I really like this despite no bacon present  Great xmas or any occasion side  

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

3 heads broccoli florets chopped small 

about 1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 onion chopped 

1/2 cup mayonnaise (regular or vegan)

1 tablespoon vinegar 

1 tbsp sugar or substitute 

Procedure 

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve. 

God’s love includes imperfection

1.  PRAYER

Prayer For Being Imperfect

Heavenly Father,

I come before you aware of my imperfections and shortcomings. I acknowledge that I am flawed and that I often fall short of the person you have called me to be. Yet, I find comfort in knowing that you are a God of grace, mercy, and unconditional love. Help me to embrace my imperfections, not as a source of shame, but as an opportunity to lean on your strength. Teach me to grow through my mistakes, to seek your guidance in my weaknesses, and to trust in your perfect plan even when I stumble. Thank You for loving me as I am, for walking with me as I grow, and for reminding me that I am not defined by my failures, but by your endless love and forgiveness. Mold me Lord, into the person you desire me to be, and help me to extend that same grace to myself and others. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen

2. MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/-9KLB2HI9BI?si=4QyuASScuSgB_XpX

3. SONG

https://youtu.be/0TEL_7TS5FE?si=55RIwWQt8gPUVG39

4.   NARRATIVE

God’s Love Includes Imperfection 

Friday, November 8, 2024

On The Cosmic We podcast, Richard Rohr explores on how opening ourselves to the flow of God’s unconditional love allows us to pass it on:  

We’ve failed to communicate the unique nature of divine love. Divine love is infinite, but the notion of infinity cannot be conceived by the human mind. We can’t help but turn back to adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, one of my favorite Catholic mystics, shares, “There is a science about which [God] knows nothing—addition!” [1] What she was trying to say was that once we dive into infinity, which is God, any notion of adding, subtracting, meriting, losing, being worthy, is all a waste of time. God’s love is infinite, a concept the human mind cannot form. The divine notion of perfection isn’t the exclusion of imperfection, but the inclusion of imperfection. That’s divine love.  

Human love thinks we have to exclude imperfection to love a person. But I’m old enough to know there’s no perfect people around. They don’t exist. We’ve all learned to keep hidden our little secret or shadow self. But divine love includes imperfection, which is what makes it divine love. Without the grace of God, we cannot do that. We pay attention to the imperfection: “I saw him do that. I heard her say that.” Then we have identified our reason not to love and we can feel superior and even “damn” the other person. That’s what I mean when I say Jesus became a scapegoat because he knew that the human pattern of scapegoating always makes someone else the problem instead of ourselves. Christianity is not about changing other people—it isn’t! It’s nice if people do change, but that’s God’s work. It’s about changing ourselves, and that never stops. I’m 80 years old and I’m still trying to change myself. 

In one of his letters, Paul says, “The yes is always found in Christ,” the yes to reality (see 2 Corinthians 1:20). We are living in love if we can maintain a daily yes. That doesn’t mean we don’t recognize injustice and stand against it, but we don’t let our hearts become hardened and our minds become rigid in its judgments. Love is always a yes. Even though we might see little or big problems, we don’t let it stop the yes. I find in my old age that I’ve eventually had to forgive everything. Everything! Myself, my parents, the Catholic Church, the United States of America.  

Once we stop expecting, needing, or demanding that something or someone be perfect, we’re much happier. We’re doing ourselves and the world a favor. It’s not easy to do apart from the life and grace of God flowing through us. That’s why, for me, the notion of God as Trinity, the flow of relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is so important. Without that daily flow, we get trapped in the negatives. We all do. We all will, unless we tap into the love of God flowing through us.  

References: 
[1] Sœur Thérèse of Lisieux: The Little Flower of Jesus, ed. T. N. Taylor (New York: P. J. Kenedy and Sons, 1924), 241. This early translation of Thérèse’s autobiography includes the chapter “Counsels and Reminiscences,” which is not part of other editions. 

Adapted from “Reimagining Notions of Love with Fr. Richard Rohr,” The Cosmic We, season 3, ep. 2 (Albuquerque, NM: Center for Action and Contemplation, 2022), podcast. Available as MP3 audio download and PDF transcript.  

