Intercessions ~ Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

September Begins the Monarch Migration

We ask for the health,/ safety and well-being of Pope Francis/ as he travels widely in humility and peace./ May we extend his message of reconciliation and healing./ We pray to the Lord.

For the President of the United States,/ our Congress and those in leadership around the world./ May they be stable,/ principled,/ soulful people,/ of sound disposition and wise in their judgments./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for the Caribbean island-nation of the Bahamas,/ now a waste land after Hurricane Dorian,/ Fifty dead have been recovered./ Fifteen hundred are missing./ Many were perhaps swept out to sea./ Seventy thousand are homeless./ For those suffering fear, pain and loss./ We pray to the Lord.

This past Wednesday marked the events of September 11, 2001./ We pray for the inner healing of so many friends and family who lost loved ones that day,/ and for the health of 9/11 first responders and helpers./ For a peaceful world./ We pray to the Lord.

Jesus didn't just tolerate the people who came from other places,/ but he loved them./ May we learn his lesson well/ around the world/ where bitter expressions of xenophobia are on the rise./ We pray to the Lord.

Each September,/ great migrations of birds and other animals begin in our hemisphere./ May we know and treasure the movements and mysteries of our planet-home./ We pray to the Lord.

The Little Scroll - Is There A Message For Us?

This icon is titled simply "Virgin and Child," While painted in the Byzantine style, we also observe the strong Italian (Venetian) influence of the late 14th century.  The Mother of God holds the Christ in her left arm, while touching him with her right hand. Looking at us with his full frontal and piercing gaze, he sees us as he holds his mantle close with his own right hand. His left hand holds an open scroll - is there a message for us? 

Mary has a second veil under her enveloping maphorion. The initials M and D appear in roundels top left and right. These stand for the Latin words Mater Dei - Mother of God. The Greek initials over Christ's nimbus IC XC, stand for Jesus Christ. The three stars on the top of Mary's head and her left and right shoulders signify her virginity, before, during and after the birth of her Son. 

"Do everything you can to get Christ into your life, there is everything to take him away."  

Christ in my breathing. 

Christ in my thinking. 

Christ in my feeling. 

Christ in my deciding. 

Christ in my choosing. 

Christ in my doing.

Christ in my perceiving. 

Christ in my relating.

Christ in my politics (Really!?)

Christ in my valuing.
Christ in my prioritizing.
Christ in my venturing.

May We Discover Our Smile Again

A great deal is found online about the American proclivity for smiling. We are said to be the most smiling people on the planet. Indeed, smiley Americans can make the rest of the world suspicious and uncomfortable. Walmart, trying to start up in Germany, had to give up trying to get their German employees to smile.

But one report says that while there are 19 ways to smile, only 6 are the result of happiness. A smirk is not a real smile. It's also said that many millennials don't smile much because they are insecure about their less than perfect teeth. The TV commercials suggest we smile constantly, but is it because we've just succeeded in driving the new high-end car to the top of the mountain, or found the perfect lover online, or discovered a wonder diet, or had all the food in the world delivered right to our door? Pretty shallow stuff, that.

Another source suggests that years ago Americans smiled something like fifty times a day while now we smile less than twenty times a day. Perhaps the news of the day could have something to do with that smile decrease.

At the top of this post is the Angel City Chorale singing the 1982 song, Africa. The first part of the performance is wonderfully created by palm rubbing, finger snapping, lap slapping, foot stomping. Open up to full screen, turn the volume up and watch closely. You might want to hear/see it a second or third time. 

But what's struck me, beyond the delight of the song itself, is the smiling joy of the chorale members. The happiness seems very fresh. And here's my prayer to accompany the song-video.

O God, may we find our smile again -

genuine and shared smiles,
bust out, bright smiles,
shoulder to shoulder,
moving,
clapping,
rocking-rolling,
happy-to-meet-you,
to see you,
to know you,
to be with you, 
smiles.