Category: Prayer

Preparing Thanksgiving 2020

On By Julie McCartyIn Contemplative Living, Gratefulness, Prayer4 Comments

Note: When I began writing this post, Minnesota residents were preparing for another partial shut-down due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, just as the holiday season is about to begin. By the time I was finishing the post, the CDC had issued guidelines urging people to remain home this Thanksgiving.

Prayer Preparing for Thanksgiving
During a Pandemic

Creator God,
I find myself struggling these days
while deciding how to best celebrate
the Thanksgiving holiday.
I long to see my friends and family,
to feel a sense of normalcy,
to let go and enjoy life once more.

But I know I may put others in danger.
Health authorities and other leaders
are warning us yet again
to be extra careful. . .
How much longer, Lord?!
How much longer must we wait
for this pandemic to be over?

Perhaps the answer to my questions
relies partly on the choices I make
— we make —
in response to the situation.
Will I be ever-mindful of the safety of others
(as well as my own)
or throw all caution to the wind
(and later regret it)?

This Thanksgiving, in the midst of stresses,
confusion, worries, or even illness,
help me to remember
there are many healthy ways
to celebrate
and many meaningful ways
to express thanks
that are not reliant on human traditions
or physical gatherings.
Create in me a deeper understanding
of giving thanks, counting blessings,
and being a blessing to others,
even when I can only
be with them in Spirit.

Amen.

The Canticle of Creation

On By Julie McCartyIn Beauty, Contemplative Living, Prayer, Saints2 Comments

It’s Oct. 4, the day many Christians remember the life of Saint Francis of Assisi.  Below is a prayer St. Francis wrote as he was approaching his own death.  One can see the way Francis viewed all of creation as being a gift of Creator God.

I invite you to take a moment from your busy day to pray this prayer.  Read it once to get the feel of it.  Then read it again, as a prayer of your own, giving praise to God.  If you enjoy this prayer, you might enjoy writing your own prayer of thanks for all that God has created.

The Canticle of Creation
By Saint Francis of Assisi

O Most High, all-powerful, good Lord God,
to you belong praise, glory,
honor and all blessing.

Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation
and especially for our Brother Sun,
who brings us the day and the light;
he is strong and shines magnificently.
O Lord, we think of you when we look at him.

Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon,
and for the stars
which you have set shining and lovely
in the heavens.

Be praised, my Lord,
for our Brothers Wind and Air
and every kind of weather
by which you, Lord,
uphold life in all your creatures.

Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Water,
who is very useful to us,
and humble and precious and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire,
through whom you give us light in the darkness:
he is bright and lively and strong.

Be praised, my Lord,
for Sister Earth, our Mother,
who nourishes us and sustains us,
bringing forth
fruits and vegetables of many kinds
and flowers of many colors.

Be praised, my Lord,
for those who forgive for love of you;
and for those
who bear sickness and weakness
in peace and patience
– you will grant them a crown.

Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister Death,
whom we must all face.
I praise and bless you, Lord,
and I give thanks to you,
and I will serve you in all humility. 

Until next time, Amen! 

 

 

Children Explain Prayer

On By Julie McCartyIn Bible verses, Overcoming Fear, Prayer1 Comment

At my church this summer, we’ve had a sermon series on prayer. One major theme has been that prayer is primarily about relationship–our relationship with God.  In the very first sermon, we explored how Adam and Eve “hid” from God after they sinned, and yet, God still reached out to them. God knew what had happened, and yet called out to them, asking why they were hiding.

Like Adam and Eve, sometimes we “hide” from God, afraid or avoiding prayer because we think we don’t know how to pray, or we are not worthy. Despite this, God reaches out to us in various ways because God loves us, no matter what may have happened.  We think we are “hiding” when all the while God is watching over us, like a loving parent or kind teacher. No matter what we’ve done, good or bad, God still wants to be in relationship with us.

We can trust that God wants to be in this relationship with us because God keeps reaching out to humans again and again in biblical history despite people failing him again and again. God’s love is so unconditional that he sent his son (that is, God came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ) and died on the cross while people were still steeped in sin.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8

I was thinking about these things when this short video of children explaining prayer appeared in my Facebook feed. Their hearts are open and trusting. Creative. Honest. Compassionate.

Being fifty-something doesn’t stop me from learning from these children. Their freshness and youth inspires me to be a little more honest with God, a little more free-flowing–and less worried about “if I’m getting it right.”

