Father's day

Dear Heavenly Father,

I lift up this humble man, my father-in-law, to you this Father's Day.
He has led his family with honor, consistency and love.
He has provided for his children, and their children, and their children's children, with the generosity of a saint.
He has welcomed in his daughter and son-in-laws with open arms, support and love - as if we were his own.
He has lead his family, lived his life with his faith right out in front, a model for so many.

Bless the hands that welcomed children, grandchildren and great-grand children into the world.
Bless the hands that changed diapers, rocked babies, guided toddlers, taught pre-schoolers, coached t-ball, attended innumerable basketball and soccer games, baptisms, graduations and weddings.
Bless the arms that encircled us when we were joyful, sad, angry and pleased.
Bless the man that shared his garage tools as his children learned to use their hands.
Bless the lap that held so many young ones as they learned about life through progressive rummy.
bless the legs tha have hiked, walked, bicycled and carried so many through life. 
Bless the many miles he has traveled and the multitudes he has touched, one heart at a time.
Bless the smiles, the open arms the huge heart, that makes him who he is.

Thank you for this man, this intelligent, articulate, gentle and quiet man who shows us how to live in Your love everyday.
Thank you for his amazing contributions to the world, in his service to his country, the many flight hours logged, his participation in NASA projects, and Hughes Aircraft satellite programs.
We'll never know just how much this man has done.

Thank you for his memory of days gone by - for his stories are inspiring to several generations.
Thank you for his energy to stay active into his 90's, playing golf, river rafting, para-sailing and who knos what's next!  He inspires us to live fully, right up to our human limitations.

May we accept this gift of this man that you have given us.
May we share with him how we treasure his presence in our lives.
May we learn through his undying faith, love and generosity.

Grant him continued health, strength and happiness.
How blessed is our family to be led by this sweet, sincere, capable man of God!


Amen.

Monsignor P's birthday prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

I lift up this humble man, our Monsignor P, up to You; this humble man who has chosen to lead Your people.

Bless his hands:

-the hands that have blessed us

-the hands that have lifted up Your Body and Blood for us

-the hands that have given absolution for our sins

-the hands that have baptized our babies and loved ones

-the hands that have comforted our dying relatives and friends

-the hands that have administered the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick

-the hands that have embraced our broken hearts

-the arms that open wide for each of us

Bless his ears:

-the ears that have heard our sins

-the ears that have listened to our brokenness

-the ears that have been so patient as our stories tumble out

Bless his eyes:

-the eyes that have conveyed love and care

-the eyes that sparkle with impishness and youth

-the eyes that see our pain, our love, our joy

Bless his lips, mouth and voice:

-the lips that have uttered words of hope

-the mouth that conveys love, respect and awe for You, Almighty Father

-the voice that sings with a beautiful melodic genuine song of praise to You.

-the mouth that proclaims the gospel

-the lips that whisper prayers of comfort

-the lips that eat your body and drink your blood

-the lips that proclaimed the words of the Sacraments

-the mouth that shares in the goodness of food and drink with all of us

-the face that smiles and welcomes us in

Bless his health:

-Give him strength for all his days

-Bless him with the vigor and spunk of a young traveler

-Protect his heart, fill him with Your unbridled love to share with us

-Keep him free from injury or illness, that he may continue to lead your people without limitations

-Protect his mental health; his cheerful disposition, his indomitable sense of humor, his happy heart,
his focus on eternity; may he always feel loved and treasured by his people.

Thank you for the gift of this humble, but very capable leader for our parish.

Help us each to know what we might provide for him.

May he continue to lead souls to You with his spunky, delightful, reverent, sincere and unique way.  

How blessed we are to be in this parish with Your sweet Msgr P at the helm!

to a new mom in the Parents of Murdered children group...

To a new mom in  our Parents of Murdered children group;

I'm so sorry that you qualify to be here with us, losing your precious son. All of our stories are different, but all of our hearts have been ripped open.  We have each found our way to arrive at this day; all on a different path, but in the same murky jungle.   We will hold the flashlight for you to find your path, too.  We love you.  We will hold the space for you to talk, to scream, to yell, to love, to remember, to run away in fear, to walk ahead in courage...sometimes all on the same day. 

Be gentle with yourself, for you have suffered a most profound loss.  It will take time for your whole being to absorb the impact.    When you feel frozen or stuck - take the next step...even if you don't know exactly which way to go.  It's easier to redirect once you get going and find a little clarity and proceed from there. 

We are all here for you.   When you feel the anxiety start to rise - reach out day or night; PM one, post to all, but reach out...even if you can't quite figure out what to say or how you're feeling.

Try on all suggestions.  Keep the ones that fit at the moment, and let the rest go. 

Baby steps. 
You are not alone.   Ever.   

Human Senses at Christmastime

Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you today in thanksgiving for the senses you have given me.  May I always find you in the world through my senses.  My eyes will delight in your creation - the majestic views of mountains, oceans, meadows and night skies; the tiny detail of a spider web, the brilliance of a marigold, the sparkle of the morning dew on the grass,  the symmetry of the Noble fir tree, your Strength reflected in the Coastal Redwoods and the Giant Sequoia. 

My ears will hear Your whispers in my heart in the constancy of the ocean waves, the awesomeness of the lightning in a storm, the tender rustling of the leaves, the insistent chirp of the meadowlark, the powerful smack of a woodpecker's efforts, the whir of the insects wings, the song of the cricket seeking a soul mate. 