5. MEDITATION 

https://youtu.be/wH-pdh7k9xk?si=Z1Ztme1e-ZicFxIv

6.  SHARING 

7.  INTENTIONS AND PRAYER 

Father, sometimes love feels complicated. Today, will You enable me to reflect the characteristics of love, even if I don’t feel it? Help me to be humble, patient, gentle and to make room for imperfection as we grow in our love for each other. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

8.  SONG

https://youtu.be/Urj0SMSVQa8?si=QlZ2TyenIjAgs5GG

https://youtu.be/fy4UtBVxBVU?si=ViVnzXiXgfyqhdx9

Hope

 

1.  PRAYER

• God, when I feel lost or uncertain, fill my heart with hope. Remind me that You are with me, even in the waiting. Help me trust Your plan and believe that better days are ahead. In Jesus' name, amen." 
• "Lord, I come before You, seeking hope in the midst of my circumstances. Help me to lean not on my own understanding but to trust in Your wisdom. I fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. Amen." 

2. MEDITATION 

https://youtu.be/uI0oMw-ncZo?si=xCNl5Hy7ZF7h8nfu

3.  SONG

https://youtu.be/q-dWxto9-XQ?si=CG1F-SqQ-Lo7LP9R

4.  NARRATIVE

AI Overview

Richard Rohr views hope not as naive optimism but as a deep, contemplative trust in God's enduring love and presence, even amidst suffering and darkness, finding meaning in connection, paradox, and the universe's movement toward good, rooted in Christ's resurrection and our shared humanity. It's an active, internal certainty, a "non-rational, yet calmly certain" strength that allows one to hold opposites and trust in divine unfolding rather than needing instant worldly success. 

Key Aspects of Rohr's View on Hope:

• Hope in Suffering: True hope develops through wise suffering, connecting us to God's own suffering and the pain of others, giving it meaning.
• Contemplative Foundation: Contemplation (inner union with God) fosters a deep, inherent hope that transcends logic and external circumstances.
• Mystical & Non-Rational: It's a "patient and trustful willingness to live without full closure" because our satisfaction comes from a source beyond ourselves, notes Richard Rohr's Mystical Hope summary.
• Presence & Paradox: Hope allows us to hold both light and darkness, faith and doubt, seeing God's presence even when hidden in paradox, as seen in this August 2016 reflection.
• Connection & Belonging: It's overcoming the illusion of separateness to find union with Christ and our shared divine nature, as explained in this October 2021 post.
• Active Surrender: Hope isn't passive; it's an active "leaning into what we believe can happen" and yielding to God's future, not just wishing. 

In Essence:

Rohr's hope is a grounded, expansive, and resilient spiritual stance, moving beyond mere expectation to a profound trust in the already-present and ever-unfolding goodness of God, even when the world screams otherwise. 

5.  MEDITATION 

https://youtu.be/rc5MGwHtQGs?si=ztB41aCC1zKc7mZt

6.  SHARING

7.  INTENTIONS AND PRAYER

• God, when I feel lost or uncertain, fill my heart with hope. Remind me that You are with me, even in the waiting. Help me trust Your plan and believe that better days are ahead. In Jesus' name, amen." 
• "Lord, I come before You, seeking hope in the midst of my circumstances. Help me to lean not on my own understanding but to trust in Your wisdom. I fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. Amen." 

8.  SONG AND LYRICS 

https://youtu.be/xhWOenlB7Ro?si=LSrjAGTsHc6eKQPw

Hymn of Hope' We’re a little unsteady, we’re a little unsure Times are a changing, we haven’t been here before Away from our families, the ones that we love Looking out through the windows, praying help from above Where’s the laughter of children and the gather of smiles Scattered like petals across many miles Close in the distance our voices remain Together in heart and the tears of refrain Holding out, holding on to be with you again Sending love, sending strength to our family and friends Wishing hard, wishing love for the broken to mend Beautiful world of ours recover from pain We’re a little unsteady in these days lost alone Thankful for kindness and the shelter of home Recalling the memories and love over fear Faith in tomorrow and the ones we hold dear Holding out, holding on to be with you again Sending love, sending strength to our family and friends Wishing hard, wishing love for the broken to mend And this beautiful world of ours recover from pain © Maria Daines/Paul Killington

