Masks = Science

A lawn sign to which I've added a bit:

weather forecasting = science

food safety = science

flying an airplane = science

chemotherapy = science

a sonogram = science

nurturing a premature infant = science

saving elephants, tigers and giraffes for our grandchildren = science

exploring Saturn's rings = science

choosing renewable energy = science

developing vaccines = science

creating wildlife sanctuaries = science

weather satellites = science

masks = science

It's not tyranny, it's science.

And God has given us the wonderful capacity to inquire, wonder, explore, discover, create — the stuff of science. It's God-Given!

Intercessions ~ All Saints

 

At the start of November,/ we pray for family and friends who celebrate birthdays,/ anniversaries and other days of remembrance,/ asking for good health,/ safety and peace./ We pray to the Lord.

November begins with double feasts of saints and souls./ May our gratitude for each other grow,/ may our God-given relationships be freed of manipulation,/ neediness and selfishness./ We pray to the Lord.

Pope Francis teaches/ that all human persons are entitled to live in a family,/ and that no one may be thrown away./ May we/ who venerate the Holy Family,/ be spiritually awake and mature enough/ to understand./ We pray to the Lord. 

Election Day approaches,/ we pray to be heart-intelligent in our voting,/ sensitive to/ and protective of life wherever God has breathed it into existence./ We pray to the Lord.

During these long months of coronavirus sickness,/ we pray for those who are exhausted,/ frustrated,/ lonely or sick with fear./ For those who carry on/ doing brave and generous  work./ We pray to the Lord.

It has recently been disclosed that 545 Mexican children/ three years after their separation,/ are still isolated at the nation's border/ their parents missing./ May we be a truly pro-life country,/ troubled deeply at this awful national error./ We pray to the Lord.

Fires in the western states burn out of control,/ while coronavirus spreads in many states out of control./ May we learn from our mistakes,/ in humility,/ repent,/ and boldly embrace a new way,/ born of the Lord's commandment to love one another./ We pray to the Lord.

A Prayer for Our Earth

 

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fills us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united

with every creature

as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray in our struggle

for justice, love and peace.

Pope Francis published this prayer in his Laudato Si' encyclical, and is meant for sharing with all who believe in a God who is the all-powerful Creator.

Beautyberry and Survival

This showy bush, native to east and southeast Asia, Australia and even Southern North America, is called Callicarpa (aka Beautyberry). A deciduous shrub, it produces these extravagant pink to red-purple (but bitter) berries which the birds will eat, but only towards the end of winter, after every other edible berry has been consumed. Beautyberry is survival food for the birds. Perhaps the key word for us these days might be survival. 

The Western State forest fires are not much in the news cycle anymore, but they are so vast and destructive their smoke is seen from outer space. The awfulness is indescribable. What will survive? And the oceans, so overfished and filled instead with disintegrating plastic. What will survive? But there's more, isn't there?

O God, 

who provides for the survival of  birds, 

we pray for that inner survival,

this inner winter —

the survival of goodness,

heart-intelligence,

truth,

kindliness and courtesy —

the survival of

decency,

beauty,

humility and docility —

the survival of

respect,

inclusion,

sobriety and authenticity —

the survival of

modesty,

simplicity,

silence and interiority —

the survival of

awakening,

wonder,

dialogue and community.

the survival of 

gentleness,

compassion,

hope and joy.

Intercessions ~ Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This week in Rome,/ at the International Prayer Meeting for Peace,/ Pope Francis said, "War always leaves the world worse than it was. War is a failure of politics and of humanity." We pray to understand the pope's words./ For the nations which profit by the production of deadly weapons,/ to experience a change of heart./ We pray to the Lord.

The promulgation of National Character Week,/ encourages us to be more kind,/ loving./ understanding and virtuous./ May we discover these qualities anew./ May we be freed of bullying,/ lies,/ selfishness,/ name calling and violence/ which seem to have found a new energy in our nation./ We pray to the Lord.

In its early phases these days,/ the moon is increasing./ May our sense of each other/ and the common good/ increase in us/ these months of life-threatening sickness./ We pray to the Lord.

