O God Beyond All Praising

It is overcast and damp this June morning after last night's rain. The road at the start of this little video is an old railroad bed that used to connect the small villages in this far north-east corner of Pennsylvania. The train tracks were taken up in the 1960's leaving behind a wide path for walking and bicycle riding. Native flowers (never say weeds) grow along the way. Here are some of those green things accompanied by a very fine hymn, O God, Beyond All Praising, expressing gratitude for every gift you send.

Intercessions ~ Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

The purpose of our lives on earth is union with God./ We ask for a renewal of faith which recognizes this God-intimacy in the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ/ under the veil of bread and wine./ We pray to the Lord.

On this Feast of Corpus Christi/ we remember Jesus chose to stay with us as food./ We pray for those who have inadequate or no food - especially children./ And the privileged world to stop wasting food./ We pray to the Lord.

As the Body of Christ we ask for an increase of love which forgives,/ heals/ and invites others to the recognition of God's love shared with the world in Jesus Christ./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for the safety of summer travelers and vacationers./ We ask for these months to be a time of restoration and renewal/ mindful of those who get no time away./We pray to the Lord.

Next Saturday is the June-feast of Saint Anthony of Padua - patron of lost things./ We ask Anthony to help us find Jesus where we have lost him to bitterness and fears./ And for the Church/ where it loses its Christ-center in defensiveness,/ exclusion,/ and power claims./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for the conversion of hearts where there is injustice,/ indifference,/ lies,/ selfish neglect and fear./ And that we would find Christ this week/ in the surprise of some new way of thinking./ We pray to the Lord.

For those who are chronically sick,/ pained and weak./ For those who care for the sick,/ the immigrant and the needy./ For the soul-repose of those who have died/ asking for them gifts of joy and light./ We pray to the Lord.

"Simon, do you love me?"

Before the end of the Easter Season, the lectionary offered this Resurrection Gospel. Oh, let's not ignore it, but run to it and its meaning for our living. How the world needs to heed it!

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you," Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time "Do you love me? and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you  and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this he said to him, "Follow me."  (John 21:15-19)

After their satisfying morning breakfast, Jesus got down to business, setting out to repair the damage done by Peter's denial of even knowing him the night of Jesus' arrest. Jesus asked about Peter's love three times to drive home the point gently: Peter had denied Jesus as many times. But rather than give a speech, Jesus gave Peter new tasks. In short: Take care of the others.

But let us get right to the heart of it: Jesus asks for love. He asks for love still. It is to this country's great shame that we refused love to the Natives who lived here so long before Europe's ships arrived and refused love again to the enslaved brought here by force from Africa. "Do you love me" is the universal and perennial question. It is bigger than human life.

The tiny uterine voice asks, Do you love me?

Civilians beneath the drone and rocket attacks ask, Do you love me?

The war-damaged ask, Do you love me?

The poorly parented teen asks, Do you love me?

In a dry marriage someone asks, Do you love me?

In every classroom at least one child asks, Do you love me?

The homosexual asks, Do you love me?

Priests ask their bishops, Do you love me?

Muslims and Christians ask their clerics, Do you love me?

Around the world the children ask the adults, Do you love me?

The elderly left behind ask, Do you love me?

The underpaid ask, Do you love me?

The mentally and physically challenged ask, Do you love me?

Border-crossing and shoreline immigrants ask, Do you love me?

The forests, the mountains, the oceans - indeed the planet asks, Do   you love me?