Intercessions ~ Feast of the Epiphany

 

Star of Bethlehem

A Savior is born for us!/ We ask for the Church to be a people of Good News to a world of sad news,/ offering an action-word of salvation,/ hope,/ joy,/ healing,/ confidence and relief./ We pray to the Lord.

In the Christmas carol we sing, "the weary world rejoices."/ We pray for those who are tired and feel no rejoicing,/ who are weary of war,/ weary of injustice/ tired of themselves and their failure./ We pray to the Lord.

Jesus was born into the world of the Roman Empire,/ a world often at war or preparing for war./ We pray for leaders to make decisions for peace that benefits others,/ not creating fear,/ but helping the world to be a more good,/ healthy and safe place./ We pray to the Lord.

At Bethlehem,/ the Infant Jesus sometimes cried,/ as babies do./ We pray for the world's children/ crying in pain,/ loneliness,/  terror,/ discomfort or need./ For the children who are lost,/ separated or grieving at Christmas./ We pray to the Lord. 

In another Christmas carol we sing of "comfort and joy."/ We ask comfort for parents who feel defeated or worried./ For expectant parents and those who are caregivers to the elderly,/ special needs folks,/ the weak ones,/ the dying./ We pray to the Lord. 

In the Christmas scene we see Joseph the dreamer./ Bless those who dream of safety,/ of being valued,/ employed,/ talked to and included./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for those who do nothing to help during this time of covid spread - who only resist,/argue and deny./ For the many who continue to get sick,/ for those who die,/ for those who mourn./  May we not forget that covid is a global crisis./ We pray to the Lord.

The Virgin Galaktotrophousa ~ Mother of God Milk-Giver

This lovely icon was likely painted in Crete. In the 1200's Crete was the property of Venice and so the Cretan icon painters developed a mixed Byzantine-Western style. And while it was very common in the Middle Ages to see the Mother of God depicted holding the Christ Child, more rarely was she depicted as nursing her Infant. 

Sometimes a Christian can become a prude — here scandalized by the very non-sexual breast of the Virgin Mary. But let's remember, the Incarnation means that God became a human being and human beings come into the world as babies. Babies need to be washed, fed, burped, have their diapers changed and their noses wiped. For all their precious-ness, sometimes being a baby is an inglorious thing. And God became just that, a vulnerable, inglorious baby. With this as the starting point of our religion we might wonder how any Christian (or the Church itself) could ever become so closely identified with power. 

This icon has been battered a bit. We can see the nail heads that have been hammered around the icon. Most curiously we see that the tin frame originally covered the top of the Virgin's halo and that someone took a metal scissor and hacked away at it to free up the halo-light emanating from Mary's face.  God has come into our dangerous world. 

Oh Lady, free up the Christ-light entrusted to me at the font of Baptism — that I might also shine like the sun. 

"Let us go to Bethlehem" in the Christmas Octave

 

This is the large icon of the Mother of God found near the entrance to the cave in the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity where it is believed Jesus was born. It is a large icon and people stop to pray by the many thousands. But not this year again as the coronavirus has kept the pilgrims away.

Perhaps we can make a cyber visit to Bethlehem and stop here before the image. The red light above is burning. We can imagine no one is around so we can stay as long as we care to. But notice this, the Mother of God and the Holy Infant are smiling. Their eyes are wide awake to the world in all of its troubles. Wires are strung across the icon where people leave tokens of gratitude and praise. Some have fallen to the bottom of the icon's frame. But we don't have to do that. The only thing we need to leave behind is our prayer born of silence. Or the silence itself can be the prayer. Therese of Lisieux prayed with a sigh. Kateri Tekakwitha prayed with her eyes. 

Christmas Poem

 

It's when we face for a moment

the worst our kind can do, and shudder to know

the taint in our own selves, that awe

cracks the mind's shell and enters the heart:

not to a flower, not to a dolphin,

to no innocent form

but to this creature vainly sure

it and no other is god-like, God

(out of compassion for our ugly

failure to evolve) entrusts,

as guest, as brother,

the Word.

Denise Levertov (1923-1997)

"And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Denise Levertov ends her poem with "the Word" (capitol W). The Word is God's not remaining in silent isolation from us but always expressing God's self — speaking, communicating, sharing, giving away God's own self. And this Divine nature, essential aspect or interface becomes a human being in Jesus, born of Mary. We call it the Incarnation. It is the heart of Christianity. Yet despite all the trouble to which God has gone, "our ugly failure to evolve" seems to be a constant with us. 

Donatello (1386-1466), the Italian Renaissance sculptor has gone to some lengths to make this plain for those who view his work: the Infant Jesus is squirming as baby's do, even tangled in Mary's veil. His tunic-shirt is pulled up, leaving the baby totally exposed. What's the point? Wouldn't it have been easier for the artist to carve folds of cloth instead of a baby's body? But Donatello wants to be sure we "get it" — God has become what we are. God has been born into a body like our own. "He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger." 

 In the Christmas Octave I send a blessing to you and your dear ones,

with good wishes for health and safety,

growth in the things that matter most to God's heart,

and with gratitude for our meeting here.

Praying for the World in the Cave of the Nativity

Here is a photograph of a masked religious sister praying in the cave within the empty church of the Nativity at Bethlehem. The usually pilgrim packed Bethlehem is vacated for a second year of Covid. 

