• About The Sophia Center

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

~ Spanning the denominations in NY's Southern Tier

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Tag Archives: protect

A New Beginning

01 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Holy Spirit, protect, St. Augustine, stir, strengthen, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Somewhere along the way in my life, someone told me that “It is said…” (I always want to ask: “BY WHOM?”) No matter…It is said that “snow is a new beginning.” Perhaps that thought was occasioned at the end of a storm where & when everything was covered in white and all seemed pristine (ever new, unspoiled, in its original condition). As I look out my window today, I can see the logic of that thought and it puts me in mind of the creation of the world when “the earth was formless and void and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” I had just read a prayer by St. Augustine that might be just the thing for our reflection today. See what you think.

Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my mind may turn to what is holy.
Move me, Holy Spirit, that I may do what is holy.
Stir me, Holy Spirit, that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me Holy Spirit, that I may preserve what is holy.
Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may never lose what is holy.

Prayer for the World

06 Thursday Jun 2019

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

all be one, D-Day, gratitude, protect, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

My first thoughts today are of a 96 year-old Army veteran on the news last evening parachuting “piggy-back” out of an airplane onto the beach at Normandy in France. He did the same (singly) 75 years ago today – D-Day – in the battle that changed the course of World War II. As we pray in gratitude for all those who lost loved ones in that battle and that war and for those who survived, let us pray for all the men and women who serve to protect our country. Moreover, let our over-arching goal be that expressed by Jesus in today’s gospel text.

May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. (Jn 17:21)

Song of the Refugee

02 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

courage, deliverance, fear, grief, prayer, protect, refugees, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

arefugeeToday we are again tricked by the weather to think it’s still winter. All across the midsection of the country there is a band of snow that I thought was going to miss us. The weather maps tracked it clipping the southeastern end of our state. This morning reconfirms my conviction that the only certain way to tell the weather is to look out a window or walk outside.

The snow will only be a minor inconvenience here at our house. We have winter coats and boots and even someone who comes to plow our driveway, should it be necessary. I am, however, aware this morning of the plight of refugees who do not have such luxuries, nor any basic necessities. When they leave their homes (often walking), they leave everything they have known – even the security of the concept of “home.”

The lectionary psalm for today, Psalm 16, is entitled A Song of the Refugee in an alternate translation. As I read the words I could see the streams of people, forced to leave their homes in strife-torn countries, their faces lined with grief or fear or both, looking toward safety in places foreign to them. There are no “moving vans” accompanying them and no fast food restaurants along their way. They have virtually nothing to sustain them – except their faith in God and a hope of safety. As I pray this psalm for these brothers and sisters of ours, I pray as well for the courage to stand with them to find a solution to the crises that create this shame in our world and to be part of the solution. Hear them speak, if you will, in the psalmist’s words and join them in their hope of deliverance.

Protect me, Lord, for I have fled, a refugee, to you and as I fled, I said, “Lord, you are my God; I have no other God but you…Let me offer up the cup of life for you to fill, and hold my life in yours as I hold you…I am here to listen to your counsel, Lord, your inner teachings of the heart…You take my hand in yours and hold me up…This body-mind, this spirit, all are yours, and each part finds a place to rest in you…From birth to death you are the path I walk upon.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heartfelt Prayer

11 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

care, compassion, courage, disaster, enemy, humanity, military personnel, Peace, protect, service, strength, sustain, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Veterans Day

aveteransOn this Veterans Day I think of my father, proud of his service in World War II while abhorring the thought and the reality of war. I think of those who protect us today from different kinds of enemies and those who keep the peace. I think of those whose work is in disaster areas near and far and all who have given their lives in service to our country. And I think of their loved ones. It is for all those and for the rest of us who are the beneficiaries of their service that I pray this anonymously posted prayer.

God of compassion, we pray for military personnel, offered for the sake of others and separated from family and loved ones. Care for them, meet their needs. Grant them courage, compassion, strength, and all they need for the living of these days. Sustain them through their every trial. Remind them of the humanity they share, even of those who are called “the enemy.” Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Abundant Blessings

12 Monday Jun 2017

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beatitudes, blessings, care, christians, closeness, comfort, commitment, communion, enduring, faithful, happy, harmony, Matthew, mercy, Pope Francis, protect, renounce, see God, spiritual communion, tenderness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unity, Wisdom network

unity,love and harmony by Jerrika ShiThe weekend just past was for me a time of great blessings. On Friday we welcomed a group of people – mostly new to us – who came for a workshop offered by our friend, Brigitte, here at our home. I met one of our guests, Patty, at the bus station. Patty lives in Manhattan and as we fell into easy conversation, I began to see our small town through her big city eyes. She was very interested in everything. From all reports, everyone at the workshop came and/or left very happy at all they found here. I was on the road, however, by 9:00 Saturday morning.

