Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
.In Luke 21, Jesus exhorts his disciples to remain faithful. Then he describes how fraught with difficulties that faithfulness will be: denouncement, imprisonment, false judgment, disavowal by family and friends, hatred, and even death. What is so terrifying about the Gospel that it evokes these responses in its enemies? What is so powerful about the Gospel that it will sustain its believers even through such trials?
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: I ask myself, “Have I ever really suffered anything for the sake of the Gospel”? What would that suffering look like? Would it not be setting aside my selfishness for the sake of the neighbor – even the unloved neighbor? If we dare to do that, we will surely suffer.
Prose: from Walter Bruggemann in “God’s Neighborly Economy”
“Who is my neighbor?”(Luke 10:29)
The Bible is unflinching and unambiguous in its identification of the neighbor: widow, orphan, immigrant, the poor, lepers, the blind, deaf, lame … all those without viable resources or reliable advocacy.
I, John, looked and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man, with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.” So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Revelation 14:14-16
The Book of Revelation paints another image for us of the end times. We wonder about it, don’t we? The image of God reaping the harvest of which we are a part! Wow!
What will it really be like at the end of the world? Will it come in my lifetime? Will we see our beloveds again? Will we celebrate together the Second Coming of Christ? John wondered the same things we do, and today’s reading describes how he imagined the Parousia.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We spend time in prayer, not so much imagining the unimaginable, but in asking ourselves if we are ready to receive the fullness of Christ for all eternity.
Poetry: For the Interim Time – John O’Donohue
When near the end of day, life has drained Out of light, and it is too soon For the mind of night to have darkened things,
No place looks like itself, loss of outline Makes everything look strangely in-between, Unsure of what has been, or what might come.
In this wan light, even trees seem groundless. In a while it will be night, but nothing Here seems to believe the relief of darkness.
You are in this time of the interim Where everything seems withheld.
The path you took to get here has washed out; The way forward is still concealed from you.
“The old is not old enough to have died away; The new is still too young to be born.”
You cannot lay claim to anything; In this place of dusk, Your eyes are blurred; And there is no mirror.
Everyone else has lost sight of your heart And you can see nowhere to put your trust; You know you have to make your own way through.
As far as you can, hold your confidence. Do not allow confusion to squander This call which is loosening Your roots in false ground, That you might come free From all you have outgrown.
What is being transfigured here is your mind, And it is difficult and slow to become new. The more faithfully you can endure here, The more refined your heart will become For your arrival in the new dawn.
Music: The Ride of the Valkyries – Richard Wagner
Sometimes when prayer is beyond words, music may capture our feelings and speak them to God for us. I love to play this piece when praying these end-time passages.
Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come. Matthew 24:42,44
Our Gospel today is a repeat of one we had about two weeks ago, so I have focused our prayer on the Responsorial Psalm.
Stay Awake!
When I hear that phrase, I think of the cowboy movies that were popular when I was a kid. (and still are!) A couple of guys would be out in the desolate prairie, pitch dark all around. They would each take their turn on the watch after the boss’s exhortation to “Stay awake”!
Are you kidding me! We just rode all day on horseback, there is not a sound but crickets and hoot owls, there is a warm night breeze, and YOU EXPECT ME TO STAY AWAKE?
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We ask for the spiritual stamina to stay awake for God. The watch may be long, dark at times, and a little scary at others. But, as we will discover in prayer, God is already beside us in the vigil.
Poetry: Don’t Sleep – Rumi
For those of you who have troubled sleeping, this poem might be confusing. But the poem refers to the sleep of the soul, not the body.
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yes. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.” Revelation 1:5-8
Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in his 1925 encyclical Quas primas. The encyclical was written in response to growing secularism and secular ultra-nationalism. The encyclical, wedged between two World Wars, attempted to focus people’s minds and hearts on Christ whose power unites and directs us to peace rather than domination.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We pray to be agents of peace and justice in our world, sustained by our devotion to Christ who modeled his kingship by loving service, especially to the poor and marginalized.
Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands against temptation, my fingers for the struggle.
My mercy and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield, in whom I trust, who brings me to right relationship with all Creation
O God, I will sing a new song to you; with a ten stringed lyre I will chant your praise, -You who raise us up in mutual peace and deliver your servant from evil. ~ interpretation of Psalm 144
David, likely author of Psalm 144, had a few nicknames for God. By exploring these names, David deepened his understanding of God’s Presence in his life, and personalized his prayer in a meaningful way.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We consider the intimacy and power of our relationship with God – how it has changed over the years, how it is at this point in our lives. Do we, like David, have special names for God, reflecting those places in our hearts that are most vulnerable to grace? Perhaps we wouldn’t have a reason to call God “my Rock”. But maybe we might call God my Poet, my Song, my Patient One, my Confidence or my Beloved.
How is God most needed or most present to you today, and how do you name that awareness?