To enter the Church of the Nativity the visitor must bend low as the door is little more than child-size. Get it? One cannot approach the place of Christ's birth without becoming like a child — self-realistic — acknowledging how needy, dependent, fragile we are. Indeed the entire Nativity story is a story of fragility: Joseph and pregnant Mary having no place to stay, the marginalized shepherds being the first to hear good news, the terrible story of baby boys massacred out of Herod's jealousy. It's a story right for today, for our own time of awfulness — the awfulness of Covid, climate change, unending racial strife, political chaos. Darkness seems to be all around. And it is into this darkness that God is born at Bethlehem. Does the story, can the story give you hope?

God has emptied himself to be with us. The fourteen pointed star on the floor of the Bethlehem cave proposes that this is the exact spot where Jesus was born and where Mary and Joseph knelt. Why not? The star seems to invite us to come closer, to look, to touch, to kneel and pray from our own place of self-emptying. Can we take a few minutes out of this Christmas time to pray.

I imagine that if the nun pictured above saw each of us by the star she would pray for us. So pray for everyone you know. Pray for those who would love to pilgrim to Bethlehem but cannot, either because of traveling prohibitions these days, or because they are poor, elderly, frail, sick, bed-ridden. Pray for the world in all its tension and strife. Pray for the children. Pray that we would save our planet from self-destruction. Pray for the people who have the power to make life better for everyone but who fail in the partisan divide. Pray for the people who instill fear and doubt. Pray for the people who are making trouble these days — machinators.

And may we pray for ourselves. Lay down whatever wounded pride is in you, self-pity, hurt feelings, grudge holding, resentment. Lay down all the self-assuredness, the indifference, the take-a-back-seat attitude, the assessing of others, the complaining and blaming. Come to the Bethlehem cave emptied. Be aware only of your need and the desire for the emptiness to be filled with light and joy, compassion and love.

I pray with you

and send a blessing today.

May Christmas and the New Year

bring gifts of healing, strength and courage.

Christ is Born ~ Glorify Him!

This lovely painting is found in a 15th century Italian monk's hymnal. We see Joseph and Mary kneeling prayerfully; the Infant Christ is resting on his mother's mantle. The Ox and the Donkey are eating away under a protective roof in the background. The craggy hills are alive with blooming trees and scrubs. The large initial letter H is painted in pink, blue, purple and green. "Hodie Nobis Caelorum Rex" — Today the King of Heaven...

And here are the lyrics to the carol A Virgin Unspotted (1778) sung by the vocal ensemble Chanticleer. The CD notes tell us the carol was composed by the American composer William Billings who was the first to use dance rhythms in his sacred works. You'll notice the jig-like refrain in this wonderfully happy Christmas piece. We shouldn't be scandalized — there are much-loved hymns to the Virgin Mary whose tunes were originally Irish pub songs. Mary might well be amused — after all, she was the one who alerted Jesus to the suddenly wine-less wedding at Cana.

A virgin unspotted, the prophet foretold

Should bring forth a Savior, which now we behold,

To be our Redeemer from death, hell and sin,

Which Adam's transgression involved us in.

Then let us be merry, put sorrow away:

Our Savior, Christ Jesus, was born on this day.

Through Bethlehem city, in Jury (Jewry), it was

That Joseph and Mary together did pass,

And for to be taxed when thither they came,

Since Caesar Augustus commanded the same.

Then let us be merry...

But Mary's full time being come, as we find, 

She brought forth her first-born to save all mankind;

The inn being full, for this heavenly guest

No place there was found where to lay him to rest.

Then let us be merry...

Click here to listen to the carol.

Intercessions ~ Christmas Day

"Let us be  merry, put sorrow away."

Polychromed Spanish Nativity ~ 16th c. 

At Christmas,/ may Christ in his mercy shield our world,/ tearful and wrapped in fear./ May Mary his mother,/ and our mother too,/ increase courage, pardon and love in us./ We pray to the Lord.

At Christmas,/ may the Church be renewed in delivering good news to an embittered world,/ where dishonesty can appear to be winning,/ where even religious people can have loyalties other than Christ,/ where money and power become new gods./ We pray to the Lord.

At Christmas,/ may Christ breathe new spirit-life into us,/ inspiring us to live in a grateful harmony with the planet God has visited./  We pray to the Lord.

At Christmas,/ we ask good health,/ peace and healing for the members of our families,/ our friends and fellow parishioners./ Bless our Christmas worship;/ as we leave church may we be aware of the many people who have nothing to be glad about./ We pray to the Lord.

At Christmas,/ bless Pope Francis with good health and strength./ Open the minds and hearts of those who want only to hear about the pope and not from the pope./ Bless those who visit the Holy Land these days;/ may it be a land of peace./ We pray to the Lord.

At Christmas,/ we pray for those who have died this past year;/ in their new heavenly home may they see the face of Jesus who pardons,/restores and transfigures./ We pray to the Lord.

At Christmas,/ keep us from becoming cynical in our Covid world,/ our climate change world,/ our political chaos./ Raise up for us leaders who have at heart the good of others./ We pray to the Lord.

Day 13 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ in the Advent Time

 

Kontakion 13 

Life-giving and merciful *Trinity, receive my thanksgiving for all your goodness. Make us *worthy of your blessings, so that, when we have brought to fruit the talents you have entrusted to us, we may enter into the joy of our Lord, forever exulting in the shout of victory: Alleluia!

