Sr paula’s notes at dotty’s house

 

Paula’s prayer meeting 6/14/2023

 

https://youtu.be/KqS00OZkThI

The Heart Knows, 

                    Listen to Your Heart

 

A HUNDRED OBJECTS CLOSE BY

                                                                                                            Mira

I know a cure for sadness:

Let your hands touch something that

Makes your eyes smile.

 

I bet there are a hundred objects close by

That can do that.

 

Look at

Beauty’s gift to us—

Her power is so great she enlivens

The earth, the sky, our soul.

 

Beloved Is Where We Begin

 

If you would enter

into the wilderness,

do not begin

without a blessing.

 

Do not leave

without hearing

who you are:

Beloved,

named by the One

who has traveled this path

before you.

 

Do not go

without letting it echo

in your ears,

and if you find

it is hard

to let it into your heart,

do not despair.

That is what

this journey is for.

 

I cannot promise

this blessing will free you

from danger,

from fear,

from hunger

or thirst,

from the scorching

of sun

or the fall

of the night.

 

But I can tell you

that on this path

there will be help.

 

I can tell you

that on this way

there will be rest.

 

I can tell you

that you will know

the strange graces

that come to our aid

only on a road

such as this,

that fly to meet us

bearing comfort

and strength,

that come alongside us

for no other cause

than to lean themselves

toward our ear

and with their

curious insistence

whisper our name:

 

Beloved.

Beloved.

Beloved.

 

—Jan Richardson

Sweet Potato Hoisin Glazed Korean Pancakes

 

This is a cross between a tortilla and a Korean Pancake.  Instead of making a Korean pancake mix, I used tortillas as the base.  I know it is an easy lazy way to go.  But it works.

Green onions characteristic of Korean pancakes together with mashed cooked sweet potatoes comprised the filling. The Hoisin sauce gives this Korean pancake/tortilla its sweet spicy flavor that sparks one’s tastebuds.  It glazes the tortilla inside and outside.

Crunchiness is achieved by using the air fryer or oven. 

This is a great appetizer or dish with a salad. My Plant Based Pittsburgh group members loved it during our delightful potluck last night which featured healthy delicious dishes.  See photos below.

Hoisin Glazed Sweet Potato Korean Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1-2 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
• 1 cup chopped green onions 
• 10 small corn or flour tortillas 
• 2 -3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce (store bought or homemade see recipe below), divided

Instructions:

Mix the sweet potatoes and green onions in a bowl. Set aside.

Spread 2 tbsp Hoisin sauce on top of one side of a tortilla.

On half of the tortilla, place about 1 tablespoon of the sweet potatoes green onion mixture. 

Then fold over the other half. Repeat with rest of the tortillas. 

Air fry 400 for five minutes. Flip halfway.

Glaze the top tortilla with the rest of the Hoisin sauce.  Air fry for 2 minutes more or till desired crispness. 

Homemade Hoisin Sauce

(From CDKitchen)

(Makes 1/2 cup)

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter or black bean paste 
• 1 tablespoon molasses or brown sugar 
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil 
• 5-20 drops chinese hot sauce, habenero or jalepeno  depends on your taste
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together.   At first it does not appear to be mixing together, keep at it and whisk a bit longer.

pray share chat 6/7/2023 focus on patience

1.  meditation
 

https://youtu.be/mLGJfrH6TLY

2.  Song

https://youtu.be/m7qG37mWe4w

3.  narrative

Patience
Friday, January 4, 2019

The New Testament shows history working in a way that is both evolutionary and positive. See, for example, Jesus’ many parables of the Kingdom, which lean heavily on the language of growth and development. He uses metaphors of the seed, the maturing ear of corn, weeds and wheat growing together, and yeast rising. His parables of the “Reign of God” are about finding, discovering, being surprised, changing roles and status. None of these notions are static; they are always about something new and good coming into being.