Joy

1.   PRAYER

Joyce Meyer Ministries 

August 25, 2024 · 

Prayer for Joy: "God, because You are with me and in me, I can have joy in every season of my life. As I go about my day, help me to remember Your love and promises, which are the source of all my joy. The Bible says that Christ came so that I may have life and enjoy it to the fullest. I pray that I would do just that. Lord, lead me into Your presence now so that I may receive an overflow of Your love, enough to be a blessing to those around me. Thank You, God, for loving me. I know that in seeking and serving You, I will find all the peace, joy and fulfillment I could ever ask for and more. Let all the glory be Yours, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."

2. MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/d4S4twjeWTs?si=1z4c0lRwFB2lL1Dn

3. SONG

https://youtu.be/dSVmDKGl2ok?si=XAss843U_R6mfw63

4. NARRATIVE

Richard Rohr's perspective on joy emphasizes it as 

a spiritual, participatory experience deeper than mere happiness, found through surrender, letting go of ego, embracing suffering alongside blessing, and connecting to a universal "True Self" in God, not dependent on good circumstances but a resilient "yes" to life's whole reality, allowing deep joy to coexist with profound pain, especially in the second half of life. It's about finding divine presence in the ordinary, letting go of constant striving, and trusting the larger flow of life, even amidst darkness. 

Key Themes of Rohr on Joy:

• A Choice & Surrender: Joy isn't just feeling good; it's an active choice to see the good and a deep surrender to life's unpredictability, welcoming God's presence.
• Not About "Things Going Well": Cosmic joy comes from elsewhere, allowing saints to rejoice amidst suffering, a paradox of simultaneous deep suffering and intense joy.
• Beyond the Ego: It involves letting go of the small, separate self (ego) and its constant need for validation and control, moving towards a larger, unified "True Self".
• Luminous Darkness: In the latter half of life, one develops a capacity to hold suffering and joy together, finding peace in "luminous darkness," a hallmark of spiritual maturity.
• Participatory Experience: True joy is a participation in God's own happiness, a resting in something bigger than ourselves, found through emptying out, not achieving.
• The Body of Christ: Joy is communal, a shared journey where we walk together, supporting each other through tears and laughter, becoming one sacred family.
• The "Yes": Each step in life becomes a "yes" to God, to letting go, and to walking with others, a profound affirmation of life. 

How to Find It (Rohr-Inspired Practices):

• Practice Gratitude: Acknowledge simple things to shift focus from lack to presence.
• Embrace Awe & Wonder: Slow down to see the divine in nature and daily moments, resisting the addiction to constant busyness.
• Sit with Suffering: Don't run from pain; learn to hold it with grace, recognizing it as part of the path to deeper joy.
• Be Present: Let go of controlling the future and find joy in "now," in the simple act of being. 

5.  MEDITATION 

https://youtu.be/cVaBq3yRe0w?si=TmukUkikZN4uXWGC

6.  SHARING 

7. PRAYER AND INTENTIONS 

Dear God...

We ask for joy in our lives. Help us to find happiness in the simple things and to share our joy with others. Let our laughter and smiles be contagious, spreading positivity wherever we go. May we find joy even in the midst of challenges. 

Thank you for the moments of joy that brighten our days. Help us to cherish them and to seek out more opportunities for happiness. May we find joy in our relationships, celebrating the connections we have with family and friends. Help us to recognize the beauty and wonder in the world around us, finding joy in nature and the everyday miracles of life. 

Guide us to be sources of joy for others, bringing light and happiness into their lives. Let us approach each day with a joyful heart, grateful for the opportunities and experiences that come our way. Thank you for the gift of joy. Help us to embrace it fully and to spread it generously to those around us. 

Amen.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." 

- Philippians 4:4

8.  SONG 

https://youtu.be/_LFpy9tRTw8?si=B1zgrks27iflh5n0