Thus says the LORD: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel… … They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble. Jeremiah 31:7;9
Jeremiah was a pretty gloomy prophet because he lived in pretty gloomy times. Nevertheless, Jeremiah understood the nautre of “joy” – that heartfelt recognition that God abides with us, loves us, and heals us no matter our circumstances.
We have all met peole whose joy, despite difficulty, astounds us. Their faith inspires us, and their strength invites us to tap into that deep, unquenchable river of grace in our own hearts.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We pray for the gift of that deep joy which is rooted in relationship with God, and sustained by persevering faith.
Poetry: Unholy Sonnet II – Mark Jarman
Half asleep in prayer I said the right thing
And felt a sudden pleasure come into The room or my own body. In the dark, Charged with a change of atmosphere, at first I couldn’t tell my body from the room. And I was wide awake, full of this feeling, Alert as though I’d heard a doorknob twist, A drawer pulled, and instead of terror knew The intrusion of an overwhelming joy. I had said thanks and this was the response. But how I said it or what I said it for I still cannot recall and I have tried All sorts of ways all hours of the night. Once was enough to be dissatisfied.
Brothers and sisters: Grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift…
… living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole Body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love. living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole Body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:7;15-16
There is a grace, inherent in each of us, that can make us physically, spiritually, and emotionally elegant. Some people move, speak, write, and behave with grace. It is a natural gift that may be enhanced by our openness to God’s gentle power in our lives.
But there is another kind of infinite grace that is a pure gift from God. When we receive such grace, we receive a share in God’s own life.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of Uncreated Grace in human form, that gift of eternal, inexhaustible Love which invites our full surrender to its transformative power.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: God’s Love for us is so vast as to be incomprehensibe. Like a star in the seemingly distant heavens, it still touches us with its light, still donates its stardust to our body. We pray to be grateful, open, awed, and obedient to its urging in our lives.
Poetry: That Lives in Us -Rumi (interpreted by David Ladinsky)
If you put your hands on this oar with me, they will never harm another, and they will come to find they hold everything you want. If you put your hands on this oar with me, they would no longer lift anything to your mouth that might wound your precious land- that sacred earth that is your body. If you put your soul against this oar with me, the power that made the universe will enter your sinew from a source not outside your limbs, but from a holy realm that lives in us. Exuberant is existence, time a husk. When the moment cracks open, ecstasy leaps out and devours space; love goes mad with the blessings, like my words give. Why lay yourself on the torturer’s rack of the past and future? The mind that tries to shape tomorrow beyond its capacities will find no rest. Be kind to yourself, dear- to our innocent follies. Forget any sounds or touch you knew that did not help you dance. You will come to see that all evolves us. If you put your heart against the earth with me, in serving every creature, our Beloved will enter you from our sacred realm and we will be, we will be so happy.
I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace; one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6
Paul encourages the Ephesian community to live a life worthy of their call. The same encouragement comes down through the ages to us. The unique blessing of our Baptism deserves a worthy response from us, one characterized by humility, gentleness, patience, love, unity, peace, and hope.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We examine our lives for the evidence of these virtues. They should not only be present in our desires but, more importantly, in our actions and choices.
Poetry: Annunciation – Denise Levertov Mary is the perfect and complete model of the worthy life Paul calls us to.
We know the scene: the room, variously furnished,
almost always a lectern, a book; always the tall lily. Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings, the angelic ambassador, standing or hovering, whom she acknowledges, a guest.
But we are told of meek obedience. No one mentions courage. The engendering Spirit did not enter her without consent. God waited.
She was free to accept or to refuse, choice integral to humanness.
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Aren’t there annunciations of one sort or another in most lives? Some unwillingly undertake great destinies, enact them in sullen pride, uncomprehending. More often those moments when roads of light and storm open from darkness in a man or woman, are turned away from in dread, in a wave of weakness, in despair and with relief. Ordinary lives continue. God does not smite them. But the gates close, the pathway vanishes.
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She had been a child who played, ate, slept like any other child – but unlike others, wept only for pity, laughed in joy not triumph. Compassion and intelligence fused in her, indivisible.
Called to a destiny more momentous than any in all of Time, she did not quail, only asked a simple, ‘How can this be?’ and gravely, courteously, took to heart the angel’s reply, perceiving instantly the astounding ministry she was offered:
to bear in her womb Infinite weight and lightness; to carry in hidden, finite inwardness, nine months of Eternity; to contain in slender vase of being, the sum of power – in narrow flesh, the sum of light. Then bring to birth, push out into air, a Man-child needing, like any other, milk and love –
but who was God.
This was the moment no one speaks of, when she could still refuse.
A breath unbreathed, Spirit, suspended, waiting.
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She did not cry, ‘I cannot. I am not worthy,’ Nor, ‘I have not the strength.’ She did not submit with gritted teeth, raging, coerced. Bravest of all humans, consent illumined her. The room filled with its light, the lily glowed in it, and the iridescent wings. Consent, courage unparalleled, opened her utterly.