Poetry: Prayer Poem to the Names of God – Richard M. Fewkes
How shall we address thee who art the One of a thousand names yet ever nameless?
O Vishnu, Maya, Kali, Ishtar, Athene, Isis… Great Mother of Creation, Womb of the universe, The Feminine Divine…. Blessed art thou who hast given life to all And receiveth us at the end, forever thine…
Jupiter, Zeus, Apollo, Dionysius… Lord of creation, the masculine divine, In quest of the golden apples of Hesperides, God of ecstasy and wine, and reason sublime…
Amen, Horus, Aten, Ra… God of beginnings and endings, the soul, the ka, Soaring like a bird To the life-giving, light-giving power of the sun, All life is one…
Shiva-Shakti, Yin and Yang… The dance of life and death from hand to hand, In perfect balance the movement of forces, As the earth turns ‘neath the stars in their courses…
Rama, Krishna, Varuna, Bramah… God of the Upanishads and Rig Veda, mystic priests and the Bhagavadgita, Om Shanti, the lotus, a holy vow, Creating our own karma and reincarnation, here and now, And the ever present realization, that art Thou…
Buddha, Nirvana, the Enlightened One… Liberation sought and won, in daily life begun, Under a tree, in the sun, To a state of being indescribable, comparable to none…
Allah-Akbar and Ahura Mazda… There is no god but God, the All, Ah! the One, The Righteous One, purity of Fire. Goodness and Truth to inspire, Fight fire with fire, quench the evil desire, Let the call ring forth from minaret to spire…
El Shaddai, Adonai, Yahweh, Elohim The God of Peace be with you, Shalom Haveyreem Ten Commandments and the Law for Gentile and Jew The birth of conscience and a Day of Atonement To confess, to forgive, to begin anew…
Abba, Spiritus, Logos-Son… God in Three Persons, God in One, God in all persons: prophets, teachers, daughters and sons, The Kingdom of Heaven is within us, O let thy Kingdom come… How shall we address thee who art Alpha and Omega, The stars in their courses from Denib and Altair to Sirius and Vega?
Thou of a thousand names and yet ever nameless, Let us confess the mystery of thy holiness, Let us proclaim the wonder of One without a name, Let the silence praise thee, And the nine billion stars of thy namelessness.
How sweet to my taste is your promise! In the way of your decrees I rejoice, as much as in all riches. Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces. How sweet to my palate are your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Your decrees are my inheritance forever; the joy of my heart they are. I gasp with open mouth in my yearning for your commands. from Psalm 119
Today, I choose to pray with our Responsorial Psalm 119, a beautiful love song to God. The psalm lists everything for which we might love God.
Picture a beloved asking you, “What do you love about me? Can you make a list?” Picture God doing the same thing. Psalm 119 is one person’s list of how they love the sweetness of God. What would your list look like?
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We take time in prayer to share “love talk” with God. How does the Divine Sweetness touch us, change us? How do we return that sweetness to God by our touch upon God’s Creation?
Poetry: Song Silence By Madeleva Wolff, CSC
Yes, I shall take this quiet house and keep it With kindled hearth and candle-lighted board, In singing silence garnish it and sweep it For Christ, my Lord.
My heart is filled with little songs to sing Him— I dream them into words with careful art— But this I think a better gift to bring Him, Nearer his heart.
The foxes have their holes, the wise, the clever; The birds have each a safe and secret nest; But He, my lover, walks the world with never A place to rest.
I found Him once upon a straw bed lying; (Once on His mother’s heart He laid His head) He had a bramble pillow for His dying, A stone when dead.
I think to leave off singing for this reason, Taking instead my Lord God’s house to keep, Where He may find a home in every season To wake, to sleep.
Do you not think that in this holy sweetness Of silence shared with God a whole life long Both he and I shall find divine completeness Of perfect song?
Music: Cor Dulce – Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), sung by Benedictines of Mary
Sweet heart, most loving heart; our love wounded, our love languishing; be merciful to me.
Heart of Jesus, sweeter than honey; heart purer than the sun; Holy word of God, fullness of God’s wealth.
Thy haven for a shipwrecked world; secure portion for the faithful, defender and refuge of our minds; rest for our faithful hearts.
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes. Luke 19:41-42
When we think of Jesus’s suffering, we often think only of his Passion and Death. But, like us, Jesus suffered in many ways throughout his life. Certainly, he suffered misunderstanding, hatred, marginalization, and rejection. In today’s reading, Jesus suffers heartbreak. The ones for whom He took flesh have failed to understand the peace he offers.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We pray to understand that the Spirit of God runs in an infinite current through all of life, calling every dimension to deep union with Divinity. This union is achieved by living as Jesus lived in peace, love, obedience, justice, mercy, and joy. Until we can let the rest go, I think Jesus still weeps.
