Susan Owusu Chorale||A Charge To Keep I Have by Charles Wesley performed by Susan Owusu Chorale

 

A Lenten Reflection From The Catholic Near East Welfare Association

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! (Is 58:6-9)

Fasting, experienced as a form of self-denial, helps those who undertake it in simplicity of heart to rediscover God’s gift and to recognize that, created in his image and likeness, we find our fulfillment in him. In embracing the experience of poverty, those who fast make themselves poor with the poor and accumulate the treasure of a love both received and shared. In this way, fasting helps us to love God and our neighbor, inasmuch as love, as St. Thomas Aquinas teaches, is a movement outwards that focuses our attention on others and considers them as one with ourselves (“Fratelli tutti,” 93).

Place all your hope in the Heart of Jesus...

 

Please check this blog out...

Please check out the Religion and Socialism blog here.

There is an especially good article on the blog called "Godless Capitalism Came for Our Children, Again" and one called "TISHA B’AV: A CAUTIONARY TALE FOR TODAY’S LEFT."

Everyone has a chapter they don't want read aloud. (I have an encyclopedia.) Here is some help...

 

Do you want to fast this Lent?

 

Carrots with Lemon--A Russian & Ukrainian Lenten Recipe

Cut 6 or 8 carrots into thin ("julienne") strips.

Boil the strips with 2 teaspoons of sugar for 10 or 15 minutes until tender---but not too tender. Check them as they boil. Ten minutes is better (I think) than 15 minutes.

Drain the pot.

Melt about 3 tablespoons or a little more of margarine or butter, and add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, about one-half of a teaspoon of paprika or a little more. Mix this up and pour it over the carrots. Toss it up gently.

Add one-quarter of a cup of chopped parsley and one-quarter or a little more of a cup of chopped scallions. Toss it again.

Hanya's Kitchen Cookbook, one of the best sources for traditional Lenten recipes, says that you should serve this at room temperature. She also advised that you can add salt if you like.

If you can find a copy of Hanya's Kitchen Cookbook (St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary Association, South Canaan, Pa., 2012) buy it. It's one of the best ethnic/church cookbooks that I've seen.    

A Voice & Some Words That I Miss Every Day...

 Another great one from the Pressley Girls & the Blind Pig & Acorn blog.

The Church Is Called To...

 

Le’Andria Johnson Testimony & Hymn Medley (Very Emotional)

 

Pastor Tommy Bates singing "I’ve Got A Made Up Mind"

 

A Bluegrass Gospel Mix

 

In Memory Of Steven H. Hively & An Unnamed Mine Worker, Both Recently Killed In Mining Accidents

 The unidentified mine worker killed in Pennsylvania has been identified as  Paul Springer, 44 years old.

Be a candle that helps those in the dark if you can.

 

Excerpts from Fratelli Tutti by Pope Francis

Read the entire document here.

27. Paradoxically, we have certain ancestral fears that technological development has not succeeded in eliminating; indeed, those fears have been able to hide and spread behind new technologies. Today too, outside the ancient town walls lies the abyss, the territory of the unknown, the wilderness. Whatever comes from there cannot be trusted, for it is unknown, unfamiliar, not part of the village. It is the territory of the “barbarian”, from whom we must defend ourselves at all costs. As a result, new walls are erected for self-preservation, the outside world ceases to exist and leaves only “my” world, to the point that others, no longer considered human beings possessed of an inalienable dignity, become only “them”. Once more, we encounter “the temptation to build a culture of walls, to raise walls, walls in the heart, walls on the land, in order to prevent this encounter with other cultures, with other people. And those who raise walls will end up as slaves within the very walls they have built. They are left without horizons, for they lack this interchange with others”.

28. The loneliness, fear and insecurity experienced by those who feel abandoned by the system creates a fertile terrain for various “mafias”. These flourish because they claim to be defenders of the forgotten, often by providing various forms of assistance even as they pursue their criminal interests. There also exists a typically “mafioso” pedagogy that, by appealing to a false communitarian mystique, creates bonds of dependency and fealty from which it is very difficult to break free.