Ikos 1 (repeated)

I was born *a weak, defenseless child, but your angel spread his wings over my cradle to defend me. From birth until now your love has illumed my path, and has wondrously guided me towards the light of eternity: from birth until now the generous gifts of your providence have been marvelously showered upon me, I give you thanks, with all who have come to know you, who call upon  your name.

Glory to you, for calling me into being.

Glory to you, showing me the beauty of the universe.

Glory to you, spreading out before me heaven and earth

 Like the pages in a book of eternal wisdom.

Glory to you, for your eternity in this fleeting world.

Glory to you, for your mercies, seen and unseen.

Glory to you, through every sigh of my sorrow.

Glory to you, for ever step of my life's journey.

* See in the Andre Rublev Trinity Icon here that the Trinitarian persons sit in a circle around the table, that the three would fit inside a circle, that their heads are en-circled — indicators of their shared inter-relatedness — each filled with divinity simultaneously without depriving the others of divine life and love.

* "Worthy" — we must be very careful with this word. "Lord I am not worthy..." the soldier said to Jesus and we repeat at Mass before Communion. Even if I choose another word, like deserving, we are not helped. If I believe myself to be worthy, I risk thinking God owes me something.

* "a weak, defenseless child" — as are we all. Realizing this, remembering this, might help us to live in solidarity with others in all their variety and possibility.

Day 12 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ in the Advent Time

 

Scroll back to November 29 for an introduction to this thirteen part prayer.

Kontakion 12

How often have I seen the reflection of your glory in the faces of the dead. How resplendent they were with beauty and heavenly joy. How ethereal, how translucent their faces. How triumphant over suffering and death, their felicity and peace. Even in the silence they were calling upon you. In the hour of my death, enlighten my *soul, too, that it may cry out to you: Alleluia!

Ikos 12

What sort of praise can I give you? I have never heard the song of the Cherubim, a joy reserved for the spirits above. But I know the praises that nature sings to you. In winter, I have beheld how silently in the moonlight the whole earth offers you prayer, clad in its white mantle of snow, sparkling like diamonds. I have seen how the rising sun rejoices in you, how the song of the birds is a chorus of praise to you I have heard the mysterious mutterings of the forests about you, and the winds singing your praise as they stir the waters. I have understood how the choirs of stars proclaim your glory as they move forever in the depths of infinite space. What is my poor worship! All nature obeys you, I do not. Yet while I live, I see your love, *I long to thank you, and call upon your name. 

Glory to you, *giving us light.

Glory to you, loving us with love so deep, divine and infinite.

Glory to you, blessing us with light, and with the host of angels and saints.

Glory to you, Father all-holy, promising us to share in your Kingdom.

Glory to you, Holy Spirit, life-giving Sun of the world to come.

Glory to you, for all things, Holy and most merciful *Trinity.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

* We are not physical bodies with a spiritual side; we are spiritual beings with physical bodies.

* "I long to thank you" — The spiritual life begins and ends with gratitude — increasingly aware.

* "giving us light" — can you name this experience for yourself?

* Trinity — "One God in three persons" we say. In God's inner life there is community, relationship, a society, family. And we are baptized into this — drenched with it, immersed in it. Christianity is no private affair; it is not a way of isolation and individualism. A Christian doesn't live in a bubble-world, an echo-chamber.  

Day 11 ~ Akathist ~ In the Advent Time

WWI's Forgotten Photographs ~ BBC4

 

This photograph was taken by Walter Kleinfeldt who joined a German gun crew in 1915. After signing up he was sent to the Somme at age 16. The photograph is a window into the awfulness of war — like a machine that chews up the earth and every living thing. The dead are strewn around the ruined landscape. A roadside crucifix remains, having survived a terrible fire-fight. The war time collection of pictures was discovered by the photographer's son around the year 2000. Walter Kleinfeldt said, "This photograph is an accusation against war." One Jewish philosopher said, "If God lived on earth, all his windows would be broken." I would add — Pity the nations which prepare for war; pity the people who make money off of war; pity the people who use war as entertainment, pity the people who are indifferent to war so long as it happens somewhere else.

Kontakion 11

Across the cold chains of the centuries, I feel the warmth of your breath, I feel your blood pulsing in my veins. *Part of time has already gone, but now you are the present. I stand by your cross; we were the cause of it. I cast myself down in the dust before it. Here is the *triumph of love, the victory of salvation. Here the centuries themselves cannot remain silent, singing your praises: Alleluia!

Ikos 11

Blessed are they that will share in the King's *Banquet: but already on earth you give me a foretaste of this blessedness. How many times with your own hand have you held out to me your Body and your Blood, and I, though a miserable sinner, have received this Mystery, and have tasted your love, so *ineffable, so heavenly.

Glory to you, for the *unquenchable fire of your Grace.

Glory to you, building your Church, *a haven of peace in a tortured world.

Glory to you, for the life-giving water of Baptism in which we find new birth.

Glory to you, restoring to the penitent *purity white as the lily.

Glory to you, *for the cup of salvation and the bread of eternal joy.

Glory to you, for exalting us to the *highest heaven.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

*There are people who live in an old inner place — often a contentious place. I suffered a seven hour flight sitting next to a young woman from the South who when she heard I was from the Northeast went on and on about the Civil War. That war, still very much alive, in her mind anyway. And Byzantines who nurse the fury of the 13th century sack of Constantinople. Living in the past keeps God from acting in the present.

