Pray share chat Annunciation

 

1.  meditation

10 Minute Guided Meditation ~ Taking The Right Path - YouTube

https://youtu.be/Wu7ECD4xY4o

2.  Song

Gabriel’s message

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CSiEeFhXsLQ

3.  Narrative

Annunciation

Selected by Debie Thomas. Posted 13 December 2020.

Denise Levertov

Annunciation

We know the scene: the room, variously furnished,

almost always a lectern, a book; always
the tall lily.
Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings,
the angelic ambassador, standing or hovering,
whom she acknowledges, a guest.

But we are told of meek obedience. No one mentions
courage.
The engendering Spirit
did not enter her without consent.
God waited.

She was free
to accept or to refuse, choice
integral to humanness.

____________________________

Aren’t there annunciations
of one sort or another
in most lives?
Some unwillingly
undertake great destinies,
enact them in sullen pride,
uncomprehending.
More often
those moments
when roads of light and storm
open from darkness in a man or woman,
are turned away from
in dread, in a wave of weakness, in despair
and with relief.
Ordinary lives continue.
God does not smite them.
But the gates close, the pathway vanishes.

______________________________

She had been a child who played, ate, slept
like any other child – but unlike others,
wept only for pity, laughed
in joy not triumph.
Compassion and intelligence
fused in her, indivisible.

Called to a destiny more momentous
than any in all of Time,
she did not quail,
only asked
a simple, ‘How can this be?’
and gravely, courteously,
took to heart the angel’s reply,
perceiving instantly
the astounding ministry she was offered:

to bear in her womb
Infinite weight and lightness; to carry
in hidden, finite inwardness,
nine months of Eternity; to contain
in slender vase of being,
the sum of power –
in narrow flesh,
the sum of light.
Then bring to birth,
push out into air, a Man-child
needing, like any other,
milk and love –

but who was God.

This was the moment no one speaks of,
when she could still refuse.

A breath unbreathed,
                                Spirit,
                                          suspended,
                                                            waiting.

______________________________

She did not cry, ‘I cannot. I am not worthy,’
Nor, ‘I have not the strength.’
She did not submit with gritted teeth,
                                                       raging, coerced.
Bravest of all humans,
                                  consent illumined her.
The room filled with its light,
the lily glowed in it,
                               and the iridescent wings.
Consent,
              courage unparalleled,
opened her utterly.

Questions prepared by Sr Janet Mock during the recollection for the auxiliary March 23, 2022:

Pray with this poem.  What lines in the poem attracted you?  What evoked a feeling of resonance?  Or Discomfort?  Why

Recall moments of Annunciation" or "awakenings" in your own life that caught you by surprise and led to a new way of being, a new way of thinking, or a way of seeing life differently.  How has that call or insight impacted your life?

When did you accept this call?  What made this acceptance possible for you?  What if anything within the call do you find yourself resisting?  Why?

4.  Meditation music

https://youtu.be/7eOnu19E3vU

5.  Catholic Prayer For Ukraine

O Lord our God, look down with mercy on the Ukrainian people. Protect and save them from the unjust aggressors who seek to subdue them. Grant them steadfast trust in your mercy and protection. 

O Mother of God, who gave us your miraculous icon at Zarvanytsia, intercede for the Ukrainian people, who run to the shelter of your mercy in their times of need. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Grant peace and protection to the people of Ukraine. Give them strength and courage to defend what is good, right, and holy. Keep them safe from harm and provide for all their needs, both temporal and spiritual. 

Hear our prayers, O Lord, and deliver us from distress, for You are merciful and compassionate and love mankind. To You we give glory: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer written by Carrie Chuff, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic mom and contributing writer at Catholic Icing.

6.  song

My Soul Sings by Sarah Johnson (A Modern Day Magnificat) LYRIC VIDEO - YouTube

https://youtu.be/9YmCvARGcMc

Your Annunciation

 

Yes, no, maybe? He 

waits. Trust exists between two.

Not knowing fully.

Moments of Anxiety

 

He knows the future.

Why worry.  It is in His 

caring loving hands. 

Note:  Photo taken at Sue's garden.