Music: Benedicta et Venerabilis
Benedicta et venerabilis es, Virgo Maria: quae sine tactu pudoris inventa es Mater salvatoris. Virgo Dei Genitrix, quem totus non capit orbis, in tua se clausit viscera factus homo.
Blessed and venerable art thou, O Virgin Mary, who, without spot, wast found the Mother of the Saviour. Virgin Mother of God, He whom the whole world containeth not, being made man, shut Himself in thy womb.
I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19
Paul blesses his beloved Ephesian community with these stirring words:
..May you know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge…
Ephesians 3:19
We, and the Ephesians who receive this blessing, are reminded that we cannot comprehend or analyze God’s infinite love for us. Neither can we rationalize what that Love calls us to.
Today in God’s Lavish Mercy: We ask for the grace of holy abandonment, letting ourselves rest in God’s Love without reserve, question, or calculation. May that same generous trust inspire our gift of Love to others in God’s name.
Thought: from Bishop Silvio José Báez, O.C.D.
We can abandon ourselves to God and totally trust God even without fully comprehending God’s ways; it’s a source of inexhaustible joy.
And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. Luke 12:42-44
In the language of his times, Jesus defines the attributes of a good steward: faithfulness, loyalty, dependability, justice, and mercy. We are the stewards of God’s Creation, given into our hands by our loving Creator.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We pray to recognize God’s trust invested in us. Through our relationships with all God’s creatures, may we tend faithfully to all that God has loved into being.
Thought: from poet Jane Kenyon
Be a good steward of your gifts. Protect your time. Feed your inner life. Avoid too much noise. Read good books, have good sentences in your ears. Be by yourself as often as you can. Walk. Take the phone off the hook. Work regular hours.
Music: Elk Creek in the Fall – Kathryn Kaye
As the weather begins to change, I think this is a nice song to use for meditation as it brings us into relationship with natural Creation.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Luke 12:35-37
Jesus wants us to be uniquivocally attuned to his presence – to be vigilant for him in all life’s circumstances, even death.
When I imagine “vigilance”, I think of my cat Mary. It may seem like a crazy comparison but those of you who have cats will understand. If Mary heard a critter somewhere in our pantry, she would freeze at attention sometimes for hours. She knew what she wanted, and she was vigilant to access it.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We pray to have an unwavering desire and vigilance for God’s Presence in our lives.
Poetry: from Jubilate Agno – Christopher Smart (1722-1771)
Jubilate Agno (“Rejoice in the Lamb”) is a religious poem written between 1759 and 1763. It is a long poem divided into four sections. His section of Jeoffry is just part of his larger desire to give a “voice” to nature, and Smart believes that nature, like his cat, is always praising God but needs a poet in order to bring out that voice.
If you are not a cat lover, you probably will not read the whole segment, but do go to the bolded section about halfway through to see a connection with “vigilance”.
For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry. For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him. For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness. For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon his prayer. For he rolls upon prank to work it in. For having done duty and received blessing he begins to consider himself. For this he performs in ten degrees. For first he looks upon his forepaws to see if they are clean. For secondly he kicks up behind to clear away there. For thirdly he works it upon stretch with the forepaws extended. For fourthly he sharpens his paws by wood. For fifthly he washes himself. For sixthly he rolls upon wash. For seventhly he fleas himself, that he may not be interrupted upon the beat. For eighthly he rubs himself against a post. For ninthly he looks up for his instructions. For tenthly he goes in quest of food. For having consider'd God and himself he will consider his neighbour. For if he meets another cat he will kiss her in kindness. For when he takes his prey he plays with it to give it a chance. For one mouse in seven escapes by his dallying.
For when his day's work is done his business more properly begins. For he keeps the Lord's watch in the night against the adversary. For he counteracts the powers of darkness by his electrical skin and glaring eyes. For he counteracts the Devil, who is death, by brisking about the life.
