Mass readings for today are here
I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
Graphic by Irv Davis
"He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbour as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Psalm 81
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
Graphic by Irv Davis
"He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbour as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
These forceful words above from today's Gospel are enough to feed on for a lifetime but sometimes I need to dig deep below the surface and distractions to get in touch with what needs to be first and foremost. That's why Lent is in Spring !
"Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life;
not a philosophy of life, but a living presence."
-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
A Purification
Wendell Berry
At the start of spring I open a trench
in the ground. I put into it
the winter's accumulation of paper,
pages I do not want to read
again, useless words, fragments,
errors. And I put into it
the contents of the outhouse:
light of the sun, growth of the ground,
finished with one of their journeys.
To the sky, to the wind, then,
and to the faithful trees, I confess
my sins: that I have not been happy
enough, considering my good luck;
have listened to too much noise;
have been inattentive to wonders;
have lusted after praise.
And then upon the gathered refuse
of mind and body, I close the trench,
folding shut again the dark,
the deathless earth. Beneath that seal
the old escapes into the new.
in the ground. I put into it
the winter's accumulation of paper,
pages I do not want to read
again, useless words, fragments,
errors. And I put into it
the contents of the outhouse:
light of the sun, growth of the ground,
finished with one of their journeys.
To the sky, to the wind, then,
and to the faithful trees, I confess
my sins: that I have not been happy
enough, considering my good luck;
have listened to too much noise;
have been inattentive to wonders;
have lusted after praise.
And then upon the gathered refuse
of mind and body, I close the trench,
folding shut again the dark,
the deathless earth. Beneath that seal
the old escapes into the new.
Source: Teaching With Fire
Kyrie Eleison
You Are Mine by David Haas
Prayer
Spirit of God, come as the wind to move us forward;
come as the dove to launch us heavenward;
come as the water to purify our spirits;
come as the cloud to abate our temptations;
come as the dew to refresh our languor and come as the fire to purge our dross;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
2 comments:
Thanks - lovely to have you back ! I like what you say about Spring here.
I do flounder at times in Lent though, especially as we move towards Good Friday. It is a roller coaster.
Blessings
Amen to all that, remembering that Lent is letting go of what we don't want, not floundering along in the doldrums but moving through the desert with a purpose, letting Spring, spring.
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