Friday

Friday

His master saw that the Lord was with him and that
the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.

Gensis 39:3

Friday Prayer

Success, O Lord, is hard to come by some days.  I have too many projects receiving too little of my attention.  It is terribly disappointing when something for which I have worked hard does not succeed.  Lord, when it is your will, cause the work that I do to succeed.  On the occasions that success does not befall me, O Lord, give me patient trust in you. Keep me from trusting in my own efforts. Amen.

Friday Meditation

When Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor,” he is speaking not just of the poor economically but of each of us, his beloved brothers and sisters, when we experience our human fragility.  That basic human weakness is never more evident than when people fall sick or face the reality of their death.  People seldom consider themselves “Blessed” when weakness befall them.  We want to help.  We want to do something for people in need.  We want to offer consolation to those who are in grief and alleviate the suffering of those who are in pain.  There is obviously nothing wrong with that desire… But unless we realize that God’s blessing is coming to us from those we want to serve, our help will be short-lived, and eventually we may feel burnt out.

-          Henri Nouwen

Thursday

Thursday

He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

Psalm 105:7

Thursday Prayer

Heavenly Father, I confess that I often wonder what life would be like if I had a different job. My speculation quickly turns into envy: if only I had “that” job, then life would be better.  Lord, keep me from envious thoughts about work.  You have blessed me with a job that I have.  Give me a tranquil heart and teach me to take up the crosses of work with contentment.  Teach me to love my vocation and to serve you and my neighbor through my work. Amen.

Thursday Meditation

In judging, we deal with our own fears by putting other people into little boxes and, in effect, declaring them dead.  “Oh, I know him,” we say.  “I know that type.  He’s not worth talking to.”  In doing this, we take the position that new life is no longer possible in our relationships with people.  We have already decided who they are.  We don’t want to be bothered anymore.  That is why Jesus says, “Do not judge.”  Labeling people prevents us from seeing them as brothers and sisters and from developing community with them.

-          Henri Nouwen

Wednesday

Wednesday

If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth,
and the truth will make you free.

John 8:31-32

Wednesday Prayer

Uncertainty in the workplace causes me a great deal of angst, O God.  Unemployment is a lingering concern in many households.  Though I may have a stable source of income, I know of so many people who do not.  How can I be still and free from worry with so much uncertainty swirling about at work?  Fill the earth with your peace.  Let your peace prevail in the marketplace so that stable employment might be plentiful.  As I take up the crosses of work, remind me to care for those without work.  Let me be a source of peace and comfort to them in their time of need. Amen.

Wednesday Meditation

The basis of the Christian community is not the family tie or social or economic equality, or shared oppression or complaint, or mutual attraction… but the divine call.  The Christian community is not the result of human efforts.  God has made us into his people by calling us out of “Egypt” to the “New Land,” out of the desert to the fertile ground, out of slavery to freedom, out of our sin to salvation, out of captivity to liberation.  All these words and images give expression to the fact that the initiative belongs to God and that he is the source of our new life together.  By our common call to the New Jerusalem, we recognize each other on the road as brothers and sisters.

-          Henri Nouwen

Tuesday

Tuesday

Pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.

Numbers 21:7

Tuesday Prayer

Razor-thin margins and tight budgets result in a great deal of pressure.  Heavenly Father, do not let the pressures of work tempt me to do harm to my neighbor.  Through lean times and times of plenty, remind me that I am constantly to seek the well-being of my neighbor.  The crosses of work can be overwhelming, Lord.  Free me from the temptation of exploiting my neighbor for personal gain.  Bless me with all that I need so that I may bless my neighbor in turn.   Amen.

Tuesday Meditation

O Lord, this holy season of Lent is passing quickly.  I entered into it with fear, but also with great expectations… Let me be thankful for your gentle way.  I know you are at work.  I know you will not leave me alone.  I know you are quickening me for Easter – but in a way fitting to my own history and my own temperament.  I pray that these … last weeks, in which you invite me to enter more fully into the mystery of your passion, will bring me a greater desire to follow you on the way that you create for me and to accept the cross that you give to me.  Let me die to the desire to choose my own way and select my own cross.  You do not want to make me a hero but a servant who loves you. 

-          Henri Nouwen

Monday

Monday

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 23:5

Monday Prayer

Long hours and even longer days have taken their toll on me, Lord.  Work leaves me both physically and mentally drained; it is as if I live to work rather than work to live.  My God, strengthen me to carry the crosses of work so that I can more clearly see your work in and through me.  You know of the struggles I have at work, even those that I hide from everyone else.  Breathe new life into my vocation.  Amen.

Monday Meditation

Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.  It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.  It is not to lead our neighbor into a corner where there are no alternatives left, but to open a wide spectrum of options for choice and commitment.  It is not an educated intimidation with good books, good stories and good works, but the liberation of fearful hearts so that words can find roots and bear ample fruit.  It is not a method of making our God and our way into the criteria of happiness, but the opening of an opportunity to others to find their God and their way.  The paradox of hospitality is that it wants to create emptiness, not a fearful emptiness, but a friendly emptiness  where strangers can enter and discover themselves as created free; free to sing their own songs, speak their own languages, dance their own dances.

-          Henri Nouwen

Sunday

Fifth Sunday of Lent

I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

John 11:25-26

Sunday Prayer

Worry begins to fill my mind, O Lord, at the prospect of resting from my labors. Trouble may arise at work that requires my assistance.  Opportunities may pass me up if I am gone for too long.  Lord, you have made it clear that the crosses of work must be set down from time to time.  Give me Sabbath rest when I need Sabbath rest; give me comfort and peace knowing that my work will be there when I return.  Precious Lord, all that I have comes from your hand of blessing.   Amen.

Sunday Meditation

The final meaning of your life is – are you ready to give it away?  Are you ready to die in order to be able to give? I never personally was very much in touch with that until I was nearly dead because I got in a terrible car accident and nearly died.  I had to face my own death, and suddenly I realized that my death had to become a gift for others.  It couldn’t be – No, I want to live as long as possible; I’m going to hold on to my life … Ministry finally means to help others give away their lives so that it can bear fruit.  Not just on the end of their lives, but every time something happens we are asked to die a little bit.  Whether it’s leaving school or leaving the country or whether it means leaving a relationship or whether it means letting go of something very precious – leaving a friend.  Every little death has to be the source of new life, has to become a gift.

-          Henri Nouwen

Satuday

Saturday

The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Proverbs 12:26

Saturday Prayer

You chose your disciples carefully Christ Jesus, knowing that they would be the ones to carry your message to the ends of the earth.  Your followers carried the message of the cross with them wherever they went.  Lord, as I carry the crosses of my relationships, help me to choose my friends carefully.  Though the friends I choose may not be influential or of noble birth, they are nevertheless used by you to build up my faith.  Surround me, O God, with the right people. Amen.

Saturday Meditation      

Jesus is a very interesting person; His words are full of wisdom.  His presence is heart-warming.  His gentleness and kindness are deeply moving.  His message is very challenging.  But do we invite him into our home?  Do we want him to come to know us behind the walls of our most intimate life?  Do we want to introduce him to all the people we live with?  Do we want him to see us in our everyday lives?  Do we want him to touch us where we are most vulnerable? … the Eucharist requires this invitation.  Having listened to his word, we have to be able to say more than, “This is interesting!”  We have to dare to say, “I trust you; I entrust myself, with all my being, body, mind, and soul to you.  I don’t want to keep any secrets from you.”

-          Henri Nouwen

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.