Category: Prayer

Remember Your Fig Trees

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Conversion, Discipleship, Faith, Jesus, Prayer, spirituality7 Comments

Friday, August 24, 2018

Readings: Click here.

Jn 1_48 fig

Today, in Mercy, we celebrate the Feast of the Apostle Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel. As with many of the Apostles, little is known of Bartholomew’s life outside of a few Gospel stories. John’s Gospel tells the wonderful story of Nathaniel’s call by Christ.

The encounter is a very personal one. Jesus and Nathaniel share a conversation that must have impressed the other listeners because it was remembered and recounted word for word in the Gospel.

One exchange, in particular, carries deep significance for Nathaniel. Jesus says that there is no duplicity, or pretense, in Nathaniel. There is a transparency in him shared even with God. Nathaniel wonders out loud , “How do you know me?” Jesus answers, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

What was going on with Nathaniel under that fig tree? A moment of intense prayer, questioning, decision, doubt, hope? Whatever it was, Jesus had shared it, even at a distance. When Nathaniel realizes this, his faith in Jesus and vocation to follow Him are confirmed. Nathaniel professes, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Where are the fig trees in your life story — those moments when, looking back, you realize that God was with you even though seeming distant?

What were the turning points in your faith, when you came out from under the shadow of a challenging experience, to the grateful amazement that God had accompanied you through it.

What are those pivotal, intimate moments when it was just you and God – those transparent moments that changed your life?

If you can’t recall any such moments, perhaps you are not giving yourself the time and space to let God reach you.

It might be time to seek out a “fig tree” – a place of spiritual solitude where you may speak honestly and directly to God about the most important things in your life. Open your heart, like Nathaniel, to hear what God already knows about you.

Music: The Memory of Trees – Enya (Some lyrical New Age music to listen to under your fig tree!)

 

 

Taste and See!

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Eternal Life, Faith, holiness, Prayer, spirituality3 Comments

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081918.cfm

Ps34_Honey

Today, in Mercy, in the beautiful first reading from Proverbs, Wisdom builds her house and invites us to turn in to her welcoming door. Picture a lovely cottage, set in a varied garden. You are coming off a long road through the darkness. But Light shines from Wisdom’s doorway, carrying the invitation for refreshment and rest.

But there is a caveat before you partake:

Let whoever is simple turn in here …
she says,
Come, eat of my food,
and drink of the wine I have mixed!
Forsake foolishness that you may live;advance in the way of understanding.

Are we simple enough to become wise? Do we have a heart sincere enough to trust that there is an Infinity beyond our understanding Who loves and invites us from the depth of It’s Mystery?

In our Gospel, Jesus clarifies that He is the door by which we enter into the fullness of Wisdom. When we meet Him in Eucharist, in the deepest simplicity of faith, we pass through the door to Eternal Wisdom – to the sweet, infinite simplicity of God.

Today’s Responsorial Psalm offers us a refrain to thread through our prayer today:

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

This is Wisdom’s invitation offered to us in each experience of our day. May we be simple enough to hear it.

Music: Psalm 34 ~ The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir 

A Clean Heart

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Conversion, Eternal Life, Mercy, Prayer, repentance2 Comments

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081818.cfm

Ps51_clean heart

Today, in Mercy, God tells Ezekiel that each person will be judged according to her/his own ways – not according to the deeds of our parents, family or friends.

In the Gospel, Jesus blesses the innocent children and says that those in the Kingdom of Heaven must be like them.

Most of us are a long way from innocence. We have our agendas, our politics, our status, our possessions, our grudges, our prejudices that often come between us and a spiritually pure heart.

If we want to be different, today’s Psalm 51 allows us to lay it all on the heart of Jesus.   Create in me a clean heart, O Lord.

(I hope you enjoy this gentle rendering of the psalm in Hebrew.)

Music: Choneni Elohim, from Psalm 51 (Be Gracious to me O G-d) ~ Christine Jackman

I Will Carry You

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Discipleship, Faith, Jesus, Mercy, Prayer7 Comments

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081418.cfm

Today, in Mercy, Jesus tells us that he wants none of us to be lost. He wants that so much that he would leave the whole flock just to find us. That’s how precious we are to God.

Mt 18_14lamb

We’ve all felt lost to God at times – maybe through sorrow, depression, doubt, anger, distraction, self-absorption, laziness or a thousand other kinds of paralyses and sins.

We hear people – maybe ourselves – say, “I just can’t pray” or “I don’t have time to pray” or, “I’m too angry with God to pray.” Or, probably the most common excuse, “I’ll pray just as soon as I get everything else done.” Of course, we never get everything else done!

