Hope

1. Prayer

Lord, grant me the patience and trust to wait upon Your perfect timing. I may not understand Your plan, but I know it is filled with hope and a future. Help me to rest in the assurance that Your ways are higher than my ways. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen." Lord, you are the Healer.

2.  Meditation 

https://youtu.be/cyMxWXlX9sU?si=-fMoBQAXZI9F5KoD

3. Song

https://youtu.be/AjmMiQCS_W8?si=AKo_PN0NLududLJG

4. Narrative

The Theological Virtue of Hope

Sunday, December 5, 2021

The Theological Virtue of Hope
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Second Sunday of Advent

Mystical hope offers us an experience of trust that God’s presence, love, and mercy is in and all around us, regardless of circumstances or future outcome. Father Richard Rohr writes of such hope through our anticipation of Jesus’ coming during Advent:

“Come, Lord Jesus,” the Advent mantra, means that all of Christian history has to live out of a kind of deliberate emptiness, a kind of chosen non-fulfillment. Perfect fullness is always to come, and we do not need to demand it now. The theological virtue of hope keeps the field of life wide open and especially open to grace and to a future created by God rather than ourselves. This is exactly what it means to be “awake,” as the Gospel urges us! We can also use other a words for Advent: aware, alive, attentive, alert are all appropriate. Advent is, above all else, a call to full consciousness and also a forewarning about the high price of consciousness.

When we demand—or “hope for”—satisfaction from one another, when we demand any completion to history on our terms, when we demand that our anxiety or dissatisfaction be taken away, saying as it were, “Why weren’t you this for me? Why didn’t life do that for me?” we are refusing to say, “Come, Lord Jesus.” We are refusing to hold out for the full picture that is always still being given by God.

Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann views hope as trust in what God has done and will do, in spite of evidence to the contrary: 

Hope in gospel faith is not just a vague feeling that things will work out, for it is evident that things will not just work out. Rather, hope is the conviction, against a great deal of data, that God is tenacious and persistent in overcoming the deathliness of the world, that God intends joy and peace. Christians find compelling evidence, in the story of Jesus, that Jesus, with great persistence and great vulnerability, everywhere he went, turned the enmity of society toward a new possibility, turned the sadness of the world toward joy, introduced a new regime where the dead are raised, the lost are found, and the displaced are brought home again. [1]

Richard continues: 

“Come, Lord Jesus” is a leap into the kind of freedom and surrender that is rightly called the virtue of hope. Hope is the patient and trustful willingness to live without full closure, without resolution, and still be content and even happy because our satisfaction is now at another level, and our Source is beyond ourselves. We are able to trust that Christ will come again, just as Christ has come into our past, into our private dilemmas, and into our suffering world. Our Christian past then becomes our Christian prologue, and “Come, Lord Jesus” is not a cry of desperation but an assured shout of cosmic hope.

References:
[1] Walter Brueggemann, A Gospel of Hope, compiled by Richard Floyd (Westminster John Knox Press: 2018), 104–105.

Adapted from Richard Rohr, Preparing for Christmas: Daily Meditations for Advent (Franciscan Media: 2008), 1–3. Photo

Questions to ponder

What is a "hope-robber" in your life?

What is one area of your life where you need to invite more hope right now?

Who in your life needs to feel your hope, and how can you share it? [1, 2]

5. Meditation 

https://youtube.com/shorts/mU8a061GYV8?si=8ZTHL1A-aHQSBQNa

6. Sharing

Questions to ponder

What is a "hope-robber" in your life?

What is one area of your life where you need to invite more hope right now?

Who in your life needs to feel your hope, and how can you share it? [1, 2]

7. Prayer and intentions 

A General Prayer for Hope
"Father, nothing in this life compares to the hope that only you can give, the hope found in Jesus, and for that I am so grateful! Today, I pray for the peace that passes all understanding to surround my heart and my home. Help me make the most of every moment of every day and know that this day is a gift from you". [1]

8.  Song 

https://youtu.be/q-dWxto9-XQ?si=Qn8ETE5VJLicPtjz

Nora ephron memories into fiction

1.  Nora Ephron story fb link

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/

  2. AI on turning memories to fiction

Turning memories into fiction—often termed autofiction or autobiographical fiction—involves using real-life experiences, people, and emotions as raw material to create a narrative that is not strictly bound by factual truth. This approach allows for greater creative freedom, structural improvements, and personal protection, transforming personal history into a compelling story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Here is a guide to writing memories into fiction based on expert advice:

1. Strategies for Shaping Memories

• Start in the Middle of Action: Begin scenes in the middle of an action, reaction, or dialogue to immediately engage the reader and avoid excessive exposition.
• Utilize Sensory Details: Tap into memories by focusing on all five senses—what something smelled, felt, or sounded like—to bring scenes to life.
• Write the Scene "As It Happened" First: Initially write the memory accurately to capture the emotional truth, then go back and "fictionalize" it.
• Change Key Details: To create necessary distance, rename people, change their physical descriptions, adjust locations, or alter the time period.
• Use Visual Prompts: Look through old photographs, heirlooms, or yearbooks to spark memories and uncover small details that can be spun into a larger narrative.