GLOBALIZATION AND PROGRESS WITHOUT A SHARED ROADMAP

29. With the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, we do not ignore the positive advances made in the areas of science, technology, medicine, industry and welfare, above all in developed countries. Nonetheless, “we wish to emphasize that, together with these historical advances, great and valued as they are, there exists a moral deterioration that influences international action and a weakening of spiritual values and responsibility. This contributes to a general feeling of frustration, isolation and desperation”. We see “outbreaks of tension and a buildup of arms and ammunition in a global context dominated by uncertainty, disillusionment, fear of the future, and controlled by narrow economic interests”. We can also point to “major political crises, situations of injustice and the lack of an equitable distribution of natural resources… In the face of such crises that result in the deaths of millions of children – emaciated from poverty and hunger – there is an unacceptable silence on the international level”. This panorama, for all its undeniable advances, does not appear to lead to a more humane future.

30. In today’s world, the sense of belonging to a single human family is fading, and the dream of working together for justice and peace seems an outdated utopia. What reigns instead is a cool, comfortable and globalized indifference, born of deep disillusionment concealed behind a deceptive illusion: thinking that we are all-powerful, while failing to realize that we are all in the same boat. This illusion, unmindful of the great fraternal values, leads to “a sort of cynicism. For that is the temptation we face if we go down the road of disenchantment and disappointment… Isolation and withdrawal into one’s own interests are never the way to restore hope and bring about renewal. Rather, it is closeness; it is the culture of encounter. Isolation, no; closeness, yes. Culture clash, no; culture of encounter, yes”.

31. In this world that races ahead, yet lacks a shared roadmap, we increasingly sense that “the gap between concern for one’s personal well-being and the prosperity of the larger human family seems to be stretching to the point of complete division between individuals and human community… It is one thing to feel forced to live together, but something entirely different to value the richness and beauty of those seeds of common life that need to be sought out and cultivated”. Technology is constantly advancing, yet “how wonderful it would be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation could come with more equality and social inclusion. How wonderful would it be, even as we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters who orbit around us”.

Some perspectives on Lenten fasting...

 

(Way Down) Jesus will pick you up

 

Audre Lorde On Speaking Up

I think that this needs to be true in politics, in our unions and at work, in our families, in the courts, in the streets...and it is true in our prayer lives as well.

How I Come To Love These Pilgrims---Two versions

The lyrics below and this recorded version of the hymn are different, but both are beautiful. 

How I came to love these pilgrims,

Is to me a great surprise;

And the way the Lord has led me,

Is a wonder in my eyes;

No, I never thought I’d be one,

But I’m happy now to say,

That, although I used to hate them,

I am one of them today!

Refrain:

I feel constrained to say,

I love this narrow way;

O glory, hallelujah,

I am one of them today.

Well I knew the world despised them,

So I said ‘twould never do;

I would lose my reputation

If I join that noisy crew;

But I heard in Sinai’s thunder

“You must surely go that way;”

I am not ashamed to own it,

I am one of them today. [Refrain]

Oft I sneered when they were telling

That they felt no foe within,

That the grace of their Redeemer

Daily kept them free from sin;

But conviction seized my spirit,

Took my hatred all away;

I have found this great salvation,

And I’m one of them today. [Refrain]

It so shocked me that I could not

All my indignation hide,

When they said that God’s old Bible

Never would endorse my pride;-

Though high-headed, proud and haughty,

Yet I heard the Spirit say,

“Will you be a humble pilgrim?’

And I’m one of them today. [Refrain]

Once I thought that their demonstrations

Were entirely out of place;

That I never would consent to

Bring upon me such disgrace;

So I asked the Lord to bless me

In a mild and careful way,-

I broke through and got the glory,

And I’m one of them today. [Refrain]

I’m so glad I ever found them,

For they’ve led me to the right;

And I mean to stay among them,

Daily walking in the light;

Then some day I’ll join their number

Over on the golden shore;

It is settled, hallelujah!