I think that sometimes we stray from God because we are afraid:

  • that our faith is not strong enough to receive God’s answer
  • that we are not good enough for God to love us
  • that we cannot measure up to honest relationship with the God of Truth

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to get past our excuses and fears. He says, “Get up here on my shoulders and let me carry you. I already know all about your excuses and fears – and I love you beyond them. Let’s go home to God’s heart.”

Music: I Will Carry You ~ Sean Clive

Pray for Priests

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Church, Community, inclusivity, Jesus, Prayer5 Comments

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080418.cfm

Today, in Mercy, we hear again about John the Baptist, the greatest prophet and preacher of all time, other than Jesus. John was so powerful that Herod thought he had come back from the dead to punish Herod’s sins.

John Vianney

Today is also the feast of St. John Vianney, popularly known as the “Curé d’Ars”. John was a simple and vibrantly devout parish priest in 19th century France. His humble holiness so transformed souls that he is considered the model and patron saint of all priests. St. John Vianney not only said, but lived, this statement:

“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.
When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God knows we need the influence of this saintly man today in the Catholic Church. It is a time when many have lost faith in the priesthood because of the heinous sins of some. That loss of faith is inevitably tied to our sacramental life. It is a tragic and profound bereavement.

Our society suffers a similar foundational trauma in so many other areas. When people of my age were young, we could trust our priests, our doctors, our police officers, our bankers, our government to safeguard our good. That trust has eroded in this time of exposure of deep-rooted, extensive corruption in once trusted institutions.

How do we restore our faith in the Church and other service institutions we have loved? We have already begun some of the work in the Church, but there is still much to be done. The work may serve as a model for other institutions:

  • Name and confront the corruption 
  • Remove the structures, myths and attitudes which allow corruption to thrive
  • Declericalize and humanize the priesthood – flatten the “power tower”
  • Support the full participation of women in all societal roles.
  • Redefine “priest” as simply one in the community of believers.
  • Pray for the many good priests who are suffering from the stigma of their errant peers and support them by our vital commitment to true Christian community.

Today, let’s pray together the prayer of St. John Vianney:

God, please give to your Church today
many more priests after your own heart.
May they be worthy representatives of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves to prayer and penance;
be examples of humility and poverty;
shining models of holiness;
tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God;
zealous dispensers of your grace in the sacraments.
May their loving devotion to your Son Jesus in the Eucharist
and to Mary his Mother
be the twin fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.
Amen.

Music: Philippians Canticle ~ John Michael Talbot
This hymn reflects the true nature of the priesthood of Jesus Christ

 

The Tiny Seed of Faith

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Faith, holiness, Jesus, Prayer, spirituality3 Comments

Monday, July 30, 2018

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/073018.cfm

Today, in Mercy, Jesus teaches us about faith with the simple parable of the mustard seed. Many of us have never seen a mustard seed — just mustard! 😀 So the short video below is helpful.

The Mustard Tree

Sometimes we feel that our faith is that small, don’t we? 

  • We have so many questions about why evil exists in the world. 
  • We wonder the classic question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
  • The religious foundation of our faith might be shaken by scandals within the Church, and the selfish hard-hearted ness of some who proclaim to be Christian.
  • Sometimes we just feel empty and disconnected from God.

Jesus tells us today to think of the tiniest seed, easily overlooked in the big garden. He says our faith is like that seed. By one small prayer, one small turning toward God, that seed will take root again in us and grow.

Music:  Faith of a Mustard Seed ~ byTwo Or More. (if you need a little “ Wake Up”!)

God’s Gentleness

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Jesus, Prayer, spirituality4 Comments

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072118.cfm

Today, in Mercy, Matthew describes Jesus as He begins to experience a mortal resistance to his message. Jesus slowly realizes that some listening to him are full of hate, fear, and deception. His response reflects the counsel he himself offered earlier in his ministry: offer the evil one no resistance.

Is42_3 and Mt Reed

Jesus does not respond to evil or sin. He confronts it. He stands firm against it. But Jesus does not stoop to argument, violence, or any other form of engagement which would legitimize evil. He will not step into the trap evil always sets for its prey. When we fight evil with evil’s own weapons, we have already lost.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus simply walks away. We can feel his sadness. His offer of eternal love and grace has fallen on recalcitrant hearts. He sees that these hearts are lost to God.