Why do I think this is so important? Frankly, because without it we become very impatient with ourselves and others. Humans and history both grow slowly. [1] We expect people to show up at our church doors fully transformed and holy before they can be welcomed in. But metanoeite, or change of consciousness, can only come with time. Patience is the very shape of love. Without it, religion is merely about enforcing laws and requirements. Without an evolutionary worldview, Christianity does not really understand, much less foster, growth or change. Nor does it know how to respect and support where history is heading.

Anything called “Good News” needs to reveal a universal pattern that can be relied upon, not just clannish or tribal patterns that might be true on occasion. This is probably why Christianity’s break with Judaism was inevitable, although never intended by either Jesus or Paul. Both Jesus and Paul were good Jews who thought they were reforming Judaism. By the early second century, Christians were already calling themselves “catholics” or “the universals.” At the front of their consciousness was a belief that God is leading all of history somewhere larger and broader and better for everyone. Christianity cannot be bound by ethnicity or nationality. This puts it in essential conflict with any group that wants to domesticate the message for its own “patriotic” purposes.

Without a universal story line that offers grace and caring for all of creation, Jesus is always kept small and seemingly inept. God’s care must be toward all creatures; otherwise, God ends up not being very caring at all, which makes things like water, trees, animals—and other peoples—seem accidental, trivial, or disposable. But grace is not a late arrival in history, an occasional add-on for a handful of humans. God’s grace and life did not just appear a couple thousand years ago when Jesus came, and his story was told through the Gospels. God’s grace cannot be a random solution doled out to the few and the virtuous—or it would hardly be grace at all! (See Ephesians 2:7-10 if you want the radical meaning of grace summed up in three succinct verses.)

What if we recovered the sense of God’s inherent grace (the Holy Spirit whom we called “Uncreated Grace”) as the primary generator of all life? We are, of course, in evolution all the time. To deny change and growth is to deny the obvious, yet humans seem good at that. The ride is the destination, and the goal is never clearly in sight. To stay on the ride, to trust the trajectory, to know it is moving, and moving somewhere always better, is just about the best way to describe religious faith.

References:
[1] See Alan Kreider, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church (Baker Academic: 2016). This faith-filled historical study by a Mennonite scholar shows how the early church was much more patient and humble about growth and change than Christians tended to be in later centuries. The title says it all.

Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe (Convergent Books: March 5, 2019), 96-98; and

“Introduction,” “Evolutionary Thinking,” Oneing, vol. 4, no. 2 (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2016), 115-116.

4.  Prayer

Dear God, thank You for blessing me with a new day. Thank You for allowing me to carry on Your will on this brand new morning. I ask that You continue to watch over me as I face whatever challenges may come my way today. Lord, give me patience for today, so that I may overcome any difficult tasks ahead. Nothing is impossible with You by my side, and I pray that Your Holy Spirit showers me with grace and patience to see the end of the day with my head held high. I lift up everything to You Lord. Amen.

5.  Meditation

https://youtu.be/K9nUYE3nQhQ

6.  Song

https://youtu.be/aJeNUlNY7Iw

Asian Inspired Quesadillas

 

Asian Inspired Quesadillas 

Ingredients 

2 cups leftover cooked meat chopped (pork, chicken, beef or ham)

2 cups shredded cheese (any kind)

1 cup sliced green onions 

1 cup hoisin sauce

4 8-inch flour tortillas 

Instructions 

Add the meat, cheese, green onions and 1/2 to 3/4 cup of hoisin sauce into a skillet and mix. Then heat through. 

Cool the meat mixture. 

Place a piece of tortilla on a plate.  Using a brush, spread some of the set aside hoisin sauce on the tortilla.  

Place one fourth of the meat mixture onto half of the tortilla.  Place the other half of the tortilla over this filled part.

Heat some oil on a skillet or griddle.  Place the quesadilla on the heated grill or skillet till one side is brown.  Flip and brown the other side  

Pray share chat 5/31/2023 focus on Joy

1  Meditation 

 https://youtu.be/qQ4vD5FdOKM

2.  Song

https://youtu.be/iJOj9umiMjs

3.  Narrative 

Joy
Sunday, June 11, 2017

Despite many legitimate reasons for discouragement, Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was known as a man of deep and abiding joy. He knew that after all was done and undone, he was still “the herald of the Great King.” Francis told his friars that it was their vocation as God’s minstrels “to move people’s hearts and lift them up to spiritual joy.” [1] They needed no other justification for their life or ministry.