Poetry: Jesus Weeps by Malcolm Guite
Jesus comes near and he beholds the city And looks on us with tears in his eyes, And wells of mercy, streams of love and pity Flow from the fountain whence all things arise. He loved us into life and longs to gather And meet with his beloved face to face How often has he called, a careful mother, And wept for our refusals of his grace, Wept for a world that, weary with its weeping, Benumbed and stumbling, turns the other way, Fatigued compassion is already sleeping Whilst her worst nightmares stalk the light of day. But we might waken yet, and face those fears, If we could see ourselves through Jesus’ tears.
Music: Pie Jesu – Gabriel Fauré The Pie Jesu is the centerpiece of Fauré’s Requiem, which he completed in 1890. Many consider it his greatest composition.
While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’ Luke 19:11-13
This is a tough parable to get real devotional about. It’s the story of a nasty guy who wants to be king. When his campaign is repulsed, he takes it out on his servant whom he deems unproductive.
But think about where Jesus told the story. He is at the threshold of Jerusalem where, through his Passion and Death, he will reign over the universe. But Jesus will do this by the inverse of what we would expect. He will be rejected by this world to open us to the deeper essence of its heart.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: Jesus wants his followers to be productive in spreading the Gospel. He wants us to blossom in faith and service to God’s Name. We pray for the courage to exercise those gifts in faith, hope, and charity.
Prose: Prayer of Walter Brueggemann
You are the giver of all good things. All good things are sent from heaven above, rain and sun, day and night, justice and righteousness, bread to the eater and seed to the sower, peace to the old, energy to the young, joy to the babes.
We are takers, who take from you, day by day, daily bread, taking all we need as you supply, taking in gratitude and wonder and joy.
And then taking more, taking more than we need, taking more than you give us, taking from our sisters and brothers, taking from the poor and the weak, taking because we are frightened, and so greedy, taking because we are anxious, and so fearful, taking because we are driven, and so uncaring.
Give us peace beyond our fear, and so end our greed. Turn our taking into giving, since we are in your giving image: Make us giving like you, giving in joy, not taking, giving as he gave himself up for us all, giving, never taking. Amen.
Music: God Turn Me Into a Flower
What would it take to truly “blossom” for God, to be the Love that Jesus hopes for us, to take the coin of grace and enrich it by our service of the Gospel?
As you listen to this rather mysterious song, you might consider those questions.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. Luke 19:2-6
Every scripture passage has a lesson for us. And even though I’m tall, not short, there is a lesson here for me. For you too!
We want to grow in our ability to find God in every circumstance of our lives. But, at times, we may be short on the faith, hope, or charity to do so. We may be short on living the works of mercy. Not to sound hip-hop, but we may be short on “Gratitude for the Beatitude”!
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We ask Jesus to discover us in whatever metaphorical tree we might be hiding, to come under our roof, and to live at the center of our lives.
Poetry: The Stature of Zacchaeus – Amos Russel Wells (1862-1933)
Zacchaeus struggled with the crowd; A little man was he. "Vermin!" he muttered half aloud, "I'll make them honor me. Ah, when the taxes next are due, I'll tower as is meet; This beggarly, ill-mannered crew Shall cower at my feet."
Zacchaeus climbed the sycomore (He was a little man), And as he looked the rabble o'er He chuckled at the plan. "I get the thing I want," he said, "And that is to be tall. They think me short but by a head I rise above them all."
"Zacchaeus, come! I dine with you," The famous Rabbi cried. Zacchaeus tumbled into view A giant in his pride. He strutted mightily before That silly, gaping throng; You'd think him six feet high or more, To see him stride along.
Zacchaeus listened to the Lord, And as he listened, feared; How was his life a thing abhorred When that pure Life appeared! Down to a dwarf he shrank away In sorrow and in shame. He owned his sins that very day, And bore the heavy blame.
But as he rose before the crowd, (A little man, alack!) Confessed his guilt and cried aloud And gave his plunder back, I think he stood a giant then As angels truly scan, And no one ever thought again He was a little man.
Music: Zacchaeus – Miriam Therese Winter, Medical Mission Sisters
Jesus stopped and ordered that the blind man be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. Luke 18:40-42
This Gospel story is filled with images and interactions that might speak to our souls.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We consider this: What if Jesus asked you that question right now? “What do you want me to do for you?”
What would your request be? Would you be tempted to respond as if Jesus were a genie who deals in wishes not hopes?
Or would your answer grow from your deep faith as it does with this blind man? Upon his healing, heaven’s window was opened to him. The Gospel tellsus that “he followed” Jesus. His newfound vision was put fully at the service of God.
Poetry: Blind Trust – Irene Zimmerman
Bartimeus sat outside the town of Jericho. The more they told him where to go, the louder he cried.
He had no pride -- when Jesus asked he simply stared: "Lord, I want to see!" and waited to be eyed.
Lavish Mercy 