Since March,/ eight million Americans have slipped into poverty./ Their rescue does not depend on charity,/ but on aware,/ compassionate/ and just leadership./ We pray to the Lord.

Fires continue to burn in the western states/ destroying thousands of homes and miles of forest./ We pray for the exhausted firefighters/ and those who have lost everything./ We pray boldly for rain./ We pray to the Lord.

Soon it will be Election Day./ May we be mature and informed in choosing leaders./ May those who run for office be genuinely awakened,/ good people./ We pray to the Lord.

More than a million people around the world have died of Coronavirus;/ more than 220,000 of them are from the United States./ We pray for them and those who mourn them./ For those who do nothing to help others stay safe and well./ We pray to the Lord.

Mother of God Kyriotissa ~ But What Does The Icon Mean?

We cheat ourselves when we simply do religious things, show up reliably, but fail to ask why or what does it mean? This marvelous 6th century icon of the Theotokos Kyriotissa (Mother of God Enthroned) has been kept safe for centuries in the Sinai Desert Monastery of St. Catherine. And here it is for us to see, to gaze upon, to enter, pray before and with. But what does it mean?

For all of its symmetrical and static appearance, there's a lot going on in this image. Did you notice, the figures are in an enclosure. See the decorated wall in the upper left and right corners. This suggests that we are standing before them ~ we are at the threshold, the borderline which is a place of beginning. We can choose simply to nod and admire them from the outside, or, we can step over into the inner world of the angels, the saints, the Holy Mother and the boy Christ. The walls also suggest we can enter our own inner world where we may come to know ourselves truly and not as we pretend to be. Or maybe these are not two distinct rooms, but are one in the same.

Notice at the very top and center, God's hand appears, as if it has broken through the roof. The hand appears inside the little bit of a circle, which, if we saw beyond the painting's edges, it would form a complete circle, symbolic of God's realm. What does it mean? It means that in Christ, now, the dividing lines and barriers are opened. God is here. The angels understand and look up, perhaps to see what's going to happen next. They look startled by it, don't they? They are illumined, wide-eyed and awake. I want to pay attention like this.

Then we see the Mother of God sitting on a throne. Her feet are up on a slightly raised platform. Her legs are pointed to her left, as are her eyes. What is she looking at? or Who is she looking for? Perhaps she is looking for humankind in our spiritual crisis — the crisis of our having failed the paradise we were given to care for — that failure born of our winner-takes-all, might-makes-right, take-what-you-can-get, self-worship. That spiritual crisis! We don't avoid spiritual crisis because we do devotions and go to Mass. More than an ecological crisis, we're living in a spiritual crisis. Oceans choked with disintegrating, micro-plastic — that's a spiritual crisis. People in leadership are not understanding this. In her distant gazing, maybe the Holy Mother is searching for us in this crisis.

Notice that while the Mother sits and looks to her left, the Child sits with legs to his right but he looks straight out at us—at you—at me. Or maybe the Holy Mother and Child are looking into the distance, the future of what's to become of us, the future implications for our folly. 

But what makes the six figures distinctly Christian is their wide open eyes. When our physical eyes are really open, they are taking in light. But I want to take in spiritual light. The angels seem to be transformed into white-light. St. Theodore on the left and St. George on the right are looking directly at us, inviting us to wake up, that we might become truly good, gentle, united to God. They stand, grown up, in the virtue of attention. Christianity often talks about living the virtuous life (practiced goodness), but I can't say I've ever heard  a preacher say paying attention is a virtue. I think we'd be more apt to hear "paying attention" dismissed as, "Oh, that's Buddhist," even though Jesus said, "Consider the lilies, consider the little birds of the air."

Lastly, Theodore and George were warrior saints. Some Christians think of discipleship as a battle with a long list of outside enemies. I received a thick fundraiser envelope in the mail recently from a men's religious order that sees itself as fighting in the front lines of a great culture war. All dressed up in their dramatic habits, rows and rows of clergy who think they have a corner on truth, ready to fight the others who don't share their worldview. That can make for a kind of corporate, "buy my product" religion. 