To illustrate what he meant by joy, Francis shared this dialogue with Brother Leo:

One winter day when he and Brother Leo were walking along the road to Assisi from Perugia, Francis called out to Leo in the bitter cold five times, each time telling him what perfect joy was not: “Brother Leo, even if a Friar Minor gives sight to the blind, heals the paralyzed, drives out devils, gives hearing back to the deaf, makes the lame walk, and restores speech to the dumb, and what is more brings back to life a man who has been dead four days, write that perfect joy is not in that.” And so he continued with different enumerations of success and even spiritual enjoyment. And when he had been talking this way for a distance of two miles, Brother Leo in great amazement asked him: “Father, I beg you in God’s name to tell me where perfect joy is then to be found?”

And Francis replied: “When we come to the Portiuncula, soaked by the rain and frozen by the cold, all soiled with mud and suffering from hunger, and we ring at the gate of our friary and the brother porter comes and says angrily: ‘Who are you?’ and we say: ‘We are two of your brothers.’ And he contradicts us, saying, ‘You are not telling the truth. Rather you are two rascals who go around deceiving people and stealing what they give to the poor. Go away!’ and he does not open for us, but makes us stand outside in the snow and rain, cold and hungry until night falls—then if we endure all of those insults and cruel rebuffs patiently, without being troubled and without complaining, and if we reflect humbly and lovingly that the porter really knows us. Oh, Brother Leo, write that perfect joy is to be found there!

“And if we continue to knock and the porter comes out in anger, and drives us away with curses and hard blows saying ‘Get away from here! Who do you think you are?’ and if we bear it patiently and take the insults with joy and love in our hearts. Oh, Brother Leo, write down that this is perfect joy! . . . And now hear the conclusion: Above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ gives to his friends is that of conquering oneself and willingly enduring sufferings, insults, humiliations, and hardships for the love of Christ.” [2]

Now that is an alternative universe! Here we see a truly nonviolent and liberated man. Clearly this is a different kind of “I” that is speaking here, an “I” hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Rediscovering this joyous and free True Self is the goal of all transformation and journeys toward holiness.

Gateway to Silence:
Help me do what is mine to do.

References:
[1] The Assisi Compilation, chapter 83. See Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, vol. 2 (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2000), 186.
[2] The Little Flowers of St. Francis,chapter 8. See St. Francis of Assisi: Omnibus of the Sources, ed. Marion A. Habig (Franciscan Herald Press: 1973), 1318-1320.

Adapted from Richard Rohr with John Feister, Hope Against Darkness: The Transforming Vision of Saint Francis in an Age of Anxiety (St. Anthony Messenger Press: 2001), 118-119  

4.  Prayer

5.  Meditation 

https://youtu.be/GnlK9iaJAe0

6.  Song

https://youtu.be/_LFpy9tRTw8

Pray Share Chat 5/24/2023 Focus on Mother Mary

Focus on Mother Mary'

1. Meditation
 https://youtu.be/nIlfw9EC9_w

2.Song

https://youtu.be/66zUY8UZn4M

3.  Narrative

Our Blessed Mother — Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org)

Our Blessed Mother
Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Clarissa Pinkola Estés has spent many years gathering and sharing stories of the Divine Feminine across cultures and religions. In her book Untie the Strong Woman she helps us connect with the Holy Mother’s comfort, guidance, and vision. Read Estés’ words through your heart center more than your rational mind:

In a world that is often heart-stopping in horror and breath-taking in beauty, but too often scraped down to the bone by those who leak scorn with such soul-sick pride, it is the Blessed Mother, who is so unspeakably gracious with brilliant inspirations that pour into us—if we listen, if we watch for them.

Thus, there is such blessed reason to seek out and remain near this great teaching force known worldwide as Our Lady, La Nuestra Señora, and most especially called with loyalty and love, Our Mother, Our Holy Mother. Our very own.