But aren’t we sinners? Yes, but we also God’s children, for it is God who gave us life. Little children don’t worry if their words aren’t elegant or sophisticated–and the loving parents around them continue to value what they say. We don’t stop loving children when they make mistakes or have difficulties. God enjoys having quality time with us, just we enjoy having quality time with our children.

Will you pray with me?

O God,
The next time I try to run from praying
because I am ashamed, guilty, or afraid,
please send your Holy Spirit to remind me
that you are the God of Mercy and unconditional love.
The next time I feel “I don’t have the right words to pray,”
remind me that I can say whatever I want or feel,
or even express myself to you in wordless ways,
trusting that you understand my heart
and love me just as I am.
The next time I want to pray, but feel inadequate,
please remind me that prayer is about
spending quality time together with you,
not mastering fancy words or passing an imaginary test.
Thank you, Lord,
for your constant love and attentiveness to us,
and help us to always place our trust in you.
This I ask in the name of Jesus
and in the communion of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

 

A Prayer Poem for Pentecost

On By Julie McCartyIn Holy Spirit, Nature, Prayer1 Comment

Today is the Feast of Pentecost in many Christian churches. Here is a poem-prayer I wrote this morning as I was thinking about Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I invite you to spend some time praying and pondering this sacred mystery with me.

Holy Spirit--stained glass window--Julie McCarty--Spiritual Drawing Board

A Rainy Day Pentecost Prayer

On this day of Pentecost, a cloudy sky dimly shines through the window
while I sit here, sipping my cup of tea,
gentle raindrops falling on a wood
of bright green leaves.
No tongues of fire
or windy skies,
but that is
how it is
sometimes.
God comes
not only
Raindrops on puddle--Julie McCarty--Spiritual Drawing Boardin excitement
and special
effects, but
also in a
drop,
in the quiet,
to still our souls
and remind us
that the Divine,
the Holy Spirit,
is Holy Presence,
truly “God-with-Us”
in Spirit form–everywhere–
both near and far
and high and low
and deep within my heart,
and your heart, and the hearts
of people living on the other side
of the globe–maybe even of the universe.
Yes, Lord, pour out your Spirit afresh on us,
on all of us, renewing our lives and the earth,
raining down on us like raindrops, soaking deep
into the soil of the earth and the soil of our souls.
May this rain of the Spirit bring new life, an ever-growing
communion and holiness within and among us, more and more each day.

Flower with raindrops--Julie McCarty--Spiritual Drawing Board

What Jesus says about love and discipleship

On By Julie McCartyIn Compassion, Jesus Christ, Lent, Prayer, prayer fasting and almsgivinig1 Comment

Words of Jesus on love/compassion:

37 Lent--Week 5--Compassion--Jesus in John 13 34-35

Most of us have heard this many times, but this message is still fresh, still needed, in our world today.

It’s worth going back and reading again–and creating your own prayer about what Jesus says–right now….

Until next time, Amen! 

St. John of the Cross: Love Unites

On By Julie McCartyIn Compassion, Lent, Prayer, Spiritual practices1 Comment

Here is a jewel of a quote on compassion:

36 Lent--Week 5--Compassion--St John of the Cross(click on image to enlarge)

 During this Lent, I’ve learned that quality quotes or passages from spiritual writers can offer great prayer-starters. This has led to something I call D.E.A.P. (Drop Everything And Pray) on my public Facebook page.   I see something interesting or inspiring and I just write a prayer about it, spontaneously, right then.  I don’t worry about polishing the words much or “being a writer” (that is, fixating on making it sound elegant or brilliant or whatever), because it’s a prayer to God. I can just be myself before God and share the prayer moment with anyone else who wants to pray on Facebook.

Here’s the prayer I wrote this morning as I was thinking about St. John of the Cross’ quote above. I was also thinking about how it is Lent and Palm Sunday tomorrow as I was writing/praying.

Will you pray with me?

O Lord,

dreamstimefree_140915--Milogu--Dreamstime Stock Photos--Free - smaller with sig Cropped CopyI know you long to pour your love
into our hearts, like a pitcher of water
pouring into a glass on the table.
Yet, sometimes I fill my glass with other stuff:
sand and glitter and even sticky tar.
Help me to set aside all that other gunk
and open my heart more fully
to the inflow of your pure, flowing
water of love… so much so that
the water both nourishes me
and overflows to nourish others, too–
abundantly so–for you, O Lord,
are the living water of Love. 

Until next time, Amen! 