But I'd say the real battle, the battle many people never think to undertake, is the battle with our own superficiality, materialism. We need to undertake a national battle to save our own weaponized, embalmed hearts. There's the battlefield of preferring to be unconscious to our consumerism and its negative spiritual effects. An evening of TV commercials offers a picture of how idiotic and ridiculous we are — products inviting us to share in the singing, dancing, laughing of our first-world-way. It's said that if the whole world consumed resources the way we do, five planets would be needed to hold the waste and garbage. Seeing the two warrior saints, I'd say the place of battle is not outside, but in our own unexplored souls, our psyche, our inside life. The place where we never change our minds. I listen to interviews with people these pre-election days — how superficial, how selfish and self-involved, how unaware many people are —  how disappointing. 

William Blake wrote, "The person who never alters his/her opinion is like standing water which breeds reptiles of the mind." 

Maybe we can close our time with prayer — before this Kyriotissa Mother of God.

O Christ, our God,

save us by your interface,

your wisdom-revealing eyes,

your high forehead of Immanuel,

your blessing hand,

your teaching scroll.

O enthroned Lady,

by the secure holding of your Son,

your searching gaze,

the dignity you bear,

the expansion of your thoughts,

your silent contemplation ~

lead us to all-goodness.

O Holy Martyrs Theodore and George,

by your spiritual enclosure,

your cultivation of a true humanity,

your gentling union with God,

by your cleanness of heart,

your virtuous attention,

your eyes open to spiritual light ~

keep us standing in our warfare 

against indifference and violence.

Amen.

Bittersweeet and a Christ Invasion

 

The Bittersweet berries (aka Nightshade) are opening. This vigorous, woody vine is labeled invasive because the plant will take over if the gardener isn't paying attention. That's the negative connotation. Still, for its bright attractiveness, florists make it available for people to bring into their homes. We might have seen it in autumn holiday church decorations. 

But the word invasion can have a positive sense as well. A medical treatment can invade malignant cells. The allied invasion at Normandy pushed back the Nazi war machine. Can I imagine Christ's teachings invading (taking over) me? Here are eleven Jesus-teachings (there are many more) which, may receive scant attention despite our claims of being familiar with them. After each verse I pose a thought or question, perhaps encouraging something of a new heart-invasion. Have the teachings of Jesus ever shocked my systems?

~ ~ ~

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him," Matthew 3:13. Jesus was baptized, and I am baptized too. This means, I have been soaked, saturated, flooded, inundated and drenched with Christ. This is who I am. Easily enough confused with, "I'm a member of my parish, a believer, an employer, a shopper, an American." All of this is passing and limited. Plato likens it to our living in a cave and mistaking the shadows on the wall for the real thing. Being baptized is more than being nice.

"From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17. The Greek word for "repent" means turn. So, Jesus isn't suggesting we start thumping our chests, "Oh I'm such a miserable sinner." Repent is a positive invitation—an ongoing invitation to turn, turn, turn. Like the ripening of fruit exposed to light all around. I read somewhere that fruit ripens from the inside—out.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. Matthew 4:24. Compassion comes from two Latin words that mean, deep feeling with the other. Careful and sincere seeing and listening makes for a good beginning.

Jesus said, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44. Loving an enemy might mean wishing him/her well. Praying for them might mean asking of God that they receive all they need for salvation. In a go-to-blue-blazes, blow you up world, that's very kind.

"But when you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret..." Matthew 6:5. Jesus isn't talking about my bedroom, man cave or hideaway. He has in mind my inner room - the place of my most private, guarded thoughts and feelings. Archbishop Anthony Bloom says, "Don't pray until you feel something." 

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10. Might this mean we  have a faculty for higher thoughts—thoughts above our ordinary mentation: the slavish thoughts of making money, maintaining a reputation, keeping it all going, making everyone happy, looking correct...

