O Root of Jesse: Isaiah 11:1, 10 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Music: O Root of Jesse – St. Meinrad Archabbey
For Your Reflection:
This is an antiphon of pure hope. How does hope blossom in your life?
Where might hope need nurturing in your life? In our world?
When you pray God’s hopeful promise in this antiphon, what confidence does it give you?
Talk with God about your hope as opposed to your wishes? They are very different things. Hopes always long for universal life. Wishes express that which would make us personally happy.
O Adonai and Lord : Isaiah 11:3b-5 He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
Music: O Adonai – sung by Zero8 Chorus, composed in German by Arvo Pärt
O Adonai O Adonai, der Herr und Führer des Hauses Israel, im flammender Dornbusch bist du dem Moses erschienen, und hast ihm auf dem Berg das Gesetz gegeben. O komm und befreie uns mit deinem straken Arm.
O Adonai Adonai, the Lord and leader of the house of Israel, In the burning bush hast thou appeared unto Moses And given him the law upon the mountain: O come and deliver us with thy powerful arm.
For Your Reflection
Is God the core and leader of your life?
What does God’s “righteousness” mean to you?
How does God want to express this “righteousness” in your life?
Talk with God about God’s hope and desire for you.
Today, we stand on the threshold of the O Antiphons, the last great expressions of our longing for the coming of Christ. As preface today, we ask for peace in the many places and souls where there is unrest. We look for any such places in our own spirits. We ask God for the courage to do what we need to do in order to bring a peace that causes rejoicing.
O Wisdom: Isaiah 11:2-3a The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
Music: The Perfect Wisdom of our God – The Gettys
For Your Reflection
How has God’s Wisdom been evident to you?
Is there something that puts you in awe of God’s Wisdom, such as the night sky, the ocean, another person’s goodness, your own spiritual growth?
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As Sisters of Mercy around the world, celebrate our 193rd Anniversary, we find ourselves in a great season of faith and gift-giving shared by those of many faith traditions!
Christians are in the midst of the season of Advent, also a time of fasting and prayer. Soon the exchange of gifts on Christmas will symbolize the love and peace we wish to give to one another in imitation of Christ Who was Gift to us.
But today I would like to speak of the beautiful celebration of Hanukkah, or the Feast of Lights. Those of Jewish faith remember in this feast the reclaiming of the Temple from their ancient enemies. Once the Temple Mount in Jerusalem had been reclaimed, the Temple had to be rededicated. According to tradition, only one jar of sacramental oil was found, enough for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, thus the eight days of Hanukkah.
This stirring faith story is one that all of us, whatever our tradition, can hear with joy and comfort. For indeed, God’s mercy is so generous that it abides with us always — for one day, for eight days, for all of the days that we live. God is with us — just like the Lights of Hanukkah — and there is nothing that can ever separate us from that Love and Presence.
It is a painful and challenging time for so much of our human family around the world. Caught in the tangle of wars, geographic displacement, and threats of political tyranny, we may be tempted to lose hope.
But God unfailingly abides with us. Remember this and rejoice when you see the lights of Hanukkah or Christmas; when you experience the generosity, forgiveness, encouragement and good will of those with whom you work and live.
Thank you for the Light each one of you offers to Creation. All Sisters of Mercy around the world pray in gratitude for you today. May that miraculous gift shine in your hearts and in the hearts of your families in this special season. Please pray for us as well.
For Your Reflection:
What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ?
What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?
Suggested Scripture: Maccabees 4: 36-61 – The Rededication of the Temple
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My mother, ever chilly even on warmer days, adored the word “flannel”. She loved to wrap her family in flannel – layettes, blankets, scarves and – above all – a good flannel shirt. Dad, who worked outside often in harsh weather, had quite a flannel wardrobe in elegant muted plaids. On a wicked winter morning, seeing him off in such protective regalia gave Mom a measure of solace against her worry.
Years later, when I ministered with people who had been left homeless, I remembered those shirts. Even as early as October, winter can make a brief, unexpected statement in our town. Someone living on the street can be caught off guard as an unannounced cold front sweeps in during the night. I began to carry an extra coat and some flannel shirts in the trunk of my car, distributing them to persons in need. Perhaps the shirts were scant shelter against a really cold bite – but they were, at least, something.
In life, there are many ways to be caught isolated, cold and alone. Despite all appearances, a person can be homeless in her heart. Most often, that little “something” is all that person needs before she is able to mobilize her own resources against a harsh season. This kind of “flannel shirt” can come in many forms when “winter” hits unexpectedly – an encouraging word, prepared meal, offered errand, a listening ear. You can always keep that kind of warmth ready, just in case you meet someone for whom the heart fires have died.
I had never thought that Mercy could be made of flannel. But, upon reflection, I think it just might be.
For Your Reflection:
What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ?
What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?
Suggested Scripture: Luke 10:25-37 – The Good Samaritan
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In today’s cell phone-saturated culture, it seems hard to believe that, in the years just after WWII, not every household had a phone. A nice little living could be made as a “runner”, a kid who answered the phone at the corner drugstore and then ran to a neighborhood house to tell someone they had a call. By the time that neighbor got back to take the call, a good ten minutes might have passed. It was definitely not an “instant society”.