She is known by many names and many images, and has appeared in different epochs of time, to people across the world, in exactly the shapes and images the soul would most readily understand her, apprehend her, be able to embrace her and be embraced by her.

She wears a thousand names, thousands of skin tones, thousands of costumes to represent her being patroness of deserts, mountains, stars, streams, and oceans. If there are more than six billion people on earth, then thereby she comes to us in literally billions of images. Yet at her center is only one great Immaculate Heart. . . .

In blessed Mother’s view, all are lovable; all souls are accepted, all carry a sweetness of heart, are beautiful to the eyes; worthy of consciousness, of being inspired, being helped, being comforted and protected—even if other mere humans believe foolishly or blindly to the contrary.

If, following the pathways laid down in the stories of the “old believers,” if after the old God . . . who seemed to spend inordinate time creating and destroying, thence came to us in huge contrast, the God of Love—then Our Blessed Mother is the ultimate Mother Who Gave Birth to Love.

She is the Mother who ascended whole, the Mother who has lived through wars, conquests, conscriptions. The Mother who has been outlawed, done outrage to, squelched, carpet bombed, hidden, stabbed, stripped, burnt, plasticized, and dismissed.

Yet she survived—in us and for us—no matter who raised a hand against her or attempted to undermine her endless reach. She is writ into every sacred book, every document of the mysteries, every parchment that details her as Wind, Fire, Warrior, Heart of Gold, La que sabe, the One Who Knows, and more.

And most of all, she is writ into our very souls. Our longings for her, our desires to know her, to be changed by her, to follow her ways of acute insight, her sheltering ways, her trust in goodness—these are the evidences that she exists, that she continues to live as a huge, not always invisible but palpably felt, force in our world right now.

Reference:
Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Untie the Strong Woman: Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Love for the Wild Soul (Sounds True: 2011), 1-3.

4.  Prayer

Prayer to Our Lady of Czestochowa

O Mother of God, Immaculate Mary, to thee do I dedicate my body and soul, all my prayers and deeds, my joys and sufferings, all that I am an all that I have. With a joyful heart I surrender myself to thy love. To thee will I devote my services of my own free will for the salvation of mankind, and for the help of the Holy Church whose Mother thou art.
From now on my only desire is to do all things with thee, through thee, and for thee. I know I can accomplish nothing by my own strength, whereas thou can do everything that is the will of thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Thou are always victorious. Grant, therefore, O Helper of the Faithful, that my family, my parish, and my country might become in truth the Kingdom where thou reignest in the glorious presence God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. 
Amen.

5.  Meditation

https://youtu.be/vxy-KWrxVUY

6.  Song

https://youtu.be/n88EHf_ocoQ

Paula's Meeting 5/10/2023

 

Song:  All is Gift

            Kathy Sherman

 

 https://youtu.be/_GJ-YrP9eBE

 

Lord, my God,
When Your love spilled over
Into creation
You thought of me.
I am from Love,
Of Love,
For Love.
Let my heart, O God,
Always recognize, cherish
And enjoy Your goodness in
All creation.
 
Direct all that is me
Toward Your praise.
Teach me reverence
For every person, all things
Energize me in
Your service.
 
Lord God, may nothing
Ever distract me from
Your love…
Neither health nor sickness
Wealth nor poverty
Honor nor dishonor
Long life nor short life.
 
May I never seek nor
Choose to be other than
You intend or wish.  Amen
 
 
 

Pray Share Chat 5/3/2023 Goodness of God and Creation

 

1.  Meditation

https://youtu.be/0FR0r0yaG6s

2.  Song

https://youtu.be/70JD5YTemJc

3.  Narrative

Practice: Mindful Living

John Dear invites us into a peaceful, nonviolent way of living with creation:

To grow in deeper, loving awareness of our sisters and brothers, the beautiful creatures, and wonders of creation, we practice the art of mindfulness. That means we try not to live in the past or stew over the future. We give ourselves to the present moment of peace and return to the gentleness of our breath as a way to return to the present moment, the eternal now. The Buddhists teach mindful living, mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful working. Every moment becomes an opportunity to step into the present moment of peace.