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 16:24-25. "Take up your cross" is much more than putting up with the aches and pains of life. There is no love without sacrifice. Sacrifice is irksome at best.  Jesus tells us to lose your life. Could that mean losing what we THINK or PRETEND is our life—in all of it's distraction, superficiality, ownership, busyness, outer presentation. Then we can begin to find our inner, higher life, which is our real life.

"And looking around on those who sat about him, Jesus said, "Here are my mother and my brethren! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother. Mark 3:35. Blood family is too small. Jesus is starting a new family. I should not imagine that only Catholics in good standing do the will of God. Notice Jesus looked around, as if he is looking around the world—looking at the great circle of humankind throughout all time.

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter." Mark10: 15. Children are spontaneously learners (not to be confused with passing tests in school). Children are usually ready for anything new. Children love surprises. Do I have any experience of God that sounds or feels like this. Or has my religion become predictable and staid— a mental exercise—more about showing up on schedule. Thinking back on seminary—we were trained to be answer men, tradesmen, troubleshooters who knew the manual. There was nothing of becoming holy men who experience the thrill and wonder of God. We had five hundred acres of forest and were never told to go and walk there.

"For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." John 3:17. I remember years ago when I was teacher in New York City, walking past newsstands on Monday mornings, and frequently seeing news papers with bold headlines reporting the previous day's cathedral homily, "CARDINAL CONDEMNS."  How tiresome, a religion that's known for its condemnations. By contrast, I'm thinking of Mother Teresa who used to say, "A smile is something (a resource) we all have to share." The poorest third-world people often know and practice smile-gift far more than those in the first-world who have everything. Imagine the world being saved by smiles, bows, eye contact, greetings and handshakes (well, once covid passes).

"And he (the lawyer) answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' And Jesus said to him, 'You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.' But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'" Luke 10:25-37. We might wonder if "desiring to justify himself" means that he was hoping Jesus would give him a back door—a way to minimize the expectation. Then Jesus told what is perhaps the most well-known story of all time. But let's be sure of this—the hero of the story (the Samaritan) is a heretic, as far as the Jews of Jesus' day were concerned. So much for, "My religion only" or "Sign the fidelity oath" thinking.

Of course I need also to ask myself about the guy who's been beaten up, left naked and thrown away in the ditch at the side of the road. Who is he? She? They?  I might reflect on this prior to my November vote? Think broadly—from an informed place.

Intercessions ~ Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

In our hemisphere,/ nature seems to go to sleep,/ while underground,/ it is quite awake;/ may we enter deeply the intelligence of an awake heart,/ and lead the way for our disordered and chaotic nation./ We pray to the Lord.

For all who are endangered by war,/ fire,/ storms,/ disease,/ and threats of violence./ For the world where new cases of coronavirus are increasing,/ and for those who do not care./ We pray to the Lord.

For Pope Francis,/ whose new encyclical calls us to fresh understandings of what it means for us to live in the dignity of our being brothers and sisters to one another on this planet./ While we create a charitable world,/ may we all the more create a just world./ We pray to the Lord.

In this election time,/ may our vote be cast for the sake of the world./ May we be led safely through the dangerous spiritual crisis we are suffering./ We pray to the Lord.

For the President of the United States,/ not to be a superman,/ but a true,/ good,/ just and unselfish man./ May Election Day be well-ordered and peaceful./ We pray to the Lord.

May we not leave the contemplative life to the monks and nuns,/ but be ourselves,/ clean of heart,/ wide awake to God' creative and transformative energies,/ asking for God's Holy Spirit to re-birth us,/ as higher and whole human persons/ called away from deceit,/ ignorance and illusion./ We pray to the Lord.

The Pope's Prayer for "a more dignified world"

Pope Francis traveled recently to Assisi, Italy, to sign and promulgate his encyclical, Fratelli, tutti. "Brothers (and sisters) All." These are the words St. Francis used in addressing his followers in religious life. In his letter, the pope speaks not only to Catholics, but to the world, inviting all of us on this planet to a new sense of relatedness — the planet — beset by every imaginable division. "On the brink," one bishop said. Here is the prayer Pope Francis prayed at Assisi and which is included in his encyclical.