Instead, Jesus gathers around him the humble and wounded, the ones whose hearts have been softened by suffering and shadows. He gently comforts them, heals them, and leads them to a new Light. They are the bruised reeds which he does not break. They are like smoldering wicks which he tenderly rekindles with his Word.

Let us place our own bruises and flickering lights in his presence today. Let us gather the world’s hurts and darknesses in our prayer. We give ourselves to the gentle love of Jesus.

I remember this morning a beloved prayer of my youth. Some of you may remember too: The Prayer before the Crucifix 

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus,
While before Thy face I humbly kneel
And with burning soul, pray and beseech Thee,
To fix deep in my heart,
Lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity,
True contrition for my sins
And a firm purpose of amendment.
While I contemplate with great love and tender pity,
Thy five most precious wounds,
Pondering over them within me,
And calling to mind the words that David,
Thy prophet, said of Thee , my Jesus,
“They have pierced My hands and feet,
They have numbered all my bones.”

Music: My Heart Longs for a Touch
(To hear music, tap the center of the picture below.)

Rest

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Conversion, Faith, Jesus, Love, Prayer, suffering1 Comment

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071918.cfm

Today, in Mercy, Jesus stretches out his arms to all the suffering, troubled, lonely, upset people of the world. He opens his arms to us when we are feeling exhausted, confused or lost.

Mt 11_29 Rest

“Come to Me”, Jesus says. I am waiting for you. I see your burdens and distress. It doesn’t even matter if you are the cause of your own problems. I love you and I will comfort you.

Today, let’s just give ourselves, without reservation, into his loving invitation.

I Fall into Your Arms – Sean Clive

Simplicity

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Faith, holiness, Prayer, spirituality1 Comment

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071818.cfm

Today, in Mercy, Jesus thanks his Father for revealing the mysteries of heaven to the “childlike”. The original Greek word means “babies”, “ones who cannot speak”.

One response to this reading is to strive for a childlike faith – open, simple and trusting. But that is not easy. We are sophisticated persons living in a complex world. Many of us having difficulty reclaiming the single-mindedness of children in our thought processes.

simple Mt11_25_27

And yet, in terms of spiritual matters, perhaps we are not all that mature. St. Paul attested to the spiritual immaturity of the early Christians in passages like these:

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able… (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the mysteries of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. (Hebrews 5:12-13)

So, returning to today’s Gospel, what might we conclude? The ways of God are infinitely beyond our comprehension. Still, we question and parse them as if they were problems to be solved rather than mysteries to be absorbed. Our prayer becomes filled with “Why” instead of “Yes”.

When our faith becomes confused or restless, we must return like a colicky child to our all-wise and loving God, trusting that we will be soothed. In God’s embrace, we will be led deeper in faith, not by sophisticated analysis, but by the simplicity of absolute love.

Music: Simple Gifts (Yo Yo Ma and Alison Kraus)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Faith, holiness, Mary, Prayer, spirituality2 Comments

Monday, July 16, 2018

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071618.cfm

Today, in Mercy, on this Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we consider our devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Devotion is the honor we we offer Mary and the saints, hoping to imitate their holiness in our own lives. Devotion differs from adoration, which is the prayer we offer to God alone.

Some question the role or efficacy of devotion in our spiritual lives, feeling that the spiritual life is a relationship specifically to God. But for those of us who believe in the Communion of Saints, the power “mentorship” from the saints is unquestionable.

Devotions also play a key role in the early development of our faith. My own faith received abundant nourishment from my mother’s devotion to the Miraculous Medal, and my father’s unending novena to St. Joseph. Even now, in my mature years, I still return to these two devotions when faced with a critical concern.

mt Carmel

Like so many of you, my own young mastering of the Rosary gave me a loving awareness of the evolving life of Christ. And a host of beloved prayers deepened my love of God, including the Prayer before the Crucifix and St. Patrick’s Breastplate. You may want to remember your own favorite devotions – some which you may still use in times of difficulty or uncertainty.

Sacred objects can also support our developing faith – a precious medal, a special statue, a scapular, or a relic. Contemporary religious practice is less focused on these supports, but their value as simple devotional tools is abundantly proven.

What is important to remember is that the value of these devotions and sacramentals lies in their ability to lead us to relationship with God, not in any  “magic” they themselves possess.

For those of us with a special devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, (the Sisters of Mercy included), this is a day to ask Mary’s maternal favor on our lives and world. Picture yourself wrapped in her loving mantle, your deepest needs receive by her maternal heart.

Departure from the Music today – a short reflection on Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Carmelite Order.