“We are speaking of an attitude of the heart,” Pope Francis writes, “one which approaches life with serene attentiveness, which is capable of being fully present to someone without thinking of what comes next, which accepts each moment as a gift from God to be lived to the full. Jesus taught us this attitude when he invited us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, or when seeing the rich young man and knowing his restlessness, ‘he looked at him with love’ (Mk 10:21). He was completely present to everyone and to everything, and in this way, he showed us the way to overcome that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive consumers.” [1]

Putting on the mind of the nonviolent Christ and practicing his nonviolence, we learn to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. When he rose from the dead, he gave his friends the gift of resurrection peace, breathed on them, and said receive the Holy Spirit. He sent them on a global mission of peace and nonviolence. We try to follow Jesus by welcoming that gift of resurrection peace, breathing in his Holy Spirit, and walking in his footsteps in his kingdom of nonviolence. In that mindfulness, everyone shines like the sun.

We recognize every human being as a sister and brother, every creature as a gift from God, and Mother Earth as a treasure to be honored and cared for. We too learn to walk mindfully on earth in the present moment of peace. As we do, we not only non-cooperate with injustice and environmental destruction, model gospel nonviolence, and seek justice and peace for everyone, we help everyone step into the present moment of peace, the kingdom of God. Along the way, we discover that we have already entered eternal life. Eternity has begun. We are here, on earth, in the peaceful presence of the Creator.

References:
[1] Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 226, w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.

John Dear, They Will Inherit the Earth: Peace and Nonviolence in a Time of Climate Change (Orbis Books: 2018), 123-124.

For Further Study:

John Dear, They Will Inherit the Earth: Peace and Nonviolence in a Time of Climate Change (Orbis Books: 2018)

Richard Rohr, A New Cosmology: Nature as the First Bible (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2009), CD, MP3 download

Richard Rohr and Bill Plotkin, Soul Centering through Nature: Becoming a True Human Adult (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2011), CD, MP3 download

Richard Rohr, The Soul, the Natural World, and What Is (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2009), MP3 download

4. Prayers

 Merciful One,

give me grace to be mindful today
of your constant, loving presence.
Give me wisdom to listen for your voice.
Open my heart to your glory in everything,
your light in everyone,
even those who do not see it.
Remind me everyone I meet is struggling.
Help me to see with clear eyes,
without judging or reacting.
Help me to be patient with weakness
and forgiving of myself and others.
Nudge me to learn from every mistake,
to be courageous in the face of fear,
to seize every chance to show love.
Ever-present Love, keep me mindful this day
of your mysterious grace,
your goodness and mercy that shadow me
all of my day and through the night.
Amen.

5.  Meditation 

https://youtu.be/hoKWHs2CSx8

6.  Song

https://youtu.be/9sE5kEnitqE

No-Fry Curry Fried Rice

 

This was inspired by a Youtube episode of Yeung Man Cooking.  I skipped the chili oil and instead just used vegetable broth.  I also used coleslaw in a bag and also have used powder forms of garlic and ginger.  This is satisfying despite being a no-fry or oil free recipe.  Enjoy.

No-Fry Curry Fried Rice

Inspired by Yeung Man Cooking See https://youtu.be/1JVO1FMfyzg

and No-Fry Fried Rice - Forks Over Knives

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water or vegetable broth
• 3 pieces garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2- inch fresh ginger, chopped or 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1-2 cups coleslaw or mixed vegetables
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cup leftover rice
• 1-2 tsp curry powder
• 200g extra firm tofu or 1/2 block, crumbled or cut coarsely
• green onions for garnish

Add vegetable broth in sauté pan and add the garlic, ginger, onions, vegetables or coleslaw and heat at medium heat till the aromatics are cooked. Add the cooked rice and more water or broth if needed and add the soy sauce and curry powder.  Stir the mixture.  Add the crumbled tofu.  Stir the tofu, rice vegetable mixture.  At the end add the green onions.  Adjust the seasonings if needed.