Intercessions ~ Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Enitrean Orthodox Icon ~  Mother of God

We ask that our Mass-prayer would reach into the farthest and deepest places of human suffering/ where people are lost,/ disappeared,/ imprisoned,/ trapped or threatened by the abuses of power./ We pray to the Lord.

As we enter an election season/ we pray for our nation,/ asking for the healing of polarization,/ dishonesty and bitterness./ We pray to the Lord.

In Respect Life Month/ we pray in solidarity with the poor,/ the elderly,/ the baby in the womb and those who live in lands of conflict and war./ For the softening of human hearts./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for Pope Francis as the time of synod comes to a close in Rome./ We ask blessings for him of health,/ safety and courage./ We pray to the Lord.

This Monday is the Feast of Saint Paul of the Cross who generously served the sick-poor in 17th century Northern Italy./ We pray for those who care for the sick all around the world/ mindful of the great suffering of Ebola victims/ especially in West Africa./ We pray to the Lord.

We ask God to heal and bless our own families/ and families throughout the world/ in all their need and diversity./ And for persons without family or friend/ who suffer in anxiety and loneliness./ We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased persons we have known and loved over the years/ and for all the departed,/ we ask the fullness of life in the joy of God's mercy./ We pray to the Lord.

His Holy and Venerable Hands

Detail Jairus' Daughter Raised ~ Gabriel von Max

AT THE CONSECRATION of the bread and wine in the First Eucharistic Prayer (also called The Roman Canon) at Mass,  the hands of Jesus are described as holy and venerable.

On the night before he was to suffer he took bread in his holy and venerable hands...

In a similar way when supper was ended, he took this precious chalice in his holy and venerable hands.

That the little phrase of five words appearing twice within moments of each other, suggests we might be be sure to pay attention to the hands of Jesus. They are called holy hands because they are God's hands, reaching into our troubled and burdened world.

We don't use the word venerable often. The word's Latin origin means commanding respect and admiration because of an impressive dignity or noble character.What a lovely thought: the holy and venerable hands of Jesus. We might consider in silence the painting detail above taken from a larger image of Jesus raising the daughter of Jairus.

There are dozens of references to the hands of Jesus in the Gospels. Here are some verses from Matthew alone which might invite us to  deep meditations and joy:

Suddenly a man with a virulent skin-disease came up and bowed low in front of Jesus saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me." Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him saying, "I am willing. Be cleansed." And his skin-disease was cleansed at once. (8:2,3) 

And going into Peter's house Jesus found Peter's mother-in-law in bed and feverish. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. (8:14,15) 

When Jesus reached the official's house and saw the flute-players, with the crowd making a commotion, he said, "Get out of here; the little girl is not dead; she is asleep." And they ridiculed him.  But when the people had been turned out he went inside and took her by the hand; and she stood up. (9:23-26) 

Then Jesus instructed  the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks he broke them and began handing them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. (15:36)

At the Transfiguration of Jesus in brilliant light, Peter, James and John fell down on their faces. Saint Matthew tells us: But Jesus came up and touched them, saying, "Stand up, do not be afraid." And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Jesus. (17:7,8)

Now there were two blind men sitting at the side of the road...Jesus felt pity for them and touched their eyes, and at once their sight returned and they followed him. (20: 30,34)

His Holy and Venerable Hands

Pomegranate Harvest

THE BEST POMEGRANATES are said to grow in Afghanistan, where today exports are increasing and opium production is decreasing as the fruit becomes globally more popular. We should be glad. 

Now is the time of the pomegranate harvest in Afghanistan. And as the fruit has been cultivated since the earliest days of civilization, it is symbolically rich. In other words, human beings have had a long time to think about the deeper significance or meaning of the tree and its fruit. Here considering some of the characteristics of the pomegranate and then, perhaps like a Rorschach test, what immediately comes to mind.

The only fruit worms do not eat or corrupt: Asking God to heal humankind of our own very deep corruption and loss.

When the roots of the pomegranate tree are separated, they always twist together again: Many roots insisting on unity. Human beings might try that for real - not for any gain, agenda or national interest, but simply for the sake of friendship.

One of the most juicy fruits found anywhere: It is said to be an original paradise plant, inviting us to consider the gifts of air, soil, water, the plants and animals.

It supplies a red dye from red seeds: prayers for the Ebola-stricken countries of Africa where sufferers bleed out shortly before death.

King Solomon had an enclosed garden of these trees: We each carry an inner enclosed garden - a place of intimacy with the God of life.

Pomegranates are the biblical symbol of abundance: The spiritual life is gratitude for the abundance surrounding us and the call to give ourselves in a like abundance.

Pomegranates symbolize the Christian attributes of the fertile Virgin: Mary! But perhaps also an inner gift untapped or un-expressed or that inner psychological place still held in reserve - waiting to open up to growth.

Sanctity ~ Holiness: The sign of sanctity is our personal evolution or changing, even in our psychology. That we would allow God to grow us up!

In the ancient Hebrew Temple of Jerusalem, the High Priest wore a vestment which had sewn decorative pomegranates of blue, purple, scarlet around the hem and small golden bells to scare away the demons at the temple threshold: That there are negative forces or energies that want us undone or taken down personally from the things of God and full human living. We need to be aware and protective of ourselves spiritually. 

Pomegranates are a symbol of the Church and God's spiritual gifts: The Church is the friends of Jesus gathered around him in the obedience of faith and love - working with Jesus to establish and extend God's Kingdom-Rule.

The Pomegranate tree possesses brilliant flowers without fragrance: We often approach a flower that has gotten our attention only to be disappointed to discover it has no fragrance. Why is it so often that we live in disappointment - that we feel it is never enough?

Sometimes the pomegranate is said to be the fruit of the tree of knowledge: The Genesis story tells us that our original downfall was/is our desire for knowledge and power. It seems we have an inability to let God be God.

The top of the pomegranate fruit is surrounded by rising parts that resemble a crown. The perfect kingdom: We create kingdoms, empires, realms, caliphates. Some pastors are kingdom builders. The Jesuit Fathers have as their motto: "To the Greater Glory of God."

With the fruit burst open, the pomegranate is called a symbol of concord, truth and frankness: These would be the character traits needed of world leaders who might someday set out to create a world of peace where families and orchards can grow and the planet heal of war.