Pray Share Chat 3/16/2022 Illusions of Sacrifice

 Happy Birthday song - YouTube  Happy birthday Sue and Chris  

1. Meditation 

https://youtu.be/Xl_B45DpMLU

2.  Song  Living sacrifice

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XwmUBqXo-Gs

3.  Narrative

FRANCISCAN SPIRIT BLOG  LENT WITH RICHARD ROHR: THE ILLUSION OF ‘SACRIFICE’

Lent with Richard Rohr: The Illusion of ‘Sacrifice’

 Mar 30, 2019

 Richard Rohr, OFM

Lent with Richard Rohr: The Illusion of ‘Sacrifice’

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent | Readings: Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:9-14

REFLECTION

Jesus himself quotes twice from this passage from Hosea in Matthew’s Gospel, both times to defend himself from the “holier than thou” types: “What God wants is merciful people, not heroic sacrifices, God wants you to know how love intimately works, and then you can skip your gestures of self-sacrifice” (my paraphrase based on Hosea’s own descriptions in 2:21ff and 8:11ff ).

Jesus popularizes this somewhat neglected phrase in Hosea to defend himself from people who criticize him for consorting with sinners (Matthew 9:13), and again to defend his disciples and himself who are being criticized for not observing the Sabbath and feeding themselves (Matthew 12:7).

Both times he precedes it with a strong imperative or plea: “Go, learn the meaning of these words,” or “If you only understood the meaning of these words.” Well, it is still important that we learn the meaning of these words because much of religion has not. If we can get this, the Gospel of the publican and the Pharisee will quickly explain itself, and you will see that Jesus was an astute teacher, centuries ahead of modern psychology.

The Pharisee is the common heroic “sacrificer.” People do not realize that this gesture largely feeds the ego and one’s sense of self much more than anything else. God does not need it. You need it. Sacrifice is unconsciously an attempt to control God, who does much better without our control. “I fast twice a week, I pay tithes on all I possess.... I am not like the rest of men,” he says. It looks like you are giving to God, country, church, the sports team, so all will undoubtedly admire you for it.

The social payoffs are so ego-inflating, there is no likelihood that “for God and country” thinking will diminish anytime soon. Sacrifice is often good and needed in life to help other people, but too often it is an attempt to build a more positive self-image by distinguishing oneself from others. Note his words, “I give you thanks, God, that I am not like the rest of men, grasping, crooked, and adulterous.” Could the message be much clearer?

Our tax collector friend has apparently “gone and learned the meaning of the words” because from a distance with bowed head “All he did was beat his breast and say, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’” And then Jesus delivers his stunning conclusion, still stunning today: “Believe me, this man went home from the temple justified before God, but the other did not.” I hope you have observed that Jesus is never upset at sinners! He is only upset with people who do not think they are sinners. The Pharisee is a public holy man who is not holy at all. The tax collector in Israel is a public sinner, with no credits to his name whatsoever, who ends up being the saint.

TODAY'S READINGS

“Go, learn the meaning of the words, what I want is mercy, not sacrifice, knowledge of God, not burnt offerings in the temple.” —Hosea 6:6

STARTER PRAYER

“Merciful God, all I can give you, and all you ever want, is who I really am. This little woman or little man that I am now gives you back my only and true self.”

4. Prayer for Today

Lord, teach me to give all unto you, help to be a sacrificial giver. When I give, let your power speak for me. I don’t want to give my money alone, I want to make myself available to your service, Lord. I pray that by your grace and mercy, I will achieve these. Amen

5,  Meditation

https://youtu.be/bhc6MmoIPuE

6;  Song

Way of The Cross (We Carry the Saving Cross) - Lyrics - YouTube

paula's prayer meeting 3/9/2022 ashes to ashes

 

ashes to ashes

https://youtu.be/aswFDl5rKns

A Journey Toward Interior Freedom

Word of God, inflame our hearts – may we share your love with one another.

            Word of God, you invite us each day to change of heart.

                        Word of God, you call us by name and give us new life.

                                    Word of God, you call us to peace and wholeness.

Most Holy One:

Strengthen our hearts and hands

Open our eyes to your ways

Release us from bondage

Loosen our tongues to sing your praise

Free our ears to hear your words

You, O God, are a loyal friend; help us to be people of wisdom.  May we discern our actions in the light of our relationship with you and with one another.  Grant this through Jesus who lives with you, Source of all Wisdom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

i added after the chat discussing ukraine.  

https://youtu.be/pfcJ9_C6SOM

For Country

 

Is it possible?

A dream to reality.

Together. It will.

Recognized A Distorted Face

 

See her walk by road

Limping, determined. Then one day saw

her eyes, smile. It"s her.

My heart sunk with pity. What happened. Found out

She was in an accident .Star student teacher she was. 

Then a teacher, which she cannot now do.