* "The triumph of love" — The cross!

* "Blessed are they who will share in the King's Banquet." Jesus often speaks of the Kingdom — the fullness of God's love and justice as a banquet. He knows it will find resonance with us — a fabulous feast. And that the Eucharist is the anticipatory foretaste of that celebration. 

* In the Eucharist we taste divine love. Notice the author's frequent use of the word ineffable. We are silent — overcome with joy and gratitude. Religion could do with more quiet. An Orthodox priest said, "Where there are many words sin cannot be avoided." Of course, lots of words gives us more to argue about.

* "unquenchable fire of your Grace." Notice it's not the unquenchable fire of hell, but Grace — God's free action-gift which brings us to human fullness. 

* The Church, "a haven of peace in a tortured world." Pray this is true. How many churches are distracted and disempowered by pettiness, contention and inhospitality.

* "purity white as the lily." Purity is so very much more than sexual purity. Blessed are the pure of heart, Jesus taught. 

* "cup of salvation and bread of eternal joy." The Eucharist.

* "the highest heaven." An old nun-friend asked where I wanted to be in heaven. I mused something about being next to a favorite saint. She said, "Not me; I want to be with the Seraphim — they are wheels of light in the highest heaven." 

Day 10 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ in the Advent Time

 Scroll back to November 29 for an introduction to this thirteen part prayer.

Kontakion 10

*No one can put together what has crumbled into dust but you can restore a conscience turned to ashes. You can restore to its former beauty a soul lost and without hope. With you, there is nothing that cannot be redeemed. You are love; you are Creator and Redeemer. We praise you, singing: Alleluia!

Ikos 10

Remember, my God, the fall of Lucifer full of pride, keep me safe with the power of your grace; save me from falling away from you. Save me from doubt. Incline my heart to hear your mysterious voice every moment of my life. *Incline my heart to call upon you, present in everything.

Glory to you, for every happening,

   every condition your *providence has put me in.

Glory to you, for what you say to me *in my heart.

Glory to  you, for what you reveal to me, *asleep or awake.

Glory to you, for scattering our vain imaginations.

Glory to you, for raising us from the *slough of our passions through suffering.

Glory to you, for curing our pride of heart by *humiliation.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

*Are there bad people? I'm tempted to say yes, but only God knows for sure. More importantly, if we read this Kontakion 10 and accept it — "You can restore to its former beauty a soul lost and without hope,"  then how is it that so many Christians ardently believe in capital punishment? Maybe we need to look again. It seems to me that conversion (inner repair and turning) of even great offenders should be our specialty. 

* "incline my heart" — Hear the 3rd verse of Robert Herrick's 17th c poem "What Sweeter Music"

We see him come, and know him ours

Who, with his sunshine and his showers,

Turns all the patient ground to flowers.

The darling of the world is come,

And fit it is, we find a room

To welcome him. The nobler part

Of all the house here, is the heart.

* "providence" — God takes care.

* "in my heart" — not the classroom, not the courtroom, not the conference room — but the heart. One can spend an entire lifetime in religion and never explore or cultivate one's heart.

* "asleep or awake." St. Joseph understood God's purposes through a dream.

* "slough of our passions" — the shedding or peeling off of passions. 

* "pride of heart through humiliations." God can help us to get a right sense of ourselves; enable us to come back-down-to-earth about ourselves. But God doesn't degrade us. Humiliation as degradation simply isn't Christian. 

Day 9 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ in the Advent Time

Sagrada Familia Interior ~ Barcelona

For an introduction to this thirteen part prayer scroll back to November 29.

Kontakion 9

Why is it that on a Feast Day the whole of nature mysteriously smiles? Why is it that then a heavenly gladness fills our hearts; a gladness far beyond that of earth and the very air in church and in the altar becomes luminous? It is the breath of your gracious love. It is the reflection of the glory of Mount Tabor. Then do heaven and earth sing your praise: Alleluia!

Ikos 9

When you called me to serve my brothers and sisters and filled my soul with humility, one of your deep, piercing rays shone into my heart; it became luminous, full of light like iron glowing in the furnace. I have seen your face, the face of mystery and of unapproachable glory.

Glory to you, transfiguring our lives with deeds of love.

Glory to you, making wonderfully sweet the keeping of *your commandments.

Glory to you, making yourself known where  people show mercy to their neighbor.

Glory to you, *sending us failure and misfortune that we may understand the sorrows of others.

Glory to you, rewarding us so well for the good we do.

Glory to you, welcoming the impulse of our heart's love.

Glory to you, raising to the heights of heaven every act of love in earth and sky.

Glory to you, O God from age to age. 

* "sweet keeping of your commandments" — But which of the many hundreds? The two Jesus put together to form one: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul. And love your neighbor as yourself." 

* "sending us failure and misfortune." Does God really do that? I don't think so, but we'll leave the wrangling to the theologians. But failure and misfortune show us that we are much stronger than we think we are. They show us "what we're made of."  Suffering enables us to stand in a felt solidarity with other human beings who suffer as well — if even faraway.

Intercessions ~ Fourth Sunday in Advent

 

We pray for those who died in the recent tornados that tore through Kentucky,/ Missouri,/ Mississippi,/ Arkansas,/ Tennessee and Illinois,/ for those who mourn friends,/ colleagues and family,/ for those who have lost everything,/ for those who are helping./ We ask for gifts of courage and hope./ We pray to the Lord.