I pray that I will think of You and all the blessings you give me in the decadent aroma of Christmas cookies, the hunger that arises in me when I smell the thanksgiving turkey coming out of the oven.  I will remember the fragrance of the rose, help me to remember it has come from you to me.  The smell of rain in the air, bringing the expectation of precipitation, reminding me of the anticipation I feel for you in the Eucharist. 

Thank you for the sensitivity you have blessed my fingers with - as I feel the textures all around me in my daily life, the feeling of warm sun and the cool breeze - such enormous gifts from you that we could not live without..and we take for granted every single day.   

The intriguing sense of taste, the gift of our tongues, where we can enjoy the pleasures of the food and drink you provide for our earthly bodies... how easily you could have provided only bugs to eat or muddy water to drink! 

It is with exactly these senses that we are slowly coming to be more aware of, that bring us such depth of joy and grattitude - and also remind us of our deepest pain.  We become acutely aware that our senses that we are enjoying everyday are exactly what our sweet children cannot experience anymore. 

Help us to see, to be aware, that their earthly time is finished, that their senses can no longer share this world.  Heavenly Father, we trust that they are in your care, that they are experiencing far more than they ever could here on earth, Your holy Presence.  We don't understand what this could be like, but we place our faith and hope in You and in your promises.  Be with us Lord, as we continue to try to navigate this earthly life with your guidance.  We pray that our lives are pleasing to you, that we are using the gifts and opportunities you have provided for us for your honor and glory.  When we stray from the path that pleases you, help us to understand where you would prefer us to go.

We lift up our earthly struggles to you; our pain, our agony, our broken hearts.  We place them in your loving arms.  We ask your forgiveness, we beg for your mercy and we pray for your guidance in our lives always.

Amen.

at the close of our Grief Group...

Heavenly Father, Lord of Lords;

You who are the definition of Majesty and Awe;

Look down upon us gathered together in our sorrow & loss.  See our brokenness, our struggle against despair.  Fill us with Your love.  Guide us with Your presence - for we are wandering in our faith.  Our humanness sprawls out in front of us, reminding us of our broken spirit, our pain and emptiness.  Our psyche barely has room for anything besides our pain right now.  Showing up is sometimes the best we can do.

In this tiny moment, we will concentrate on Your love for us.  Empty out our humanness, we invite you into our soul, Oh Lord.  Fill us with Your love.  Help us to feel Your Holy Presence; surround us with peace, soothe our wounded hearts, our bruised souls.  Help us to pay attention to evidence of You, Almighty Creator, in the tiny things of nature that surround us, silently singing Your praise.  Open our minds, awaken our human senses to hear, to see, to feel Your power all around us.  For one moment, allow us to feel the depth of your love you have for our loved ones who have died.  Pull them close to You as we pray for their souls.

We thank you Father, for each other in our lives.  We thank you for allowing us to meet, to gather, to share our stories, our sorrows.  Give us the capacity, the strength, the space in our hearts to hear each other's stories, to feel each other's love for our loved ones who have gone from this earth, and each other's pain that we have felt since their deaths.  Open our hearts to hear You speak into our vulnerability and our woundedness.

In Christ's name we pray.

Amen.

Behold.

We don’t use this word much in our daily language:  Behold.

If we did, it would mean; Look!   Look what precious thing I have discovered!  
The word, Behold, precedes the unveiling of the amazing, the one of a kind, the never before seen item,
the rare and beautiful, the intricate, the transformed, the wondrous, the unimaginable, the complete
surprise, the unexpected, the miraculous, the magnificent, the ultimate power…

After the word, Behold, we might envision the Hope Diamond, a Stradivarius violin, the rare
archaeological discovery, the beauty of a rare and natural moment captured on film for the first time
in history, the undeniable recognition and relief in the eyes between a mother and lost child.

Behold.

And do we feel this awe?  This thrill? This amazement at every Mass at the elevation of Our Majestic
Lord, the host transformed from bread to Body? The chalice holding Blood transformed from wine?  
Every single Mass, we are witness to a miracle; an actual miracle of Eucharist.

Behold is our cue.  Behold is a heads up that we are witnessing the unique and precious, that
we should take note, pay attention, throw every ounce of our attention, respect, focus, awe and love
toward this phenomenal God of ours.  

Behold:  This is a miracle; right here, right now.

Behold:  This IS your God.  This IS your Christ.  This IS your Holy Spirit.

Behold demands our attention.

Behold helps us focus.

Behold creates the moment.

Behold reminds us what we came for.

Behold stops us in our tracks.

Behold calls us to believe.

Behold cries out for a response.

Behold brings us to our knees, begging: Lord I am not worthy, that you should enter under my roof.  
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Behold calls us to prepare.

Behold reminds us we are not worthy.

Behold puts us in front of Our Lord; face to face, eyeball to eyeball, with The I AM; the one and only,
the headliner, the ONE we came to see, the ONE who can save us, the ONE who holds the key to
our salvation.

Behold.

This is BIG.

This is IT.

This is EVERYTHING.

This is the ONLY thing.

Everything else is superfluous, human, extra, frivolous, unnecessary compared to the Eucharist.  

Behold.

This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

Happy are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.