2. Techniques for Fictionalization

• Combine Characters and Events: Combine multiple real-life people into one character to streamline the narrative, or merge several events into a single scene.
• Create a Story Arc: Unlike real life, which can be chaotic, fiction requires a clear narrative arc with conflict, tension, and resolution.
• Embellish the Plot: Use artistic license to change the ending, add dramatic moments, or alter the setting to better serve the story.
• Use Third-Person Perspective: Writing in the third person can provide the emotional distance needed to treat your own life experiences as fictional material.

3. Fictionalizing vs. Memoir

• Privacy and Protection: Fictionalizing allows you to change identifying details about people and places, protecting your privacy and that of others, while avoiding legal issues like defamation.
• Focus on Story Over Truth: While memoirists are obligated to the truth, fiction writers are not. If a real-life detail doesn't work for the story's flow, it can be removed.
• Autofiction: This genre often leaves the lines between reality and fabrication intentionally blurred, focusing on emotional truth rather than factual accuracy.

4. Overcoming Creative Roadblocks

• Write Freely: In early drafts, ignore the need for perfect grammar or structure. Simply get the memories on the page to cut through the "censor".
• "What If?" Scenarios: Ask "what if?" to turn a memory into a new narrative (e.g., "What if this conversation happened at a different location?" or "What if I had said something else?").
• Focus on Emotional Truth: Even if events are changed, the emotional core of the story should feel real to the reader.

By treating life as a source of inspiration rather than a strict blueprint, you can create a work that feels authentic to your experiences while operating as a compelling piece of literature.

3.  Memories into fiction

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7581132437080818940/1008744146129281069 memories into fiction 

Compassion

 

1. PRAYER
Dear God...

We pray for a compassionate heart. Help us to be more understanding and empathetic towards others. Let us see the world through the eyes of those who are suffering and be moved to action. May our compassion lead us to help and support those in need. 

Thank you for your compassion towards us. Help us to reflect that same compassion in our interactions with others. May we learn to listen deeply and to respond with kindness and care to those who are hurting. Guide us to be patient and non-judgmental, recognizing the struggles and challenges that others face. Help us to extend compassion to ourselves, understanding that we too are deserving of care and kindness. 

We pray for a world where compassion is the norm, where people look out for one another and support each other in times of need. Thank you for the opportunities to practice compassion. Help us to seize those moments and to make a positive difference in the lives of others. 

Amen.

2.  MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/uTN29kj7e-w?si=skvaihWPKZPKj5tY

3.  SONG

https://youtu.be/Bx9c4OEuR5E?si=f09YWeU5tHoGXE8f

4.  NARRATIVE

Contemplation: A Path to Compassion

Friday, March 28, 2025

Father Richard reminds us that regular contemplative practice is not an end in and of itself, but for the sake of solidarity with the suffering of the world:   

One of the main works of contemplation is detaching from the ego, from the self, from impure motivations of success or power, money or control. That will never stop, but it isn’t really that meaningful unless that detachment is accompanied by an attachment.  What do we find after all the months and years we’ve been practicing some form of contemplation or meditation? Do we have an increased attachment, sympathy, empathy, and compassion for what I call in The Tears of Things the suffering of the world? For the women of Gaza, the children of Ukraine, the starving people of Africa, the poorest of the poor, and all those marginalized in the United States and around the world? If the emptiness of “letting go” is not pretty soon filled up by “holding on” to some kind of deep solidarity with the suffering of the world, I don’t know that it’s Christian contemplation or even meaningful contemplation at all. It seems we’re simply back into private spirituality again.   

We’ve spent much of our history of contemplation seeking individually pure motivation. That’s a real temptation, but are we really going to spend the years ahead seeking only to be motivated to love Jesus on some private level? What does it even mean to love Jesus? What is the positive act of love? When we are in silent meditation or prayer, that’s what we’re praying is growing inside of us. As we let go of false motivations, and false, ego-based concerns, we’ve got to pray, hope, and desire for an increase in compassion, in caring, in solidarity with human suffering.   

I believe that’s what the cross means. The raised arms of Jesus are an act of solidarity and compassion with the human situation. So, as we sit in silence this morning and every morning, let’s pray that’s what we’re praying for: an increase in compassion by letting go of false purity codes and agendas, which we think make us holy or worthy of God’s love. It doesn’t matter if we have perfect motivation or a perfect practice. What is motivating us? Instead of perfection, let’s look for growth. Ultimately, we only see that growth over time as we grow in communion with those who suffer, grow in solidarity with human and beyond-human pain, and with the tears of things.  

Reference:  
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Morning Sit, December 9, 2024. Unpublished teaching.    

5.  MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/XXIRWAEVs8o?si=a7_gCaeJRYfvCK9w

6.  SHARING

• Why is it important to show compassion to people we dislike?
• How do you act with compassion toward someone who is being unkind to others?
• Is it easier to be nice to others than to yourself? Why?
• What is one kind thing I can say to myself when I need support?