I’m a pilgrim evermore. [Refrain]

"Be Thou My Vision" by Norm & Vicki DeVol

 

"Father, I Stretch My Hands To Thee"---Hasan Green

 

Love like Jesus---stand in solidarity with the voiceless & marginalized

 

Trees, flowers, clouds, and stars...and the gospels.

 

Contemplative Readings For Lent (from Amplify Media)

These very helpful Lenten devotional readings come from Amplify Media. I find them helpful, and I hope that you will.

Blow the horn in Zion;
give a shout on my holy mountain!
Let all the people of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is near—
a day of darkness and no light,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread out upon the mountains,
a great and powerful army comes,
unlike any that has ever come before them,
or will come after them in centuries ahead. ...
Change your hearts
Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your hearts,
with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow;
—Joel 2:1-2, 12 CEB—

Deliver me from violence, God, God of my salvation,
so that my tongue can sing of your righteousness.
Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
You don’t want sacrifices.
If I gave an entirely burned offering,
you wouldn’t be pleased.
A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God.
You won’t despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed
—Psalm 51:14-17 CEB—

So we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ’s representatives, “Be reconciled to God!”
—2 Corinthians 5:20 CEB—

A Lenten Devotional (Ash Wednesday) From Asti M. White By Way Of The Methodist Federation For Social Action

This comes from the latest edition of the Methodist Federation for Social Action newsletter and is by Asti Nicholas White. a second year Master of Divinity Student at Candler School of Theology with a concentration in Chaplaincy. Currently serving as president of Candler’s Black Student Caucus, Asti has shared interest in exploring the intersections of pastoral care and social justice, (environmental justice/ anti-racism) with non-profits and churches by seeking out healthy and sustainable measures for relationship building around the world. Asti engages in research and advocates for marginalized communities that have been systematically oppressed and do not receive the resources needed for health and vitality.

The MFSA newsletter carries additional Lenten devotionals as well. I highly recommend MFSA.

2022 Lenten Devotional - Ash Wednesday

By Asti N. White

Psalm 82 [NRSV]

A Plea for Justice. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 God has taken his place in the divine council;

in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

2 “How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked?Selah

3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan;

maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.

4 Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding,

they walk around in darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 I say, “You are gods,

children of the Most High, all of you;

7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,

and fall like any prince.”[a]

8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth;

for all the nations belong to you!

By internal design, our hearts, minds, body, and strength are all designed to be in relationship with one another, to share a connection of love and justice, and to not do the work alone. One of my favorite Psalms shows a God of Justice and illustrates the importance to share compassion for all of our neighbors. As the world continues to find the ease in divisiveness, the comfort to separate self from community, and the persistence in perpetuating systems of injustice, we are called to an important responsibility to remain faithful to the community. Though the current context of our world and to separate ourselves from our neighbor, we must live into our unique design. We have been created for community and for connection.

Psalm 82 exemplifies both implicit and explicit theological questions about the role and composition of justice. Questions arise from the text regarding justice and judgement which permeates the billowing questions of how judgement and justice are interpreted and comprehended by way of defining God as a judge. The text proceeds by God calling and challenging others to serve the marginalized. Psalm 82 provides an illumination of God’s presence of judgement, through showing the importance of justice, and discerning the prioritization of justice to the lowly.

Within the interaction of the divine council, God’s omniscient power infiltrates throughout Psalm 82 by addressing and identifying the nature and power of God/Elohim. Psalm 82 discloses the interconnectedness of God, the divine council, and the rest of humanity. This call to action manifests the breadth of humanity and the divine. Psalm 82 essentializes the necessity to love and care for one another, specifically advocating and serving the oppressed. The journey of Psalm 82 divulges the paths of God’s love by establishing a precedent for the higher-ranking to rescue the weak and needy.

A demand for intentional care to individuals who do not have knowledge or access shows God’s willingness to call out those in power and the need for God’s divine power in “rise up O God” (Ps. 82:8). The scripture continues to present the ultimate sovereignty and grace of God when both the ancient community and gods of the divine council provide insufficient care of humanity. The message and urgent demand for extending care in Psalm 82 reveals why this passage has been passed down for the church. As Israel journeyed through exile and political distress, this psalm reiterates the past and emphasizes the present importance for bringing judgment against individuals actively restricting justice.