Bless the pilgrims who will celebrate Christmas with Pope Francis in Rome./ May his message of peace inspire world leaders to set out in new directions of dialogue and solidarity./ We pray to the Lord. 

In the Advent-Christmas time/ preserve us in our allegiance to Christ,/ may we not be lost to grievance and complaint,/ consumed with fear and false loyalties to money,/ personality-cult,/ the denials of the day,/ hoarding,/ entitlement and panic./ May Christ/ the "Wonderful Counsellor" be our truth./ We pray to the Lord.

As we light the fourth Advent candle,/ we approach the days of the longest darkness./ We pray for those who live in the deep shadow of substance abuse,/ domestic violence and failed parenting,/ gang violence,/ racist hatred,/ desperation and depression,/ punitive imprisonment or slavery./ May they know freedom,/ light and human wholeness./ We pray to the Lord.

Christmas nears — we pray for the people who first introduced us to Jesus and his Mother,/ for those who have taught,/ rescued or helped us in any way throughout the years./ May those who are lonely or marginalized this time of year/ know companionship,/ love and affirmation./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for congregations around the world preparing to celebrate Christmas/ and to hear again the story of Christ's birth./ May we treasure the planet God has come to visit,/ and learn Christ's way of generosity,/ humility,/ kindness and love./ We pray to the Lord.

Day 8 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ in the Advent Time

 

Scroll back to November 29 for an introduction to this 13 part prayer.

Kontakion 8

How near you are in the day of sickness. You yourself visit the sick; you yourself bend over the sufferer's bed. Their hearts speak to you. In the throes of sorrow and suffering you bring peace and unexpected consolation. You are the comforter. You are the love which watches over and heals us. To you we sing the song: Alleluia!

Ikos 8

*When in childhood I called upon you consciously for the first time, you heard my prayer, and you filled my heart with the blessing of peace. At that moment I knew your goodness and knew how blessed are those who turn to you. I started to call upon you night and day; and now even now I call upon your name.

Glory to you, satisfying my desire with good things.

Glory to you, watching over me day and night.

Glory to you, curing affliction and emptiness with the healing flow of time.

Glory to you, no loss is irreparable in you, giver of eternal life to all.

Glory to you, making immortal all that is lofty and good.

Glory to you, promising us the longed-for meeting with our loved ones who have died.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

* Do you remember your first conscious prayer — not a prayer you'd memorized and rattled off to get through it, but which came from a deeply felt place. Not simply the night time, "God bless..." litany, but from an inner place of wonder, gratitude, light and belief.

Day 7 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ In the Advent Time

 

Scroll back to November 29 for an introduction to this 13 day prayer.

Kontakion 7

In the wondrous blending of sounds it is your call we hear; in the harmony of many voices, in the sublime beauty of music, in the glory of the works of great composers: you lead us to the threshold of paradise to come, and to the choirs of angels. All true beauty has the power to draw the soul towards you, and to make it sing in ecstasy: Alleluia!

Ikos 7

The breath of your Holy Spirit inspires artists, poets and scientists. The power of your supreme knowledge makes them prophets and interpreters of your laws, who reveal the depths of your creative wisdom. Their works speak unwittingly of you. How great you are in your creation! How great you are in humankind!

Glory to you, showing your unsurpassable power in the laws of the universe.

Glory to you, for *all nature is filled with your laws.

Glory to you, for what you have revealed to us in your mercy.

Glory to you, for what you have hidden from us in your wisdom.

Glory to you, for the inventiveness of the human mind.

Glory to you, for the *dignity of human labor.

Glory to you, for the *tongues of fire that bring inspiration.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age. 

* "all nature is filled with your laws" — Science and Theology are a wonderful coming together. God's existence is in no way denied.

* "The dignity of human labor." — Do I ever think of the back breaking labor of those who pick the strawberries on my table, who harvested the coffee beans, who cleans the hospital emergency room, who scrubs the public toilets?

* "tongues of fire that bring inspiration" — The voices of challenge and change that en-spirit us. I'm concerned for Christians who say, "I hate change." I wonder if they are obstructing the movement of God's Holy Spirit.

Day 6 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ In the Advent Time

 

Scroll back to November 29 for an introduction to this 13 part prayer.

Kontakion 6

How great and how close you are in the powerful track of the storm! How mighty your right arm in the blinding flash of the lightning! How awesome your majesty! The voice of the Lord fills the fields, it speaks in the rustling of the trees. The voice of the Lord is in the thunder and the downpour. The voice of the Lord is heard above the waters. Praise be to you in the roar of *mountains ablaze. You shake the earth like a garment; you pile up to the sky the waves of the sea. Praise be to you, bringing low the pride of humankind. You bring from our hearts a cry of *penitence: Alleluia!

Ikos 6 

*When the lighting flash has lit up the camp dining hall, how feeble seems the light from the lamp. You, like the lightning, unexpectedly light up my heart with flashes of intense joy. After your blinding light, how drab, how colorless, how *illusory all else seems. My soul clings to you.

Glory to you, the highest peak of  our dreaming.

Glory to you, for our unquenchable thirst for communion with God.

Glory to you, making us dissatisfied with earthly things.

Glory to you, turning on us your *healing rays.

Glory to you, subduing the power of the spirits of darkness

  and dooming to death every evil.