Christian purpose of fasting or self-denial

On By Julie McCartyIn Fasting, Lent, Prayer, prayer fasting and almsgivinig, Spiritual practicesLeave a comment

Today’s quote about fasting:

16 Lent--week 2 - fasting--Foster

There are several good reasons why Christians might fast or practice some form of self-denial. One reason is found in these words from Richard Foster, reminding us that when we fast, we are to replace the time and energy we spend on one thing (i.e., preparing and eating food) with something of even greater value.

This makes me think of Jesus’ 40 days in the desert. During his desert time, Jesus wasn’t doing active ministry or working in the carpenter shop or even visiting family. Jesus was practicing a kind of self-denial in order to  have some time alone for prayer.  It’s not that ministry, work, family togetherness are bad–they are good things. However, Jesus knew he needed some time to deepen his relationship with God in prayer.

So, when we fast or “give up” something for Lent, it is good to replace it with something even better. If we give up chocolate, we can replace it with fruit or vegetables. If we give up social media, we replace it with prayer or acts of kindness. If we give up a meal, we give the money we would have spent on the food to agencies who feed the hungry.

Until next time, Amen! 

 

 

Fasting, priorities, and time use

On By Julie McCartyIn Fasting, Lent, Prayer, prayer fasting and almsgivinig, Spiritual growthLeave a comment

[P.S. FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m eating a chocolate donut while writing about fasting!]

15 Lent--week 2--fasting--Hoste (click on image to enlarge)

I am not very good at fasting–so sometimes I think about other ways to “give up” something in order to have time for the really important things in life. For example, there is nothing wrong with relaxing with a little “screen time” (TV, social media, YouTube, etc.), but most of us would agree, it’s easy to get roped into spending an hour or two with our “screens” than what we originally intended. So sometimes I have given up some television time during Lent–and I find I suddenly have more time on my hands.

It’s not that what we are viewing is wrong (hopefully not), but rather that some of us (myself included) slip into habits involving increasing screen time–and without realizing it, we are saying things like:

  • “I don’t have time to read the bible”
  • “I don’t have time to go to church”
  • “I don’t have time for exercise”
  • “I don’t have time to read a book to my child”
  • “I don’t have time to volunteer”

We live in a time when people are working very hard to make ends meet–I’m not saying it’s easy to find time. Neither am I saying that anyone should feel they have to “earn” God’s love or feel guilty about things (such as TV) that are basically a part of life in our times.

However, it is good during Lent to ponder how we use our time. We humans are limited creatures–we have a limited number of hours in the day, and a limited number of years in our lives. Lent is a good time for us to examine:

  • What are my priorities?
  • What is most important in my life?
  • Is there anything I might want to leave behind in order to do something else of greater value?

Lent is a good time for experimenting with this sort of thing. It gives us a time frame in which to try out something new and see how it works. Some of my past Lenten experiments were of great help to me–and others didn’t work out so well. However, even the ones that “failed” were good learning experiences for me.

God be with you in your Lenten journey.

Until next time,  Amen! 

Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

On By Julie McCartyIn Fasting, Lent, Prayer, prayer fasting and almsgivinig, Spiritual practicesLeave a comment

Today I’m reflecting on this quote about fasting:

14 Lent--week 2--fasting--Wallis (click on image to enlarge)

Fasting and prayer go hand in hand. As others have pointed out, “fasting without prayer is simply starvation.”

In the Christian faith tradition, prayer, fasting and almsgiving are a united trio –or ought to be.  For many, this trio of spiritual practices is an emphasized theme during Lent. When people fasted, time was saved in food preparation–and that time could be spent in prayer. The food they saved was given to the hungry. (Monks actually made extra loaves of bread to give to the poor during Lent.)

Thought to ponder:
How do you practice this “spiritual trio” during Lent?

Until next time, Amen! 

 

 

 

Connection between fasting and prayer

On By Julie McCartyIn Lent, Prayer, Spiritual practicesLeave a comment

Thought for today…about fasting and prayer (my underline):

14 Lent--week 2--fasting--Wallis(click on image to enlarge)

I’m thinking it’s not that God “needs” our fasting, but perhaps the fasting, along with prayer during the fasting period, makes us more dedicated to our prayer intention or paying attention to God. Perhaps the fasting process could be used in such a way to remind us to pay attention to God.

I’m pretty horrible at fasting. I’m wondering if any of you have found fasting and prayer to work together well. What are your thoughts? Experiences?

Until next time, Amen!