I'm away on retreat so I'm not posting as often as usual. I'm praying for you and ask you to pray for me while I'm here in Gloucester. Perhaps this evening you you might find a quiet place... a quiet time... take a few deep breaths... and join me in prayer...
Years ago, I wrote a song, based on a friend's cross-country bike trip,
and the first line was:
Just to be here, not to worry about where else I should be...
That's how I'm feeling on retreat here:
the experience of being in the right place,
at the right time, in the right company
- your company, Lord!
Of course, it's a huge help
to be away from my usual surroundings,
in a place of peaceful quiet,
on the edge of the Atlantic,
all for the purpose of spending time with you...
But I know, Lord, there's no place on earth
and never a wrong time
to slow down, close my eyes, take a few deep breaths
and open my heart to you:
you're always standing by, always waiting,
always ready to keep me company,
to listen patiently to my tale of woe,
to offer a shoulder for me lean on,
and a gentle hand to wipe the tears from my face...
Just to be here, not to worry
about where else I should be...
You're always at my side, Lord,
I don't even need to turn to find you:
I need only open my eyes, my mind, my heart
and welcome your presence, your peace,
your patient waiting for me to say hello...
And if hello is all my prayer can muster,
well, I know you're fine with that, Lord,
because more than anything else
it's our meeting that you desire,
our coming together,
our face-to-face for some quality time
and even if we spend that time in silence, you and I,
I'm very much aware of how blessed I am to be able to go away for 8 days and, on the Atlantic shore,spend time with the Lord...
I wish you could all come with me! But since that's not possible, I invite you to join me in spirit and in prayer. I came across this verse today, Psalm 19:41
Lord, let your love come upon me...
Those words capture what I hope will be my experience while on retreat - and you don't need to be away on retreat to pray this with me!
Lord, let your love come upon me,
let your love envelop me cover me overshadow me
guide me fill me
comfort me overwhelm me engulf me anoint me
quiet me
caress me
support me
heal me flood me
lead me
still me
hold me
strengthen me
melt me
lift me
challenge me
anoint me inebriate me infuse me
mold me, bathe me surround me
seduce me
grip me
calm me engage me embrace me feed me touch me...
Let your love come upon me from above and below from my left and my right from behind and before me
from every direction
from inside and out,
Lord, let your love come upon me...
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
Away on retreat or at home or at work, God looks upon us with love, always seeking to touch us, fill us, surround us with love. Spend some time tonight and over the days ahead, praying, "Lord, let your love come upon me..."
I''m about to leave for an 8 day retreat at Eastern Point Retreat House, on the coast in
Gloucester, MA. Over the years I've made many retreats here, the first being 51 years ago, my ordination retreat in 1973.
I'll be making a directed retreat which means the 8 days will be spent in
silence, broken only by a daily conversation with my retreat director
and with prayer and song at Mass each day. The house rule for the rest
of the time is silence, including meal times in the dining room.
People often ask if I find the silence difficult to handle: not at all! I
find the quiet to be a peaceful stillness that restores
my soul and refreshes my prayer and my relationship with Jesus.
What does one do with all that silent time on a directed retreat? It's
time to slow down, rest, pray, renew, read, reflect, pray, ponder,
remember, wonder, pray - and to see a little more clearly, a little more deeply, how the Lord is moving and wants to
move in my life... I need and look forward to all of that!
While I'm on retreat I'll post here as the Spirit moves me - but I'm fairly certainly the Spirit won't nudge me more than once a day!
Here's an old photo I took of the chapel in the main house at Eastern Point.
(That's the tabernacle in the center; the windows overlook the rocks and
the ocean; and there are chairs all around the perimeter of the room.)
I'll be praying for you in this simple beautiful chapel and would be
grateful for your prayers for me in return.
Chapel at Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester
Pick me up, Lord,
and dust me off:
polish my tarnished spots...
Give me a kick
just where I need it to get me going again...