But this does not stop her from everyday do her walk by the road 

limping yet determined.

With those eyes. That smile.

She looks happy.

I looked at her not with

pity but admiration.

Accepting life with gusto despite.

Walking limping yet determined.

Face distorted yet smiling.

Inspiring all who see her.

pray share chat 3/2/2022 christine kresho's on love and prayer

 

1.  Meditation

https://youtu.be/q4QYZ9rWF2I

2.  Song

https://youtu.be/9sMp407rhsg

3.  Narrative

From Sister Christine Kresho's Narrative for her Spiritual Companion Meeting held on Feb. 22, 2022 via Zoom

SC Feb 22

Christianity needs to tell a new story; note : the story has always been there ; always true; we just haven’t proclaimed it.

What we need to keep in mind is how we do that. Sometimes, when we have journeyed to a new place, a new understanding, we are so motivated to share it that we may go about it in the wrong way. We want to teach others the good news, the new story that we have come to believe. Sometimes we teach by “pouring it in” rather than “drawing it out.” And it's easily understood how we tend to do this with children, but this statement can relate to how we act with anyone; If we take time to recognize and accept that the Divine is alive within  all, including children

Teach,(don’t just “pour “ it in) or  preach,  or proclaim? Proclaim is about how we act /talk/share

What new stories?

How to talk/share/  about prayer—not to a faraway God listening to our  requests; need for our own personal prayer life to develop a sense of being at home within all-present God— the Mystery permeating and holding all things in existence--all people have the same privilege; prayer is deepening our awareness of this privilege; means we accept responsibility for making this presence visible. 

Franciscan theologian Ilia Delio --

Prayer is the longing of the human heart for God. It is a yearning and desire for relationship with God, and it is God’s attention to our desire: God-in-communion with us.

 The great spiritual writer Augustine of Hippo [354–430] --“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” [1] We long for God because we are created by God, and this longing is both the source of our hope in God and the very thing we resist. Prayer is an awakening to the fact that the fulfillment of my life lies in God.

God delights in creation and loves each of us with a personal love. Prayer, therefore, is God’s desire to breathe in me, to be the spirit of my life, to draw me into the fullness of life. When I pray—when I breathe with God—I become part of the intimacy of God’s life.

Prayer is recognizing the intimate in-dwelling of God in our lives, the One who remains faithful in love even when the world around us may fall apart. . . .

Delio --

To pray is to open up oneself to God who dwells within us. It means holding back nothing from God and sharing everything with God. . . . Prayer of the heart is unceasing prayer-----St Paul—pray always--- where God breathes in us and our hearts are turned toward God.  Doesn’t mean adding formal prayer times etc;  everything becomes praying. ---This deepening of our lives in the divine life is the path to self-discovery. In and through prayer we discover our true selves, the self that God has created each of us to be. . . .

Life in God should be a daring adventure of love but often we settle for mediocrity. We follow the daily practice of prayer but we are unwilling or, for various reasons, unable to give ourselves totally to God. To settle on the plain of mediocrity is to settle for something less than God, which leaves our hearts restless and unfulfilled. . . . Prayer is that dynamic, life-giving relationship with God by which we grow deep in God’s Word, strong in God’s grace, and free in God’s love to dream with God the unimaginable.

so petition becomes sharing with God our cares, concerns, hopes etc., when we pray for others we are praying that others draw strength and healing from God’s presence and from our thoughts and prayers – because we are interconnected. And not that God is “above” holding the puppet strings

New story: About scripture –story of the Fall and literal understanding-- God’s Spirit was always present and never dependent (was never conditional) on what someone on earth did—not even Jesus;

Adam and Eve& the Fall—disregards science

-- where is science in the creation story every religion has its creation story – never a paradise lost by sin entering into world

Heaven –some strange ideas of heaven—Mary in heaven gives our prayers to Jesus? Balance teaching the Hail Mary with stories that make her human

About death—    new life –transformation of life ; anyone who has died has died IN GOD

About Jesus’ death – for  Lent

Breakout: what ideas have changed for you?

4.  Ending prayer
When the question is “Why?"

be the voice that I hear.

When the question is “Where?
be the guidance I need.

When the question is “When?” 

be the wisdom I seek.

When the question is “How?”
be the strength I require.

When my answer is “yes” 

be the peace that I feel.  Amen

 

 5.  Meditation

https://youtu.be/NvF7xXDAz34

6.  Song lauren dangle love like this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WWmH7COnz6U