Saturday was full of joy in Syracuse (80 miles north) at the golden jubilee celebration of one of my companions in community for the past 50 years. By mid-afternoon I was back in the car for a glorious 2 1/2 hour ride to our Motherhouse near Albany where the energy was high. I arrived mid-stream of the annual Commitment Weekend for our lay Associates. I was happy to participate for the first commitment of four women, one of whom is a treasured member of our growing “Wisdom network.” I would think that anyone driving along the New York State Thruway during the weekend would have felt the intensity of loving, spiritual communion reaching from West to East!

Today’s lectionary readings include the gospel from Matthew, chapter 5 where Jesus preaches what we call the Beatitudes, often seen as the rule of life for Christians. Sister Mary Ellen chose this gospel reading for her jubilee celebration on Saturday as a text that has guided her living, but then she spoke of a new set of blessings given by Pope Francis as he celebrated the feast of All Saints last November in Sweden. He said on that occasion that the Beatitudes of Jesus given during the Sermon on the Mount are “the identity card” for the saints but then added that “new situations require new energy and new commitment,” and offered a new set of Beatitudes for modern Christians. Perhaps one or another or all of these will touch your heart and become a way of life and blessing for you.

– Blessed are those who remain faithful while enduring evils inflicted on them by others and forgive them from their heart.

– Blessed are those who look into the eyes of the abandoned and marginalized and show them their closeness.

– Blessed are those who see God in every person and strive to make others also discover him.

– Blessed are those who protect and care for our common home.

– Blessed are those who renounce their own comfort in order to help others.

– Blessed are those who pray and work for full communion between Christians.

“All these are messengers of God’s mercy and tenderness,” Pope Francis said. I would suggest just one change to his writing. I would suggest that we not stop at praying for Christian unity but rather pray and work for the unity of all people on earth, living in harmony in this, our common home.

Have a blessed day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirsting for God

28 Saturday May 2016

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bless, lift up, longing, name, protect, psalm 63, see, shelter, soul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thirst

awater

Sometimes I think I understand the meaning in the psalms but, as I come to appreciate the importance of experience rather than or in addition to intellectual grasp of a reality, I know I have a long way to go. Take this morning’s reading of psalm 63 for example. I’ve been thirsty in my life, especially when I’ve been doing outside work or walking a long way in the heat of the day, but I’ve never been crossing a desert without a canteen with the sun beating down on me. Can I really understand the depth of the psalmist’s cry: My soul is thirsting for you, O my God? If I stop with only that refrain, my answer is no; it seems a rather insipid expression of desire for God for someone used to running water in three rooms of our house. Thank goodness for the tug of poetic language that follows, lifting that longing to the highest pitch of the soul’s song. I suggest saying it aloud – or better yet singing it to the God who awaits our call.

O God, you are my God, eagerly I seek for you, my soul thirsts for you, my whole being longs for you in this dry and barren land where there is no water. I lift my eyes and behold! I see you standing in your holy place; I gaze and see your strength, your power, and the beauty of your face. And now I know that one drop of goodness from your hand is better far than life itself. I cannot stop these lips from praising you. So as long as life shall last for me, I will bless the name of God and lift up my hands to you in prayer. For my whole heart and soul are filled by you and satisfied as with a feast that loosens tongue and lips with songs of praise. When evening comes I go to be with you, and through the passing hours of the night I invoke your name in prayer. So whether day or night, it matters not, for you are ever at my side to guide, protect and shade as by a sheltering wing. My soul ever clings to you in joy; your strong hand reaches out and holds me fast. (PS 63: 1-8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dialogue

06 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

confusion, dreams, fear, Infinite Light, Loving Companion Presence, Nan Merrill, protect, psalm 91, Psalms for Praying, refuge, rescue, shelter, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, times of trouble

eagleThis morning’s psalm (91) is a confident prayer of trust on the part of the psalmist and a loving response from God. The translation of Nan Merrill in her book, Psalms for Praying, is a lovely rendering of this dialogue that will become my song for today. My suggestion is – if not singing – to speak the prayer aloud, hearing the response of God as if we were the most beloved of creatures, because we are.

Psalmist: Those who dwell in the shelter of Infinite Light, who abide in the wings of Infinite Love, will raise their voices in praise: “My refuge and my strength, in You alone will I trust. For you deliver me from the webs of fear, from all that separates and divides; You protect me as an eagle shields its young. Your faithfulness is sure, like an arrow set upon the mark. I  will not fear the shadows of the night, nor the confusion that comes by day, nor the dreams that awaken me from sleep, nor the daily changes that life brings…”

God: Because you cleave to Me in love, I will deliver you; I will protect you who call upon my Name. When you call to Me, I will answer you; I will be with you in times of trouble. I will rescue you and reverence your life. All through the years will I dwell in your heart, as Loving Companion Presence, forever.

Donate to The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Donate

Our other websites

  • Main website
  • Facebook page

Visitors

  • 100,582 hits

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,046 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • The “O Antiphon” Meditations
  • Memorial to be held this Sunday
  • Mark your calendars
  • A note to readers
  • “Hope Springs Eternal…”

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Archives

  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Join 560 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...