Dear Friends,
We hope that you are safe and well!
In our Meditation today, Fr. Austin Fleming shares the image of Jesus appearing to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque manifesting the light and love of his heart embracing all people.
We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in healthcare, in the workplace, in the Church--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.
In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that in God’s economy of abundance, when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.
We hope and pray that you and your loved ones experience genuine peace of mind and heart, and remain in good health during this challenging time.
As Summer unfolds, may you find peace, healing, hope, and the infusion of joy in your life!
With our love and care,
Ron & Jean
MEDITATION 394: The Heart of Jesus, Womb of justice, Birthplace of peace, Enflamer of hearts, Freely flowing fountain, Spring of Grace
Friday is, traditionally, a day to honor the Heart of Jesus. The First Friday of every month is a particular day to honor the Heart of Jesus. The month of June is observed as a special month to honor the Heart of Jesus and this year, the annual feast of the Sacred Heart fell this year on Friday, June 11. So, each Friday in June, our Night Prayer will begin with a reflection on a particular image of the Heart of Jesus, followed by Wendy Wright's Litany of the Sacred Heart. (*What's A Litany?) and ending (below) with a song...
(This painting depicts the apparition of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary and is found in the Apse of Visitation Chapel in Paray-le-Monial in France. The second image is a detail from the first.)
We might mistake your arms, Lord,
for the wood of your Cross
- but there's no mistaking this:
here we meet you risen, shining, bright,
alive in all your glory...
Your face looks down on us
with the purest mercy in your eyes,
longing to lift us up, to embrace us
with your healing, saving love...
Risen? Yes!
And yet your blood runs red-fresh from your side
and your holy heart glows,
not with fire and flame
but with the sun's white hot heat, burning
but never consuming
those who know its warmth...
You're the center of all life, Lord,
you're the light of the world
and without your warmth
our common home would perish
in cold oblivion
and we along with it
- but we are saved, we are redeemed, we are healed,
we are warmed by the light of your holy heart
opened for us on the Cross of your love...
Christ, be our light,
be the heart that beats in our hearts,
be the heat that saves us from the cold,
the love that warms us
in your arms...
Litany of the Sacred Heart
* A prayer form, addressed to the Lord, the Blessed Virgin or one of the Saints, consisting of a number of "titles" or attributes of the one addressed in prayer, with a recurring refrain...
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
So loving
So humble
So gentle
So compassionate
So faithful
So wise
So patient
So steadfast
So tender
So spacious
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
God’s joy
God’s shalom
Harp of the Trinity
Wingbeat of the Spirit
Breath of God
Five-petaled rose
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
Womb of justice
Birthplace of peace
Our dearest hope
Longing of our lives
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
Freely flowing fountain
Spring of grace
Freshet of forgiveness
Merciful river
Mystical dew
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
Warmth of our hearts
Transforming fire
Cosmic furnace
Enflamer of hearts
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
Heart of evolution
Beginning and ending
Center of all
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
Garden of virtues
Mystical dew
Table and food
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
Our refuge
Our shelter
Our comfort
Our rest
Our welcoming breast
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
Wounded by love
Pierced by our cruelty
Broken by our hardness
Mystic winepress
Poured out as gift
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
Have mercy, gracious heart,
Give us gratefulness
Teach us tenderness
Let us learn to love.
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!
- Wendy Wright
Protect us, Lord, and keep us safe
in the depths of your holy heart:
be our strength while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake our hearts beat one with yours
and asleep find peace til the morning dawns...
Amen.