Open my eyes
to see what's before me
now, in the moment, today...
Jump start my will
to do the right thing
as fully as I may be able...
Breathe in my soul,
fill my heart to the brim
with the peace and joy of your Spirit...
Grant me the grace of a new brand new day,
blessed by your wisdom and truth...
And stay with me, Lord, hour by hour,
step by step by my side...
And when day is done I pray for good rest
till you shake me awake in the morn...
Passover begins at sundown today, April 21, and will conclude on Tuesday, April 30. This year the joy of Passover will be tempered by the tragic situation in the Holy Land. For our meditation tonight I turn to my friend, Alden Solovy, and his beautiful prayer: "Children of Gaza, Children of Israel."
Dear Children,
What can we say to you in times of war?
What can we say when you run for shelter, not for joy,
When you hide, not to seek, but huddle in fear?
No, it is not a game when you
Cry tears of dread in the night.
O grief,
O war and terror,
You have stolen our children.
You have stolen our rest.
And now you wish to steal our hope
In tomorrow.
Children of Gaza and Israel,
We pray for you to find each other,
In laughter and friendship,
Before someone teaches you
Anger and hatred,
While you are still pure with
Curiosity and wonder.
Children of Israel and Gaza,
We pray for you to find comfort
In the cradle of your mothers’ arms,
In the bosom of quiet and peace,
Without rocket or mortar to break
The gentle stillness of the air,
The lovely silence of the night.
One G-d,
Maker of All,
Is this too much to ask?
Is this too much to dream?
That one day all children of the world
Will run with glee toward one another,
Will hold hands together in delight,
To skip and twirl and dance
To the rhythms of peace?
The scriptures for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (4/21 this year) always offer images of Christ as the Good Shepherd. Eight years ago I wrote this Good Shepherd Monday Morning Offering. Of all the prayers I've written over 17 years of blogging, this is one of my favorites. Here's the latest rendition...
With yesterday's scriptures
still in my mind and heart, Lord,
I offer you this prayer: shepherd me through the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, temptations and graces
that come my way every day...
Shepherd me, O God,
from here to there, from where I am
to where I'm meant to be, from one moment to the next, from today into tomorrow, from my past into my future...
Shepherd me, O God,
from yesterday's problems
through today's dilemmas
to the peace your Spirit offers..
Shepherd me, O God, from memories that hold me back to a future I've yet to experience...
Shepherd me, O God, from my failings, sins and errors to the grace of a new beginning...
Shepherd me, O God, from fantasies and daydreams to a life that's authentic and certain...
Shepherd me, O God,
far from all my foolish ways
to the path where Wisdom beckons...
Shepherd me, O God, from selfishness and greed to a generous, giving spirit...
Shepherd me, O God, from arrogant pride to humble self-knowledge...
Shepherd me, O God, from the lies I've come to believe to the truth that sets me free...
Shepherd me, O God, from all that's less than pure to what's clear and clean and chaste...
Shepherd me, O God, from my lazy habits to work that satisfies and serves...
Shepherd me, O God, from mindless wandering to the path you'd have me walk...
Shepherd me, O God, from flirting with temptation to doing what is right...
Shepherd me, O God, from prejudice and bias to understanding and acceptance...
Shepherd me, O God, from wasting what I have to sharing all that's mine...
Shepherd me, O God, from hopelessness and fear to confidence and trust in you...
Shepherd me, O God, from feeling sorry for myself to gratitude for all I have...
Shepherd me, O God, from doubts that cloud my thoughts to faith that clears my soul...
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
God is my shepherd, so nothing shall I want,
I rest in the meadows of faithfulness and love,
I walk by the quiet waters of peace.
Gently you raise me and heal my weary soul,
you lead me by pathways of righteousness and truth,
my spirit shall sing the music of your Name.
Though I should wander the valley of death,
I fear no evil, for you are at my side,
your rod and your staff, my comfort and my hope.
