Christian Reflection and Prayer

 

I have to honestly say that the gospel was proclaimed last week by Pope Francis much more clearly than it usually is in most U.S. churches, including his own Catholic church, the evangelical church I grew up in, and in most of the congregations Americans attend each week. The gospel we heard last week was clearly one that could and should transform a culture, rather than the services and sermons we hear week after week that are so conformed to the culture. Pope Francis proclaimed the gospel to me again and again, all in ways that were confronting, humbling, and renewing. Hearing the gospel preached every day with such eloquence and power — while seeing it lived with such authenticity and integrity — showed me how far I fall short of the things I most dearly and deeply believe. It often drew me to the prayer: "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner." The greatest blessing of the week was how mercy was at the core of Pope Francis’ message to America. Mercy and the grace of God was the homily last week, more than the political soundbites too many of the media pundits were looking for. Millions of us walked forward, in person or in spirit, to receive the bread and the wine from Pope Francis and said,

"Thanks be to God."

(from Jim Wallis of Sojourners)

 

Verse

As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and

my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.Those who

worship vain idols forsake their true loyalty.

Jonah 2:7-8

Voice

The great enemy of freedom is the alignment of political

power with wealth. This alignment destroys the

commonwealth — that is, the natural wealth of localities

and the local economies of household, neighborhood, and

community — and so destroys democracy, of which the

commonwealth is the foundation and practical means.

Wendell Berry

Prayer

Lord God, thank you that we are unable to save ourselves

and that each time we try, we fail. Have mercy on us. Be

the strength in our weakness. Clear our heads of the

foolishness of believing we can be our own gods. Steer our

hearts to utter dependence on you. Amen.

Common Prayer

 

 

"I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the Kingdom

 

of God like a child will not enter it" (Mark 10:15).

 

The late great humorist, Erma Bombeck, told the story of what

 

happened to her in Church one Sunday. She said,

 

"I was focused on a small child who was turning around and

 

smiling at everyone. He wasn't gurgling, spitting, humming, kicking,

 

tearing the hymnals, or rummaging through his mother's handbag.

 

He was just... smiling.

 

"Finally, his mother jerked him about and in a stage whisper that

 

could be heard in a little theater off Broadway said: 'Stop that

 

grinning! You're in Church!' With that, she gave him a glare, and,

 

as the tears rolled down his cheek, the mother added, 'That's better,'

 

and returned to her prayers." Bombeck reflected, "We sing, 'Make

 

a joyful noise unto the Lord!' while our faces reflect the sadness of

 

one who has just buried a rich aunt who left everything to her

 

pregnant hamster."

 

She continued, "Suddenly I was angry. It occurred to me the entire

 

world is in tears, and if you're not, then you'd better get with it. I

 

wanted to grab this child with the tear-stained face close to me and

 

tell him about my God. The happy God. The smiling God. The God

 

who had to have a sense of humor to have created the likes of us.

 

I wanted to tell him He is an understanding God. One who

 

understands little children who turn around and smile in Church,

 

and even curious little children who rummage through their mothers'

 

handbags. I wanted to tell that little child that I too have taken a few

 

lumps for daring to smile in an otherwise solemn religious setting.

 

By tradition, I suppose, one wears faith with the solemnity of a

 

mourner, the mask of tragedy. What a fool, I thought, this woman

 

sitting next to the only sign of hope -- the only miracle left in our

 

civilization. If that child couldn't smile in Church then where was

 

there left to go?" -1

 

Indeed, where is there left to go?

 

(Sunday Sermons Online)