Glory to you, for the *signs of your presence,

  for the joy of hearing your voice and living in your love.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age. 

* "mountains ablaze" — Is the author thinking of the Autumn colors?

* "penitence" — Our inner turning, turning, turning — but gradually, like the ripening of fruit.

* What dining hall? Could Father Petroff have added this thought as he lived in a concentration camp? In another translation, the lights from the fence around the camp remind him of  the oil lamps burning before the icons on the walls of the church.

* "how illusory all else seems" — How transitory.

* "healing rays" — How do I experience this?

* "signs of your presence" — Do I detect them?

Intercessions ~ Third Advent

 

Hellebore ~ Christmas Rose (Buttercup, not Rose family)

Saint Hildegard of Bingen wrote:/ "Rivers of living water are to be poured out over the whole world, to ensure that people can be restored to wholeness."/ We ask for the patience,/ strength,/ courage and resolve we need./ We pray to the Lord.

Speaking to refugees and migrants,/ during a visit to the Greek island of Lesbos,/ Pope Francis recalled the words of Patriarch Bartholomew,/ "Those who are afraid of you have not looked into your eyes,/ they have not seen your faces,/ not seen your children./ They have forgotten that dignity and freedom transcend fear and division./ They have forgotten that migration is not an issue for the Middle East and North Africa/ for Europe and Greece./ It is an issue for the world."/  May the world not look the other way./ We pray to the Lord.

Recently four young people were shot dead in yet another high school shooting,/ others were wounded./ We pray for their traumatized classmates/ and all who are grieving./ We pray for those in our country who don't feel the seriousness of this other epidemic — so many hundreds of young people dying by gun violence./ May God heal our nation and cover our shame./ We pray to the Lord.

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,/ the Virgin Mary appearing in 1531 to Juan Diego/ a conquered and reduced man./ We pray for the homeless,/ the exploited,/ sex-trafficked and enslaved persons/ those who are lonely,/ sick,/ dismissed and ignored./ We pray to the Lord.

The liturgical color of this Sunday is rose,/ a color taken from the dawn sky./ As we anticipate Christmas,/ may we eschew greed,/ materialism,/ selfishness and superficiality./ May we understand and practice in some new way the saying we often hear,/ Keep Christ in Christmas./ We pray to the Lord.

Day 5 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ in the Advent Time

 Scroll back to November 29 for an introduction to this thirteen part prayer.

Kontakion 5

The dark storm clouds of life bring no terror to those in whose hearts your fire is burning brightly. *Outside is the darkness of the whirlwind, the terror and howling of the storm, but in the heart, in the presence of Christ, there is light and peace, silence: Alleluia!

Ikos 5

I see your heavens resplendent with stars. How glorious you are radiant with light! Eternity watches me by the rays of the distant stars. I am small, insignificant, but the Lord is at my side. Your right arm guides me wherever I go.

Glory to you, ceaselessly watching over me.

Glory to you,  for the encounters you arrange for me.

Glory to you, for the love of parents, for the faithfulness of friends.

Glory to you, for the humbleness of the animals which serve me.

Glory to you, for the unforgettable moments of life.

Glory to you, for the heart's innocent joy.

Glory to you, for the joy of living,

  moving and being able to return your love.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

* "Outside the darkness of the whirlwind...the terror and howling storm..." He's likely not giving a weather report but a metaphor for the deportation, arrests, theft, imprisonment and murder of his day. Then, "...but in the heart...."

* "the unforgettable moments of life" — May we take some moments to recount them!

Day 4 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving in the Advent Time

 

Scroll back to November 29 for an introduction to this 13 part prayer.

Kontakion 4

How filled with sweetness are those whose thoughts dwell on you; how life-giving your holy Word. To speak with you is more soothing than anointing with oil; sweeter than the honeycomb. To  pray to you lifts the spirit, refreshes the soul. Where you are not, there is only emptiness; hearts are smitten with sadness; nature, and life itself, become sorrowful; where you are, the soul is filled with abundance, and its song resounds like a torrent of life. Alleluia!

Ikos 4

*When the sun is setting, when quietness falls like the peace of eternal sleep, and the silence of the spent day reigns, then in the splendor of its declining rays, filtering through the clouds, I see your dwelling-place: fiery and purple, gold and blue, they speak prophet-like of the ineffable beauty of your presence, and call to us in their majesty. We turn to the Father.

*Glory to you, at the hushed hour of nightfall;

  glory to you, covering the earth with peace.

Glory to you, for the last ray of the sun as it sets;

  glory to you, for sleep's repose that restores us.

Glory to you, for your goodness even in the darkness

  when all the world is hidden from our eyes.

Glory to you, for the prayers offered by a trembling soul.

Glory to you, for the pledge of our reawakening.

  on that glorious last day, that day which has no evening.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

* When I was a young priest I had dinner in a waterfront restaurant with a large outdoor deck filled with a happy but somewhat boozy crowd. As the sun sank down into the western waters and the sky was filled with brilliant colors, everyone stopped talking, watched and applauded. I imagine if we were stone sober, attentive and awake, we could spend the whole day applauding. Unless of course, we had to spend the day going round and round in a treeless parking lot, or up and down in a dark, cement garage.

* We may recall that Bishop Tryphon who composed this prayer, lived in the Soviet Union and the priest-martyr, Gregory Petroff, prayed this prayer imprisoned in a concentration camp.