You have set me a banquet of love in the face of hatred,
crowning me with love beyond my pow'r to hold.
Surely your kindness and mercy follow me all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of my God forevermore.
On Sundays, Night Prayer will focus on an element from the day's celebration of Mass. Tonight we'll pray for the help of the Good Shepherdwho searches out and finds us, his sheep, when we're lost...
Good Shepherd, you have in me a wild and crazy sheep in love with thorns and brambles. But please don’t get tired of looking for me! I know you won’t. You have found me. All I have to do is stay found.
Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever felt like you could disappear? Like you could fall, and no one would hear?
Well, let that lonely feeling wash away Maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay 'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand You can reach, reach out your hand
And oh, someone will coming running And I know, they'll take you home
Even when the dark comes crashing through When you need a friend to carry you And when you're broken on the ground You will be found
So let the sun come streaming in 'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again Lift your head and look around You will be found...
There's a place where we don't have to feel unknown And every time that you call out You're a little less alone If you only say the word From across the silence your voice is heard
Oh, someone will come running
to take you home
Even when the dark comes crashing through When you need a friend to carry you When you're broken on the ground You will be found So let the sun come streaming in 'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again If you only look around You will be found
(You will be found)...
Out of the shadows The morning is breaking And all is new, all is new It's filling up the empty And suddenly I see that All is new, all is new
You are not alone
(You are not alone)...
Even when the dark comes crashin' through When you need someone to carry you When you're broken on the ground You will be found! So when the sun comes streaming in 'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again If you only look around You will be found....
Every year, the gospel on the Fourth Sunday of Easter tells us about the Good Shepherd. You might want to pray over Psalm 23 this morning before moving on to my Pause for Prayer for Good Shepherd Sunday...
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the meadows where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Lord, it's hard to imagine wanting for nothing but I love what you promise in Psalm 23: meadows, fresh and green? that sounds great! restful waters to lift my spirits? I'll dive right in!
Shepherd me to just such a place, Lord - not a vacation spot - but a place in my heart, in my soul, where solace abounds because you're there for me with gifts of peace that only you can give... So many needs and problems nagging me, so many fears and concerns haunting me, too many worries and distractions keeping me from just that place within where I know you wait, inviting me to come, to settle down and find my rest in you... Sometimes you give me grace to see what I so often miss: my running too fast, my waste of time, my selfishness; my thinking I'll get by without your help, that I can do it all alone... Without your shepherd's lead I lose my way; without your shepherd's crook I go astray; without your shepherd's voice to call my name I wander in dark valleys, lost in grief and fear... But you're there by my side, always my shepherd; your crook pulls me back when I’ve run off from the meadows of your presence and your peace... you call my name to call me home, home where I belong…
Guide me on my journey, Lord, on the right path: be true to your name and call me to be true to your word. When I step away from your side, find me, bring me back and show me the way you'd have me walk... Turn me around and let me see how close you are, Lord; with your crook and your staff give me comfort and hope; open my heart and my ears to your voice and your word, and grant me the peace you offer each day... When I'm hungry for bread and thirst for your mercy: prepare a banquet to nourish my soul with your wisdom, and fill me with your grace and goodness...
Help me see, Lord, how I'll only want for nothing when nothing comes between you and me and the peace you give to lift my drooping spirit...
In the quiet of my prayer, good Shepherd, let me rest in your presence and find the peace that waits for me each time I listen for your voice...
In the stillness of your meadow: calm my soul, forgive my heart; anoint me with your pardon and fill me with your Spirit... In the quiet of my prayer, Lord, let your light shine in my dark valley and with your shepherd's crook dispel my fears and comfort me...
Click on the bible above to find the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter and brief commentary on them.
What's Your Story? Homily for April 21
A Sung Blessing
A prayer for when you're worried, anxious, afraid...
Help for Haiti
Reach out to the people of Haiti with health care, education and community development through Health Equity International (formerly known as the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation).