Wednesday, July 11, 2012

14th OT, Wednesday, Year II

"The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."
"...break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the Lord."

Lord,
I seek your face. I desire your touch.  I long to kiss your feet.  Do not turn your face from me - I am yours; do with me as you will.  Show me the path, lead me to your holy place.  Keep me safe from the enemy - let not his words corrupt me.  For you are my God, my king, the one to whom I turn.  You are the joy of my life.  Show me the way, I will follow.  Show me the work, I will labor.  Remove from me my guilt, absolve me of my great sin; make me pure before you.  Test me and cleanse me with fire that I may be strong for the battle.  Teach me your ways so I can walk in your footsteps forever.
Amen.

St Anselm

"Teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to me as I seek you; for unless you instruct me I cannot seek you, and unless you reveal yourself I cannot find you.  Let me seek you in desiring you; let me desire you in seeking you.  Let me find you in loving you; let me love you in finding you.
Amen."

Friday, July 6, 2012

Morning Reflection

Wk 13 in Ordinary Time, Friday, Year II

In your unfathomable mercy, hear me O Lord.  I am surrounded by those who do not know You.  They refuse Your Name.  I try to walk Your narrow path, but it is darkness all around.  Many dangers and traps are before me.  Protect me, my God.  I desire to see You - what will You have me do?  How shall I convert a heathen and Godless people?  My words are too soft, my example too quiet.  I am invisible, and those who do see me are blind toYou.  Guide me, show me; put Your Words in my mouth, Your Light into my heart.  Take not Your Word from me:  I hunger already for more!!  Feed me, Lord, give me strength, for I feel the battle looming.
Amen.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The Tent Caterpillar Dance

They are finally gone (for this year).  In the South, where I grew up, we had various and assorted insects and crawling/flying creatures.  "Red-neck" roaches, chiggers, horse flies, yellow flies...I could go on, but you get the idea.  My father worked for a chemical company, so we had a toxic arsenal at our fingertips.  I guess when we started seeing mutated roaches we should have wondered...but that's another story altogether! 

Here in this pristine slice of heaven, there is a scourge know as tent caterpillars.  http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse003/inse003.htm.  We had a pretty bad year, with some of my friends' apple trees being almost entirely de-foliated.  Our alders were pretty well covered, too.  They are mostly just annoying, but when they invaded my strawberry patch, war was declared!  I'm really not nearly as nice as people think I am :-).  Many died at my hands and feet.  Strawberries are worth fighting for!

So as I was walking under an alder one day, they fought back!  A gentle breeze, a clear sky ... and a dozen or so precious little caterpillars waiting to ambush.  They fell from the tree ("fell?" ... I think not! It was a premeditated attack!), and the dance began.  High impact, all major muscle groups working simultaneously:  sounds like a good way to exercise -- but not when the dance involves wriggling caterpillars in your hair and clothes.  Yes, there are vocalizations involved, too!  More perished - and I now look up warily when passing under trees. 

But they still can't have my strawberries!!

Ramblings on Today's Readings

Today I read  the daily readings (13th Week OT, Thursday, Year II) and decided to just write - maybe I"ll do this more regularly.  I never really know what I am going to write; usually my words come out as a prayer, sometimes as bad poetry, rarely as just prose.  My process is to read in prayer, say a quick prayer, and just put my pen to paper and see what comes of it.  Here is today's rambling:

Lord,
You have called us and we have not answered.  We have rebelled against your precepts and your very love.  Our hearts are hard.  Your prophets are not heard - they are unknown to us.  We spurn your Word and banish from our hearts all thought of you.  You chastise us, you warn us - we do not listen.  We have chosen other gods; we are our own gods, power and wealth are our gods.  Humble us O, Lord.  Bring us to our knees so that we may again see your face and feel your touch and listen to your Word.  We have banished all thought of you; we no longer have faith.  We prefer to live in the royal temple of our own making:  we deserve your wrath and our own exile.  But your law shall refresh us, you shall bring rejoicing to us once more.  Bring us courage, give us strength, show us how to know you again.  Remove the evil thoughts from our minds and command us to "rise and walk."  Give us the faith that we seem to have lost.  Fill us with your Love so that our hearts are overflowing.
Amen.