Day 3 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ In the Advent Time

Click here to to listen to the Nightingale's song.

For an introduction to this thirteen part prayer cycle, scroll back to November 29.

Kontakion 3

It is the Holy Spirit who makes us find joy in each flower, the exquisite scent, the delicate color, the beauty of the Most High in the *tiniest of things. Glory and honor to the Spirit, the Giver of Life, who covers the fields with their carpet of flowers, crowns the harvest with gold, and gives to us the joy of gazing at it with our eyes. O be joyful and sing to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

How glorious are you in the springtime, when every creature awakes to new life and joyfully sings your praises with *a thousand tongues. You are the Source of life, the Destroyer of Death. By the light of the moon, nightingales sing, and the valleys and hills lie like *wedding garments, white as snow. All the earth is your promised bride awaiting her spotless husband. If the grass of the field is like this, how gloriously shall we be transfigured in the Second Coming after the Resurrection! How splendid our bodies, how spotless our souls!

Glory to you, bringing from the depth of the earth an *endless variety of colors, tastes and scents.

Glory to you, for the warmth and tenderness of the world of nature.

Glory to you, for the *numberless creatures around us.

Glory to you, for the depths of your *wisdom, the whole world a living sign of it.

Glory to you, on my needs, I kiss the *traces of your unseen hand.

Glory to you, enlightening us with the clearness of eternal life.

Glory to you, for the hope of the *unutterable, imperishable beauty of immortality.

Glory to you, O God, from *age to age.

* "tiniest of things" — Do I notice?

* "a thousand tongues" — Frogs and birds too!

* "like wedding garments" — God's relationship with us is marital.

* "an endless variety of colors, tastes and scents." Yes, but there are neighborhoods in our country where nothing fresh to eat can be had. They are called food deserts.

* "numberless creatures around us" — Our pets, yes, but also the earth's great creatures. 90% of the world's elephants are gone. Leaving our grandchildren a world without elephants — what a very sad thought.

*  God's "wisdom" — What does God know? 

* "the traces of your unseen hand" — HOLY is everywhere, not just in church. St. Benedict writes to his monks: "Treat the garden tools as you would treat the chalice on the altar." 

* "unutterable" — Before God's promises our words are useless. Our ultimate response to the divine is silence. But religion can be very wordy. St. Kateri prayed with a her eyes. St. Therese of Lisieux prayed with a sigh.

* "from age to age" — from beginning to end - but that includes this day, this hour, this moment.

Intercessions ~ Second Advent

At the start of December we pray for those  who celebrate birthdays,/ anniversaries and other days of remembrance./ We pray for the safety of holiday travelers and for the peace and wellbeing of family and friends./ We pray to the Lord.

Advent is a time of waiting/ waiting for the Lord's return,/ waiting to celebrate another Christmas./ We pray for those who wait for the baby to be born,/ who wait for the war to end,/ who wait to find a new welcoming home,/ who wait for sobriety,/ who wait for test results or a cure,/ who wait for the return of a loved one./ We pray to the Lord.

Tuesday is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day./ We pray for the 2400 men and women who died that day,/ and ask for a new willingness to enter honest, peace-creating dialogues./ May we do this for the world's children./ We pray to the Lord. 

Wednesday is the feast of the Immaculate Conception./ Like Mary, may we create an atmosphere of love around Jesus,/ rejecting the tendencies we can so easily follow:/ greed and indifference,/ the demonizing of others,/ making ourselves the norm that all should embrace./ We pray to the Lord. 

We pray for Pope Francis as he completes his visit to Cyprus and Greece./ We pray for the 31 refugees who drown this week when their boat capsized in the English Channel between France and Great Britain./ May those who are fleeing in desperation,/ our sisters and brothers,/ find hospitality not hostility./  We pray to the Lord.

God of forests and fields,/ oceans and rivers/ and all the living things,/ grow us up spiritually,/ that we would not expect you to save our planet,/ but that we would have the resolve to nurture what you have lovingly created./  We pray to the Lord.

There was yet another high school shooting this week/ leaving four teenagers dead and seven injured./ May God forgive our gun idolatry./ May God console,/ bless,/ strengthen,/ heal and convert our nation/ weakened and demoralized by murderous violence./ We pray to the Lord.

fsd

Day 2 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ In the Advent Time

For an introduction to this thirteen part series, scroll back to the post of November 29. 

Kontakion 2

O Lord, how lovely it is to be your *guest. Breeze full of scents; mountains reaching to the skies; waters like boundless mirrors, reflecting the sun's golden rays and the *scudding clouds. All nature murmurs *mysteriously, breathing the depth of tenderness. Birds and beasts of the forest *bear the imprint of your love. Blessed are you, mother earth, in your fleeting loveliness, which wakens our yearning for happiness that will last for ever, in the land where, amid beauty that grows not old, the cry rings out: *Alleluia!

Ikos 2

You have brought me into life as into an enchanted paradise. We have seen the sky like a chalice of deepest blue, where in the azure heights *the birds are singing. We have listened to the soothing murmur of the forest and the melodious music of the streams. We have tasted fruit of fine flavor and the sweet-scented honey. *We can live very well on your earth. It is a pleasure to be your guest.

Glory to you for the *Feast Day of life

Glory to you for the perfume of lilies and roses

Glory to you for each different taste of berry and fruit

Glory to you for the sparkling silver of early morning dew

Glory to you for the joy of dawn's awakening

Glory to you for the new life each day brings

Glory to you, O God, from age to age. 