For in his morning orisons he loves the sun and the sun loves him. For he is of the tribe of Tiger. For the Cherub Cat is a term of the Angel Tiger. For he has the subtlety and hissing of a serpent, which in goodness he suppresses. For he will not do destruction, if he is well-fed, neither will he spit without provocation. For he purrs in thankfulness, when God tells him he's a good Cat. For he is an instrument for the children to learn benevolence upon. For every house is incomplete without him and a blessing is lacking in the spirit. For the Lord commanded Moses concerning the cats at the departure of the Children of Israel from Egypt. For every family had one cat at least in the bag. For the English Cats are the best in Europe. For he is the cleanest in the use of his forepaws of any quadruped. For the dexterity of his defence is an instance of the love of God to him exceedingly. For he is the quickest to his mark of any creature. For he is tenacious of his point. For he is a mixture of gravity and waggery. For he knows that God is his Saviour. For there is nothing sweeter than his peace when at rest. For there is nothing brisker than his life when in motion. For he is of the Lord's poor and so indeed is he called by benevolence perpetually—Poor Jeoffry! poor Jeoffry! the rat has bit thy throat. For I bless the name of the Lord Jesus that Jeoffry is better. For the divine spirit comes about his body to sustain it in complete cat. For his tongue is exceeding pure so that it has in purity what it wants in music. For he is docile and can learn certain things. For he can set up with gravity which is patience upon approbation. For he can fetch and carry, which is patience in employment. For he can jump over a stick which is patience upon proof positive. For he can spraggle upon waggle at the word of command. For he can jump from an eminence into his master's bosom. For he can catch the cork and toss it again. For he is hated by the hypocrite and miser. For the former is afraid of detection. For the latter refuses the charge. For he camels his back to bear the first notion of business. For he is good to think on, if a man would express himself neatly. For he made a great figure in Egypt for his signal services. For he killed the Ichneumon-rat very pernicious by land. For his ears are so acute that they sting again. For from this proceeds the passing quickness of his attention. For by stroking of him I have found out electricity. For I perceived God's light about him both wax and fire. For the Electrical fire is the spiritual substance, which God sends from heaven to sustain the bodies both of man and beast. For God has blessed him in the variety of his movements. For, tho he cannot fly, he is an excellent clamberer. For his motions upon the face of the earth are more than any other quadruped. For he can tread to all the measures upon the music. For he can swim for life. For he can creep.
Music: Les Matins – Oskar Schuster
The every-night monastic canonical hour that later became known as Matins was at first called a vigil, from Latin vigilia. For soldiers, this word meant a three-hour period of being on the watch during the night. Even for civilians, night was commonly spoken of as divided into four such watches: the Gospels use the term when recounting how, at about “the fourth watch of the night”, Jesus came to his disciples who in their boat were struggling to make headway against the wind, and Psalm 90 says to the Lord: “A thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a vigil in the night.”
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Luke 12:13-15
We’ve all heard the all too true adage, “You can’t take it with you.” That’s the lesson in Jesus’s parable today. But the story conveys an even broader meaning. It is not only greed for possessions that waylays us, it is the distraction they cause from the true essence of life in God.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We ask for the courage and grace to focus our lives on God and God’s Creation. Within that focus, we will have a clearer understanding of what we truly need in life and what is simply a diversion.
Poetry: I Dream a World … – Langston Hughes
I dream a world where man No other man will scorn, Where love will bless the earth And peace its paths adorn I dream a world where all Will know sweet freedom's way, Where greed no longer saps the soul Nor avarice blights our day. A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the earth And every man is free, Where wretchedness will hang its head And joy, like a pearl, Attends the needs of all mankind- Of such I dream, my world!
Music: Mercedes Benz – Janis Joplin
Joplin’s rock song might move us to realize that, even in unrecognized greediness, we sometimes ask God for the wrong things.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized – Mark 10:35-39
In this familiar passage, Jesus calls James and John to a new level of discipleship. They may not have fully realized the implications of their enthusuastic request. Jesus makes it clear: there is no easy road to glory but he will accompany us throughout the journey.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We ponder what God may be requiring of us to go deeper into our spiritual life. We are already spiritual people, but are there small things, unnoticed things, that would bring us more into alignment with the Gospel? Or, perhaps, are there big things that we must face and change in order to be true disciples?
Poetry: Hymn – Micah Mattis
“Great is thy faithfulness,” Say the leaves to the light. “Oh God, my father,” Says darkness to night.
“There is no shadow,” Says the eye to the sun. “Of turning with thee,” As tears start to burn.
“All I have needed,” Says the sand to the storm. “Thy hand has provided,” Say the combs to the swarm.
“Great is thy faithfulness,” Says the cup to the brim. “Lord unto me,” Say I to him.
Music: Great Is Thy Faithfulness – Thomas Chisholm and William Runyan
Hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all the holy ones, I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe’ Ephesians 1:15-19
Paul’s grateful acknowledgement of the Ephesians could very well be bestowed on the North American martyrs whose lives we commemorate today. Their love of Jesus and the Gospel was unquencable even unto death. To read their stories, click this link:
Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.” Luke 10:3-9
Our first reading reveals a young Luke who, by his faithful accompaniment of Paul, is already dedicated to the spread of the Gospel.
Our Gospel defines those choices a true disciple must make in order to sustain such dedication: simplicity, selflessness, peace, practicality, mercy, faith.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We ask Jesus to strenghten the gift of discipleship in our hearts that we may be, in our times, what his followers were in his.
Prose: from “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
So long as Levi (Matthew) sits at the receipt of custom, and Peter at his nets, they could both pursue their trade honestly and dutifully, and they might both enjoy religious experiences, old and new. But if they want to believe in God, the only way is to follow his incarnate Son…Had Levi stayed at his post, Jesus might have been his present help in trouble, but not the Lord of his whole life.
It is only the call of Jesus which makes it a situation where faith is possible…a situation where faith is possible can never be demonstrated from the human side. Discipleship is not an offer we make to Christ. It is only the call which creates the situation.
Music: Brothers (from “The Mission”) – Ennio Morricone
Lavish Mercy 