Our house was lucky enough to have a phone, but we shared a “party line”. There was a family at the end of the block who used the same phone line as we did. I was taught as a little girl to very gently lift the receiver when I made a call, just in case Mr. Lambing was already on the phone. He often was, which meant that our family could not receive or make calls. Someone else had the line.
Sometimes that’s a good description of our relationship with God and our spirituality. Even though a direct line is available to us, we opt to share that line with a thousand other distractions. In this season, many of us find ourselves remembering to reflect or pray only after we have shopped, cooked, cleaned, mounted the snow tires, and put in the storm windows. When we think about lifting the receiver to talk with our souls, somebody else is already on the line – maybe somebody named “Mercedes Benz”, “J.C. Penney” or “Jim Beam”.
In the Christian tradition, we begin the season of Advent today. It is a time of waiting, preparation, and hope for the coming of God’s grace in our lives. Every religious tradition has such times: Ramadan, Lent, the Jewish holy days of Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur. Like these, Advent is a time to remember our deep relationship to our Creator and to freshen that intimacy through prayer and acts of generosity.
We need to remember that we are “blue-toothed” into God’s heart. We are like the people who wear those earbuds (who we thought were talking to us in the airport or supermarket.) We are so connected to God that all we have to do is let our hearts speak and God hears us. The challenge is that many of us have forgotten how to understand the answering language of God – the language of trust, patience, receptivity, clarity, wisdom, and silence. Sometimes, it’s really, really hard to find God’s message in the garble of our lives. It may seem like all we hear is the static of strained relationships, economic challenges, or unrealized dreams. But deep inside even all of that, God’s Word is seeking us with a message of unconditional love.
In this Holy Season, whatever our religious tradition, let’s take the time to clear our “party lines” through prayer and quiet reflection, so that all God has to do is speak – maybe through the beauty of a starlit winter night, or the gift of an honest, loving conversation, or the blessed recognition that most of us really already have everything we need – so that all God has to do is speak and we will hear.
For Your Reflection:
What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ?
What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?
Suggested Scripture: Psalm 25 from Today’s Liturgy
Friends, on November 29, 2024, you have received the last Lavish Mercy in the old pattern. For December 1st, Lavish Mercy gets a makeover. For those who missed my earlier communication, I made this decision after 10 years of the daily scripture reflections, having just about exhausted my best thoughts on them. The Spirit moved me to something new.
Below, I have sketched the pattern for most of the new reflections so that you will be comfortable navigating the redesign. Reflections will come at least weekly, but sometimes more frequently. I hope you will want to use a reflection for more than one prayer time, depending on what emotions it evokes in you. I suggest journaling as a good way to deepen your response to the reflection questions and any suggested scripture.
Most of the pattern will be familiar to my longtime readers. One new element is the “Accompanying Music”. If you choose to click the white arrow head, you will have a nice instrumental as background to your prayer. Just make sure to click it off before listening to any other music.
I would greatly appreciate knowing how you feel about the new Lavish Mercy, either by a “Like” ⭐️ or “Comment” on the page, or an email to renee.yann@gmail.com ❤️
The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; Sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb. ~from Psalm 19
Our Gospel tells the almost unbelievable story of hardy fishermen dropping their nets, family, and livelihood to follow an itinerant preacher. What could possibly make them do that?
There was a magnetism in Jesus that completely captured the first followers. His words, his judgments, his entire being reflected the Way, the Truth, and the Life. His call unleashed a force in theirs that they hadn’t known was there.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: On this eve of Advent, we ask ourselves, “Why do I follow (or fail to follow) Jesus? Are my judgments aligned with the Truth who Jesus is? What great attraction is drawing my heart to the next depth of holiness?
Poem: The Call – George Herbert (1593-1633)
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life: Such a Way, as gives us breath: Such a Truth, as ends all strife: Such a Life, as killeth death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength: Such a Light as shows a feast: Such a Feast, as mends in length: Such a Strength, as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart: Such a Joy, as none can move: Such a Love, as none can part: Such a Heart, as joyes in love.
Music: After 300 yers, George Herbert’s poem was put to music by Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Luke 21:29-31
Jesus tells his followers to be attuned to the emergence of God’s Kingdom.
The reality is that the Kingdom of God already enfolds us, but it is difficult for us to see it with our human eyes. When we see a ripe peach or tomato, we know it is ready to come to the table. But are we able to see the Spirit of God ripening in the world around us? Are we ready to pluck grace from our everyday circumstances so that God’s Reign is released into the world?
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy: We prayerfully consider all that blossoms in our daily life. Where is the invitation to holiness within our circumstances? May God lift us to pick the fruit offered.
Poetry: Go to the Limits of Your Longing – Rainer Maria Rilké
God speaks to each of us as he makes us, then walks with us silently out of the night.
These are the words we dimly hear:
You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me.
Flare up like a flame and make big shadows I can move in.
Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don’t let yourself lose me.
Nearby is the country they call life. You will know it by its seriousness.
And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you; May God’s goodness toward us endure to deliver us in our days. Sirach 50:22-24
Lavish Mercy 