7.  PRAYER AND INTENTIONS

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come before you with a heart full of gratitude and love, knowing that you are the God of compassion, comfort, and refuge.

Your word reminds me of your unwavering love and care for your children.

I am reassured that when I cry out to you, you hear me. Your promise to deliver me from all my troubles fills me with hope and trust.

Lord, in my moments of distress, when my spirit is crushed and my heart is broken, I feel your presence drawing near. Thank you for being close to the brokenhearted and for saving those who are crushed in spirit. Your love is my strength.

I praise you for being the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.

During my trials, you provide me with reassurance. You comfort me in all my troubles, and I am grateful for the peace and strength I find in you.

May I, in turn, be a source of comfort to others, sharing the comfort I have received from you with those who are in need.

You are my refuge and strength. You are ever-present, always ready to help me in times of trouble.

Lord, thank you for being my safe haven, my source of strength, and my constant support. In you, I find peace and security.

Heavenly Father, I entrust my life to you, knowing that you are my refuge, my comfort, and my deliverer.

May your love and grace guide me in all my days, and may I always seek to be a vessel of your comfort and compassion to those around me.

In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Amen.

Originally published at http://4foldlove.wordpress.com on October 24, 2023.

8.  SONG

https://youtu.be/QWqKgkx71uM?si=m2GfJE_cCak8BgAu

Holy Spirit

 

1.  Prayer

Holy Spirit Prayer of Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine (354-430) created this poetic prayer to

the Holy Spirit:

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,

That my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit,

That my work, too, may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,

That I love but what is holy.

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,

To defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,

That I always may be holy.

2.  MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/cyMxWXlX9sU?si=8crNi5Fr0Dqh_swl

3. SONG

https://youtu.be/LgguVaGqHE8?si=MSnmuivxrqK3xXcn

4.  NARRATIVE

Welcome the Holy Spirit  

Monday, May 20, 2024

In an early book, Richard Rohr names the ability to love as the essential gift of the Holy Spirit: 

At the end of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells his followers, “Stay in Jerusalem until you are covered by the power from on high” (Luke 24:49). The disciples remained as they were told until the Spirit descends upon the gathered community on the feast of Pentecost. Suddenly, there is a new vitality in the Church, a new source of power and love. Just as Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit, now the followers of Jesus are empowered by the same Spirit. 

By living in the Spirit, Jesus’ disciples can do what God does. Or as Jesus puts it, “Be compassionate, just the way your Father is compassionate” (Luke 6:36). It is by the power of the Spirit that they follow Jesus’ alternative way:  

Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you; pray for those who treat you badly. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer your other cheek. If someone takes your coat, let them take your shirt as well. Treat others the way you want them to treat you (Luke 6:27–30).  

The gift of the Spirit is God’s own power to love unconditionally—and to transform the world by that power. 

This gift of knowing the Spirit, of being able to love as God does, is the same gift we need today. We see the world on the brink of destruction, yet we are too often apathetic about it. We hear of wars and famines, yet we choose to ignore them. We watch the earth degrade around us, and we simply adjust our thermostats. Too many of us just want to be left alone, not bothered by someone else—not even God—making demands on us. All of this is evidence of something missing in our lives, and reveals that we do not really know the Holy Spirit. 

The Spirit is always a gratuitous gift. It’s always an unmerited favor. It’s always pure grace. Like wind, it cannot be seen. Like smoke, it cannot be controlled. The Spirit is elusive, blowing where it wills. Yet like fire, the Spirit can be felt. The Spirit is experienced as the warmth of God’s love. And like blood, it is experienced as an inner vitality. The Spirit is supremely intimate, yet supremely transcendent. 

To enter into relationship with the risen Christ, we have to let go of ourselves, surrender control of our lives, and let the Spirit be given to us. We think that we might lose our individuality, yet surrendering to God actually increases it. For once in our lives, we’re truly free to become ourselves rather than what others want us to be. The highest form of self-possession is the capacity to give ourselves away. By giving ourselves completely to God, we come to be possessed by God and in full possession of ourselves at the same time.   

Reference:  
Adapted from Richard Rohr and Joseph Martos, The Great Themes of Scripture: New Testament (Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1988), 72, 76–77, 87, 93, 94. 

5.  MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/z8tdXfZlZQw?si=4mdY_53Vu2P8X_sd

6.  Sharing

How does the Holy Spirit work in your lives?

7.  PRAYER AND INTENTIONS

Holy Spirit, help me to believe your truth, even when the lies seem so convincing. When I am confronted with deception, help me to recognize it and defeat it with your Word. Reveal to me the areas in which I am being deceived in my own life. I commit to casting down imaginations and everything that would contradict what you say and think about me. Holy Spirit, thank you for helping me to think according to your truth. In the saving name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

8. SONG

https://youtu.be/nF2bHZ_WUKQ?si=ISA-4-U-2F3z8CUM