* "...to be your guest." As if God has personally invited us into his creation.

* "scudding clouds" - rushing clouds.

* "nature murmurs mysteriously" - for the Christian, God so close we may miss it.

* Nature bears the imprint of God's love. How then do we allow anything to go extinct?

* Alleluia! Sounds like a baby's babbling. We are speechless before God's wonders.

* "the birds are singing." But if we spray the insects into oblivion the birds will disappear.

* "we can live very well on your earth." Yes, but the 5 poorest counties in the United States;       are inhabited by the remnants of the continent's indigenous tribes — exploited and                 pushed to desperation. How does that happen in the country which claims to be the                 richest? 

*  "Feast Day of life." When I am awake I see that every day is a feast day.

Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ In the Advent Time

 

An Akathist is a standing prayer which comes to us as a gift of the Eastern Christian churches.  The most celebrated of the many Akathists is that in honor of the Mother of God. For some time I've been eager to share with us the Akathist of Thanksgiving: Glory to God For All Things. I see that between now and Christmas we can pray each of the thirteen parts which comprise the prayer. 

There are two parts to each section — the Kontakion and Ikos are short sermon like paragraphs, the Ikos followed by 8 poem like lines. Said to be the only word we know from the angel lexicon, Alleluia ends most of the Ikos prayers.  While I'll continue to post the Sunday Intercessions each Thursday, the Akathist parts will be posted 11/30, 12/5, 12/6, 12/7, 12/12, 12/13, 12/14, 12/19, 12/20/ 12/21, 12/22 and 12/13.  After each section I'll add a few thoughts (marked with an asterik *) which may help us to enter the prayer more deeply.

The Akathist of Thanksgiving was composed by Metropolitan Tryphon of Turkestan (+1934). The prayer was found in the papers of the Priest-Martyr Gregory Petroff who died in a concentration camp in 1942. Both priests understood suffering which makes the prayer's themes and insights all the more remarkable. Our day has its own suffering. May I suggest bringing that awareness to the prayer.

Kontakion 1

Everlasting King, your will for our salvation is full of power. Your right arm controls the whole course of human life. We give you thanks for all your mercies, seen and unseen. For eternal life, for the heavenly joys of the Kingdom which is to be. Grant mercy to us who sing your praise, both now and in the time to come. Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

Ikos 1

I was born a *weak, defenseless child, but your angel spread his wings over my cradle to defend me. From birth until now your love has illumined my path, and has wondrously guided me towards the light of eternity; from birth until now the generous gifts of your *providence have been marvelously showered  upon me. I give you thanks, with *all who have come to know you, who call upon your name.

Glory to you for *calling me into being

Glory to you showing me the beauty of the universe

Glory to you, spreading out before me heaven and earth

   *like the pages in a book of eternal wisdom

Glory to you for your eternity in this *fleeting world

Glory to you for your *mercies, seen and unseen

Glory to you through every *sigh of my sorrow

Glory to you for *every step of my life's journey

   for every moment of glory

Glory to you, O God from age to age.

* I am always God's child — not only when I am in my infancy.

* God's providence — God's open hands.

* "all who have come to know you" — the prayer is communal.

* "calling me into being" suggests God's naming me — it matters to God that I exist.

* "like the pages in a book" — nature is God's first book.

* "fleeting world" — beauty and joy are partial and last only a short time — might 

        God be beauty and joy which lasts forever?

*  God's mercies — God's kindness.

*  sighs and tears?

* "every step of life's journey" — some steps are setbacks, mistaken, 

        damage along the way.

Torah Scroll Survival

 

Torah Scrolls found in Jewish Synagogues contain the biblical Five Books of Moses. The scrolls in the photograph here are survivors of the Holocaust. On the night of November 9, 1938, Dr. Seligmann Barberger, a Chemistry Professor, rescued these scrolls from his synagogue in Bornplatz, Germany. That night is called Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass) — the first large scale organized physical attack on the Jewish community by the Nazis all across Germany. Hundreds of stores, homes and synagogues were attacked, looted, burned and destroyed. More than 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps that night. 

Dr. Barberger, aware of what was happening that night, left his apartment to save the Torah Scrolls. He then went into hiding for several weeks and began the arduous and secreted plan to leave Germany. Finally, having made their way to Italy, the family was able to sail to the United States in March of 1940. All of the family and friends left behind died as did many of Dr. Barberger's Jewish students. 

The family first settled in Washington Heights, then Upper Manhattan and finally to Patchogue, Long Island. Years later, Joseph, Dr. Bargerger's son, who was ten years old on Kristallnacht, said that the most important thing carried in their suitcases were the rescued Torah Scrolls. These were used in the small synagogue they belonged to here and are now seen in a Jewish Heritage Museum.

Joseph testifies that the scrolls were responsible for Dr. Barberger's being saved that night. We might all have some personal story of survival. I needn't  compare or contrast my story to any other — only recall and give thanks during these first days of  another liturgical year. 

But why don't we all survive our ordeal? No one can answer that. What matters is this: "What does my survival signify or mean for my life today? Why did I survive cancer, domestic violence, sex abuse, bankruptcy, near drowning, accident, depression, crippling addiction, some kind of rejection or exile?"  That's a life-question worth pondering. For some reason or other we often avoid "why" questions.