Yes.

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conscious, contemplative prayer, intentions, mercy of God, petitions, Pope Francis, prayer, prayer life, quiet, St. Paul, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Timothy, tranquil, unity

In St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy, his young protégé, he urges the importance of prayer as a constant in life. I was struck this morning with many questions when I read the following:

Beloved: First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity…It is my wish then, that in every place [people] should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. (1TM 2:1-3, 8)

I immediately thought of Pope Francis and his exhortations toward mercy and unity, care for creation and one another. Then I thought of all manners of prayer and how my prayer life has changed over the years, primarily with a decrease in formal vocal prayer and an increase of intention and contemplative prayer. Do I recognize that all prayer has merit? And, I asked myself, although I try to pray with intention, how universal are the intentions for which I pray? For example, I may pray for our country or peace in the world but do I ever pray for politicians or church leaders by name? What about people for whom I hold no affection? Are they not in need of my prayer also? And might I not be changed by praying for those same individuals? What about praying for myself? Do I prepare for my prayer time by quieting myself and bringing my body, mind and spirit into oneness as much as possible? And do I give thanks at the conclusion of my prayer? So many questions…It’s a good reflection on willingness.

Today seems like a good time to start praying in a conscious, loving way for our President, the Congress, leaders of the military and those charged with public safety. That’s a big order. The first step will be a short prayer called “Yes.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Year of Mercy

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Christian, discrimination, God, healing, Holy Year of Mercy, Jubilee of Mercy, love, mercy, mercy of God, Pope Francis, reawaken, Roman Catholic, tenderness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vigilant, violence

Pope Francis has become a model, not only to Roman Catholics or Christians, but for people the world over who respond to his message of humility and love for all people as well as for the world in which we live. To point up the necessity for us to consider how we are responding to this essential message, Francis has called for a Holy Year of Mercy which begins today. Here are some excerpts from his homily for the occasion on which he announced this special year.

…Our prayer is all the more intense and becomes a cry for help to the Father, who is rich in mercy, that He may sustain the faith of our many brothers and sisters who are in pain. At the same time, we ask for the grace of conversion of our own hearts so as to move from indifference to compassion…Many question in their hearts: Why a Jubilee of Mercy today? Simply because the church, in this time of great historical change, is called to offer more evident signs of God’s presence and closeness. This is not the time to be distracted; on the contrary, we need to be vigilant and to reawaken in ourselves the capacity to see what is essential…to be a sign and instrument of the Father’s mercy. For this reason, the Holy Year must keep alive the desire to know how to welcome the numerous signs of the tenderness which God offers the whole world and, above all, to those who suffer…

Juxtaposed with all the violence and discrimination in our country and throughout the world, it is easy to agree that the message of Pope Francis is not only timely but crucial if we are to ever heal the wounds of the world. There will be much more to say in reflection on the concept and practice of mercy as the year unfolds, but for today, in this season of waiting for a new birth grounded in love, it is enough to believe that we are able – each of us and all of us – to do our part to realize the goal set forth today, to be the mercy of God in our time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watching the teacher

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humility, James, Jesus, John, love, Mark, mercy, mercy of God, Pope Francis, psalm 33, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vision

The first line of Mark’s gospel for this weekend is a bit shocking. (MK 18:35) Although the disciples occasionally seem somewhat unaware of the mission they are sharing with Jesus, we don’t often see competition among them or total misunderstanding of their position vis-a-vis Jesus. When James and John, the sons of Zebedee come to Jesus and say, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you,” we might imagine a response (if we didn’t already know the whole story) of stunned silence or a harsh reprimand, with Jesus reminding them of their mission. On the contrary, Jesus asks them what they want him to do for them. Thinking that he is going to comply with their wish, they tell him that when he has achieved glory (obviously not in the way they have in mind) they should sit on his right and his left, that is, be his most powerful associates. Introducing his response to their hubris with the statement, “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus then gives them a glimpse of what is coming, drawing the other ten (indignant) apostles into the conversation about the nature of servant ministry – his purpose and vision for himself and us.

How different our world would be if we lived by the words of Jesus in this text! Consider the result if leaders in government, church and corporate America took to heart these words: “…whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant…” We have a great example in Pope Francis, who lives the humility of Jesus so well. His words ring true because of the way he lives his life and the manner of Jesus is reflected in his actions, specifically perhaps in his interaction with reporters and others in interviews. Like Jesus in this gospel, he does not often answer questions that speak to difficult scenarios but rather poses alternative questions like: “Who am I to judge?” Then he speaks of his vision for the Church which is grounded in love and mercy, a theme that resounds in this week’s psalm refrain. (PS 33:22) In his homily of April 7, 2013 during his initial Mass as the Bishop of Rome, his first words proclaimed this vision clearly.

What a beautiful truth of faith this is for our lives: the mercy of God! God’s love for us is so great, so deep; it is an unfailing love, one that always takes us by the hand and supports us, lifts us up, leads us on.

May we learn the lessons of humility and mercy, not judging others for their missteps but treating them as Christ and Pope Francis would. In this way, we will become faithful servants to God and to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Proclaim it

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flower, greatness, Kathleen Deignan, mercy of God, proclaim, seed, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, wheat

“There is not a flower that opens, not a seed that falls into the ground, and not an ear of wheat that nods on the end of its stalk in the wind that does not preach and proclaim the greatness and mercy of God to the whole world.

“There is not an act of kindness or generosity, not an act of sacrifice done, or a word of peace and gentleness spoken, not a child’s prayer uttered, that does not sing hymns to God.”

~ Thomas Merton
(from Thomas Merton’s Book of Hours by Kathleen Deignan)