Lord, Father of our human family,

you created all human beings equal in dignity,

pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit

and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter,

dialogue, justice and peace.

Move us to create  healthier societies

and a more dignified world,

a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war.

May our hearts be open

to all the peoples and nations of the earth.

Maybe we recognize the goodness and beauty 

that you have sown in each of us,

and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects,

and shared dreams. Amen.

Pray ~ as we prepare to vote

This Madonna and Child was painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (1290-1348). One art historian says of the painting, "It is the ruin of an Italian masterpiece from the first half of the 14th century." He calls it a ruin as the image is badly damaged, especially the top layer of paint from the face of the holy mother. We are looking at what is essentially the underlayer of painting, the top layers removed perhaps by careless cleaning over the many hundreds of years. Still, what a beautiful face, and what a natural and lovely child she holds. He is wrapped in the gospel's swaddling, (Luke 2:7) anticipating the linen winding cloth of his Good Friday burial (John 19:40).

I might suggest, in its ruination it is an apt image before which we can pray for our nation as Election Day approaches.  

Madonna con il Bambino,

may we raise hope over fear,

peace over violence,

generosity over greed,

decency over impropriety.

May we raise wisdom over ignorance,

solidarity over alienation,

life over destruction,

 love over hate,

light over darkness.  

May we choose

restoration,

renewal,

mutuality,

kindness,

trust.

Intercessions ~ Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

In the autumn time/ a great tree can drop thousands of leaves./ May we drop the needy obsessions,/ masks and wrong-headed ways of relating/ that keep us from living full human lives./ We pray to the Lord.

During a time of pandemic,/ social distress,/ global disparities and leadership failure/ the Pope's new encyclical offers us an alternative view/ requiring awareness,/ honesty and courage./ May we even read it./ We pray to the Lord

More than 213,000 Americans have died of Coronavirus./ May we take this sickness seriously./ We pray for those who are cavalier about the danger,/ asking for new hearts of solidarity and caring./ We pray to the Lord.

In this election season,/ we ask to be wise in choosing leaders who are freed of the extremes of ego,/ greed and lies,/ who see themselves as decent/ and generous public servants./ We pray to the Lord.

For our families,/ friends,/ neighbors,/ fellow parishioners and colleagues to be safe and well./ In a country where there are more guns than people,/ we ask for our salvation./ We pray to the Lord.

May we be a heart-searching people,/ healed of the arrogant racism which afficts us and offends God's justice and love./ May we learn to walk with each other/ freed of suspicion./ We pray to the Lord.

During the Stalin years,/ when the priests of Poland were taken away,/ it is said the parish women continued to lay out the vestments for the next day's Mass,/ and that weeping could be heard for the people having taken the Mass for granted./ During this Covid sickness/ may we come to love our Sunday worship/ with a new depth of understanding and gratitude./ We pray to the Lord.

Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas - You'll want to pray this prayer

 

Here is a different painting of St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). He wears the black and white Dominican habit, holding one of his great volumes in his left hand and feather-quill in his right. I like the painting because Thomas was said to be obese which isn't featured here and instead of looking up at putti angels peeking out of golden clouds, he looks out at us. I find that to be quite refreshing — the artist acknowledging that Thomas wrote about God, but for us. The bottom of the painting is either incomplete or  damaged. Maybe in this painting Thomas has been awake all night and has just completed this prayer which many of us will appreciate and seek to make our own.

Grant me, O Lord my God

a mind to know  you,

a heart to seek you,

wisdom to find you,

conduct pleasing to you,

faithful  perseverance in waiting for you,

and hope of finally embracing you.

Of course, there is our embrace of God, but only as a response to God's own first embrace, even kiss, which has embraced us long before we even had a thought of God. Aquinas wouldn't mind my adding that thought.

Manet's Last Flowers as Forgiveness Gift

 

Beginning in the winter of 1880, at age 49,  due to declining health, Edouard Manet found it increasingly difficult to work on larger paintings. How creative, instead of packing up his brushes and calling it quits, he put his waning energies into sixteen small paintings of flowers in humble containers. 

The painting we see here (1882) is of a purple clematis with leaves and a single spray of pink dianthus (sometimes called pinks). They have been placed in a crystal vase, with a delicate painted decoration, filled with clean water.

A bouquet can be an extravagant affair, "Nothing succeeds like excess," the Dowager Countess says in Downton Abbey. But here, the arrangement of flowers is simple in the extreme. Indeed, Manet's arrangement of flowers is perfect simplicity, inviting us contemplate these few flowers in silence. 

Here's a little meditation we might practice. We meditate when we lock or fix our minds. But the locking needn't be on an overtly religious image. May we use our imagination? Some say, no, because our imaginations can go off unreliably. Before we know it we're fixed on superficiality, foolishness, resentment or even lust. I'd say rather, cultivate your best imagination.

Here! Imagine picking up the little vase of flowers, then mindfully walking off to make a gift to anyone I know who needs forgiveness. Forgiveness is central to Jesus's teaching. Forgiveness breaks the cycle of violence. His last words from the cross are, "Father forgive." John 20:23. Forgiveness means, "I wish you well." "I wish you all you need for salvation." I visualize handing off the gift of Manet's flowers with these words:

I hand off the flower-gift to someone who has hurt me — I wish you well.

I hand off the flower gift to someone who has failed me — even parents or teachers.

I hand off the flower gift to anyone who has abused me — spouse, clergy, sibling, employer.

I offer the flower-gift to someone whose conscience is unevolved — 

  who doesn't know right from wrong or who thinks, "What's the big deal."

   

I offer the flower-gift to anyone whose behavior

  makes me crazy or

  depresses me.

I offer the flower-gift to anyone I find repulsive —

  those of whom I think the most negative thoughts.

I offer the flower-gift to anyone who needs forgiveness who is deceased.

I offer the flower-gift to someone who caused me suffering —

  who frightened me, 

  lied to me,

  betrayed me, 

  tricked or exploited me,

  who harmed my good name,

  stole from me.

I offer the flower-gift to those who have caused me pain,

  but who carried their own deep wound.

I offer the flower-gift to anyone who has disappointed me —

  perhaps even my own children,

  a friend,

  a relative,

  a trouble maker, 

  an addict.

But don't force this visualization. It might not be time — perhaps in the future. Maybe the best I'm able to imagine is, "I would like to be able to offer this flower-gift and wish for wellness. Perhaps some day." 

Finally, I may want to keep the flowers for myself — a token of forgiveness for my own wrong-headed self, especially the mistakes from long ago that still trouble me. 

Intercessions ~ Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scarlet Oak

The American author, Henry David Thoreau calls the October leaf-change a ripening./ May we hope for our own personal ripening,/ the ripening of insight,/ wisdom,/ intelligence,/ the ripening by which we individually and collectively become full human persons./ We pray to the Lord.

At the start of October,/ we pray for those who celebrate birthdays,/ anniversaries and other days of remembrance,/ asking for good  health,/ safety and peace in difficult times./ We pray to the Lord.

This week at Assisi,/ Pope Francis promulgated an encyclical on friendship./ Jesus calls us friends,/ not diminished servants./ The pope writes as another 200 migrants recently drowned in the Mediterranean Sea/ hoping for a place of acceptance,/ safety and friendship./ As disciples of Christ,/ may we be true learners./ We pray to the Lord.

More than a million people have died worldwide from the Coronavirus,/ while 27 states report increases in the number of cases./ We pray for the sick and their loved ones,/ for the protection and safety of those who staff hospitals./ May we be wise and generous in our taking care of the health of others./ We pray to the Lord.

California continues to burn./ Thousands of people have been evacuated./ The losses are profound as some fires are consuming an acre of forest every five seconds./ We pray for the firefighters and all who are suffering./ We pray to the Lord.

We entrust our country and its Election Day to God's care,/ asking to be protected from threats,/ violence,/ bitter contest,/ suspicion and fear./ For healing and the restoration of unity./ We pray to the Lord.

The nation is being overtaken by a dark and destructive energy./ We pray for Christ's bright dawning to come./ We pray to the Lord.