oppressed by their governments, separated from their families, and those in physical danger because of political actions. We can support organizations who address these issues on a global scale.

We know many people, however, professionally and casually who are excluded from full participation in community. They may struggle to communicate effectively, have physical limitations, or face difficult logistical situations. Maybe we don’t agree with their point of view or like their personalities, but including and connecting to them is a responsibility outlined in Catholic social teaching.

Every time we reach out and welcome these folks into Church and our communities, we allow “the grace of Pentecost in the Church” bestowed during Confirmation to flow freely. We assert, regardless of our role on Earth, we belong to the Lord.

Ash Wednesday 2016

Social justice is often reduced to a list of actions and to-dos: a menu of choices and duties to perform to help the less fortunate. The readings for Ash Wednesday encourage almsgiving, while Catholic social teachings exhort us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable above our own.

But don’t all social situations call for ‘just’ behavior and words? Aren’t many interpersonal interactions a call to action? They invite us to recognize and shift perceptions and behaviors in response to others’ needs, regardless of the character of their poverty or vulnerability.

Repentance, advocated in each of the Ash Wednesday readings, may require a radical change of heart, but often entails a subtle, gentle refinement instead. When we don’t answer the call to help the poor and vulnerable, we fall into a sin of omission.

The sacrament of reconciliation invites us to receive the grace which flows from recognition of our sins of omission and comission. It reminds us of our responsibility to empty ourselves and address the needs of others. This rearranging allows us to enter Lent appropriately poor in spirit.

Christmas 2014

Is 52:7-10; Heb 1:1-6; John 1:1-18
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122514-day-mass.cfm

A few weeks back on this blog I suggested we each reflect upon how we are different at present in comparison to past Advents. Now is the time to reflect upon how my thoughts, perceptions, activities and experiences of this Advent affect my relationship with the Lord.

I did several things differently this Advent, but I will only tell you about ‘the door.’

I was invited to decorate a door for one of the much-loved sisters at a nursing home I sometimes work at; I put my little heart into it because I regarded it as a visual prayer of thanksgiving and petition. I wrote “Prince of Peace Incarnate” on ribbon, the names of each sister on little embossed doves and petitions for peace and help for those in need on green and blue circles. Many of the sisters were upset by the conflict, war, violence, disease, hatred, poverty, etc particularly rampant in the world today. I wanted them to visually see that because their response to these troubles is prayer they too are answering the call to be the Prince of Peace Incarnate who dwells within each of us in the world. The connection between those praying and the petitions for the needs of others was tightly forged to the Prince of Peace Incarnate through their community. I hoped the door communicated some of those perceptions.

The Gospel of John is very clear; Jesus is the Word incarnate. Thereby, whatever words I have for Him, He is incarnated into that specific role. To use my example from above, I characterized Jesus as “Prince of Peace”, so Jesus brought peace to anyone who prayed my door. Maybe he brought them a bit of hope and love, too, as these feelings also over-flowed in my heart as I carried on with the taping.

In what other characterizations has the Word become Incarnate? The Bread of Life, Light of the World, the Vine, Gatekeeper, Good Shepherd, Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth, the Life; Friend, Brother, Spouse, Son?

Rereading the opening to John’s gospel reminded me, when John talks about the Word as reigning with the Lord God from the beginning of time, he talks simultaneously about that Word bringing life. Indeed all life only has life by His will. The cause-and-effect might be a bit of a puzzle; we are alive only because of His will, but we will never truly know how our alive-ness effects His alive-ness. But, it bears repeating, we only have life if He desires so. This is true of all beings, whether or not they are aware of this dependence.

In addition to an awareness of our need upon Him for life, we may experience a new layer of gratitude, joy and hope in our relationship with Him. The idea that my soul and spirit are so valuable to Him as to be willed into existence by Him should also inspire a deeper sense of self-value and self-worth within each of us.

Reflection Questions: Which of the above terms from Jesus’ I Am statements might be most applicable in the past year for you, which might you explore in the upcoming year? Which expression provokes the most emotion, whether comfortable or not?

Writing Exercise: What changes might you make as you remember that it is Christ’s will that you are alive? Do you feel alive, or only as if you are going through the motions of life? What would need to change to be “more” alive, assuming we can consciously become “more alive.”

Art Exercise: Decorate a large space such as a door or wall using as your theme one of Jesus’ I AM statements or descriptions of Him.

Advent 4th Sunday 2014

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122114.cfm

2 Sm 7:1-16; Rom 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

David wants to build a dwelling place for the Lord. This is thoughtful; he lives in a palace, and the Lord a tent. But the Lord seems to ignore this noble gesture of David’s; instead He focuses on His own affairs. He is little concerned about David’s grand gesture of love, gratitude and friendship, and much more interested in His own plans for gifting David with so much more. Perhaps He heard David and His own magnanimity was His response to David’s generous desire for praise, but He did not acknowledge it. The Lord God had moved on.

In the case of Mary, the Lord, speaking through Gabriel is also quite absorbed with the gift He is giving. He mentions the gift almost at once and continues with detailed description. The gift, of course, is His own Son.

We tell the Lord what we want and need, we listen to hear what He is inviting us to; we also express gratitude to Him when He has done for us what is helpful or needed, or has handled things better than we could have hoped for or imagined. I hope I express to Him the gratitude that spills out of my heart at all the wonderful things He gives and does for me; I try to be conscience to do right by these gifts, to use them wisely and for good. For an example, I love working as a LNA (Licensed Nursing Assistant) in a nursing home, often on a rehab unit. It is a gift from God and I try to perform my duties in a loving, compassionate way.
But the Lord, apparently, seems to think that David missed the point. I bet you, He thinks I have missed the point too! Jesus tells us the right and good, loving and compassionate thing to do, but scripture is not simply a moral handbook.

I once read Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating. Falling into gender roles, the author proposes it is the man’s role to please, and the woman’s role to be pleased. If we tolerate the blatant sexism, such an attitude in a relationship is applicable to many circumstances. It is not as easy or common as it sound to recognize when another is trying to please us and to be so passive as to simply allow ourselves to be pleased. This applies to our relationship with the Lord.

The manner in which the Lord God speaks to David and Mary demonstrates His desire to give beyond measure. He is an “Over-the-top” God, generous to a fault, I tell Him. While I feel gratitude, of course, He doesn’t give me gifts so I can express gratitude. If I can be so bold as to say, He gives me gifts as do human friends and parents, because he loves me and delights in delighting me.

I am competent, to some degree, at recognizing the gifts He bestows on me, but I think in my haste to express gratitude, I sort of skip the step of pleasure. I am meant to surrender to the joy of being delighted and knowing that it delights the Lord that I am delighted.

Reflection Questions: What could God be giving you that He is focused on and you are missing?

Writing Exercise: When have I allowed myself the pleasure of enjoying God’s gifts to me? When did I skip experiencing the pleasure and move right to expressing gratitude?

Art Exercise: Create using your preferred medium a piece that represents a gift of God’s that you enjoy.