Psalm 82 shows a practical and foundational ortho-praxis of care towards the marginalized. God as judge, demands a healthy and sustained life for those who are oppressed. The modern church and community engaging with this scripture can find strength within the clear and direct communication of justice. Additionally, the psalm calls the church to actionable love and grace, while living in a constant practice of uplifting justice for all. Witnessing God as judge, and the judgement carried out by God, can be a testament and important suggestion to the church for critical discernment towards justice.

The Psalm teaches discerning practices and actions of care, or the lack thereof, seen in both the ancient community and present-day communities. God’s judgement in Psalm 82 shows how to live, emboldened with actionable steps to justice and care, upholding those on the margins. The very presence of God and God’s teaching of care and judgement builds out a depth of relationship shared with one another and with God. Psalm 82 helps in providing a necessary challenge to those in power to dismantle and re-construct society that reflects justice and equity.

In this season of Lent, I pray that we can reflect on this convicting passage. “How long” will we “show partiality,” treat others differently, act holier than thou? Psalm 82 is supposed to make us humans feel uncomfortable. We are all called to a place of unrest, to live in the darkness with our neighbors whom we all have kicked to the lowly, who we have not given justice to, and whom we have not rescued when they have cried out. May we go forth this Lenten season, removing the focus from ourselves, and seeking justice. I ask you this, siblings in God, how long are we going to let this keep going? How long?

Young Catholics: Enter your original poem about the death penalty for a chance to win!

 The following comes from the Catholic Mobilizing Network website. 

Justice and Mercy Poetry Contest for Young Catholics

Enter your original poem about the death penalty for a chance to win!

Are you an 18-30 year old who is enrolled in college or graduate school and motivated by your Catholic faith? Do you care about justice, especially as it pertains to the U.S. criminal legal system?

Enter Catholic Mobilizing Network’s (CMN’s) Justice and Mercy Poetry Contest for Young Catholics with an original poem about the injustice of capital punishment and become eligible to win up to $1,000 in cash.

The first-place winner will also be invited to read their award-winning poem at CMN’s 13th anniversary celebration on October 10, 2022 at the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Washington, DC.

Contest winners will be chosen by a diverse group of committee members who bring an array of interest, experience, and skills when it comes to engaging young Catholics, ending the death penalty, and using poetry as a way to nurture the intersection of justice and faith.

Submission Guidelines and Eligibility

This contest is open to Catholics in the United States ages 18-30 who are enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at an accredited college or university.

Poetry submissions will be accepted from March 1, 2022 - May 31, 2022. Submissions are limited to one poem per person. Formal, rhyming, or free verse poems are welcome.
Contest Prizes

First Place - The first-place winner of the poetry contest will receive a $1,000 cash prize and their poem will be published on CMN’s website and social media channels. The first-place winner will also be invited on an expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC to read their poem live at CMN’s 13th anniversary celebration at the Apostolic Nunciature on October 10, 2022.

Second Place - The second-place winner of the poetry contest will receive a $500 cash prize and their poem will be published on CMN’s website and social media channels.

Third Place - The third-place winner of the poetry contest will receive a $300 cash prize and their poem will be published on CMN’s website and social media channels.

ALL contestants will be invited to an exclusive virtual gathering in the summer of 2022 to hear from death penalty abolition leaders and learn about opportunities for education, advocacy, and prayer in the movement to end the death penalty.

A great testimony of hope for all of us from PHR3SH. Need advice, strength or encouragement? Watch this.

 

"On the mend = to improve."

This is another short and fun video from the Blind Pig & the Acorn blog. And it's not just the expression or the voice, but the look as well. That's the look you want to see when you have picnic on the grounds and go looking for your third helping of potato salad. I hope that our readers enjoy these as much as I do. Maybe a few of you are feeling that it sure is a long way to home. 

Acts of hope...

 

Refugees, migrant workers, the disinherited of the world, people of all religions (and none) are accompanied by God...