Proposed Antiphon: A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Chocolate, ...
Honey, ...
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…Scott and Hilary, Craig and Lora, Ian and Renee, Libby and Jill, Mom and Dad,
And Most of All,
YOU
Are Evidence That God Loves Us
-And Wants Us To Be Happy.
Proposed Antiphon: Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God
Cruel wintry winds
Howl, hiss and blow
Across the ice
Over the snow
Bare trees poke up
No life is seen
The ice gives all
A glassy sheen
Nothing moves
Lest blown about
High up above
Cold stars are out
Your face is numb
Your fingers chill
Breath a brief cloud
And all is still
Below the snow
Below the ice
In buried peace
Lie seeds and mice
Fish dream fish dreams
Deep in the ponds
While cruel winds whip
The cattail fronds
Chipmunks sleep tight
And dream of sun
Of nuts and grain
Of chipmunk fun
Down in the mud
The frogs all sleep
Turtles mark time
In burrows deep
Warmth will return
The ice will go
And life will rise
And water flow
Snow drops will leap
Out of their grave
Then crocuses;
These plants are brave
The buds will swell
And burst and bloom
The earth will shed
This wintry gloom
But bravest, first
Sign of the mild
The Christmas birth;
The holy Child
Reminding us
This wintry strife
Lies briefly over
Our vibrant life
From out of dark
Comes life and light
Showing us God's
Power and might.
Original Post
On Genesis 28:10-19
Antiphon: Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos
In the desert all alone
beneath his head he laid a stone
the stars looked down upon his face
in this dark desolate place.
In his dreams a ladder shone
let down from heaven to his stone
beside him holy voices spoke
out of fire and out of smoke.
"Where you go there I am too
I will always be with you"
-every place, a place of God
if floored with sand, gold, wood, or sod.
Original Post
Antiphon: Laugh with the joy of the spirit; Who stands with the humble and meek.
Dearest God, our hearts and souls are yours
And have been since time began
Before the earth brought forth mountains
And before the seas were formed
From everlasting to everlasting
You are God
At your will we return to dust and are forgotten
For a thousand years in your sight
Is like yesterday when it is past
Less than a watch in the night
Our days, our lives, even our times are swept away
They are like a dream,
Like grass that withers and dies
Grass that you renew in the morning, in the spring
With the rising of your Son.
LE
Antiphon: We Will Meet Again, The Wolves, The Fire, And I.
I am a jumble of broken parts that know nothing of each other.
It is as if a farmer opened his seed bin and found;
An acorn,
Seventeen rusty machine screws of unmatched sizes, some covered in tar,
Three quarters of an inch of bailing wire,
Half of a stale cookie,
Four ants,
And a dead mouse.
Or maybe it is as if a householder planted squash in the garden;
and watched the plants sprout, and grow and put forth leaves,
and blossom, and begin to set fruit;
only to come out one day and find them all blackened and shriveled with a blight.
Or maybe it is like a merchant who plotted a trading route;
And built a ship and set out;
And travelled for leagues and leagues,
Only to look through the glass and find his destination laid waste.
And planned a new route, a new destination,
And travelled to within sight of shore,
Only to be driven off by pirates.
But being unwearied and unbowed, he plotted yet another course
To a new destination, and sailed strange waters,
Only to be halted by impassible reefs and inhospitable masses of land.
So I sit with the fragments of the lives I have lived,
And wonder what to do, and where to go;
And I remember not long ago,
When these mismatched parts,
Somehow lined up and made a perfect and remarkable machine.
A plan of goodness;
A pathway to a new place;
The seeds of a new life.
And today
With my water running low
And my sails ragged
And my options limited;
I pray for inspiration to God;
Who knows how these broken, jumbled parts
Are remarkable, and
Can made to work together
Once again
-LE
Dearest God And Holy Father Of All,
Who Surrounds Us With Love,
Glorify Your Sacred Name,
Complete Your Holy Kingdom Here On Earth,
And Establish Your Will On Earth, As It Is In Heaven.
Increase Our Faith And Bless Us With The Holy Spirit,
Satisfy Our True Needs,
And Forgive Us Our Sins;
As We Forgive Those Who Have Harmed Us.
Shield Us From Temptation
And Save Us From Evil,
For All Power And Glory Descend From You,
Who Is Deserving Of Eternal Praise.
Amen
-LE
Slightly revised from a version written and published online by me in 2001
Antiphon: God knows the fish of the sea, and the stars of the sky, every one by its own name.
Being handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ takes bread; and giving thanks to God, he breaks it, and gives it to his disciples, saying; “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
And he also takes the cup of wine; and giving thanks, he gives it to them, saying; “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
-LE
God is awesome; God stands before time and also after;
