Dear All,
At this stage of the year we roll from one big feast to another & this weekend we have the feast of the Trinity. In fact this feast is very much a continuation of Pentecost & there is so great a wealth of reflections on the Spirit that we are going to continue that theme this week, but with a bit of a focus on the Spirit as an expression of God’s Wisdom. We hope you will find something here to nourish YOUR spirit over the next days.
The blessing is the Repose Blessing from New Dawn. May it bring you & your family many blessings of peace:
God, bless to me this day, God, bless to me this night;
Bless, O bless, thou God of Grace, each day & hour of my life.
God bless the path on which I go,
God bless the earth beneath my feet.
Bless, O God, give to me your love,
Bless, O God, my rest & my repose.
With our love & prayer for you all
THE GIFT OF YOURSELF
Liz Knowles
We praise you, 0 God,
FOR YOUR WONDERFUL GIFT OF YOURSELF.
Spirit of the Living God,
from Holy Wisdom brooding on the waters of creation
to the Spirit with us now and enabling us to worship,
you have been gently and powerfully at work in our history.
We praise you, 0 God,
FOR YOUR WONDERFUL GIFT OF YOURSELF.
Spirit of the Living God,
breathing life into all that lives and loves,
inspiring work and choices, guiding and moulding,
you are still gently and powerfully at work in our world.
We praise you, 0 God,
FOR YOUR WONDERFUL GIFT OF YOURSELF.
Spirit of the Living God,
from knitting us together in our mother’s wombs
to embracing us while we draw our last breaths,
you are gently and powerfully at work in our lives.
We praise you, 0 God, ,
FOR YOUR WONDERFUL GlFT OF YOURSELF.
Spirit of the Living God,
we ask for your holding particularly of these whom we name now:
(names of those who are sick)
We ask your comfort for those who mourn, especially the family and friends of:
(names of those who are deceased)
Spirit of the Living God,
fall afresh on us,
freshen us, renew us,
open our eyes to the needful tasks
and our own abilities to fulfil the work.
Enable us to be identified as God’s holy people
by our love and joy,
our peace and patience,
our kindness and generosity,
our faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
May we shine as lights in the world to the glory of God.
We praise you, 0 God,
FOR YOUR WONDERFUL GIFT OF YOURSELF.
AMEN
The Guidance of Holy Wisdom
I pleaded,
and the spirit
of Wisdom
came to me.
Wisdom 7:7
“Pleaded” connotes a huge amount of humility. It implies that the options for self-determination and an inability to manage the situation alone have run out. Who of us likes to get down on our bumbling knees and implore Holy Wisdom for guidance? Pleading hints of “surrender” and who wants to totally give one’s self in trust to this invisible Counsellor? Our inclination leans toward being in charge, figuring things out by ourselves. This part of self, “the ego;’ seeks to be chief and master, locking us in our small world of security and power. Moving beyond this strong determination of the ego in order to receive Holy Wisdom’s guidance requires openness to that which may not always “make sense,” dreams and intuitive inclinations that are not easily explained. The spirit of Wisdom comes, not to put our plans in place according to our wants and desires, but to guide us toward what most grows us into holiness. Are we ready to plead for this? Are we ready to hand over our self to Holy Wisdom with trust that the way will be made known?
The Coming of the Spirit
With the power of the green leaf
unfolding to spring-time sunshine,
unfold our souls to the radiance of Your light.
With the power of the life of God
made incarnate in the womb of Mary,
make in the depths of our souls
a place where the life of God can be planted.
With the power of wisdom,
of understanding
and the knowledge of God,
fill our souls with awe in the presence of God.
With the power of counsel and of might,
Empower our words and our actions
that we may be prophets for our age:
With the power that holds all creation in being,
hold our lives in the safety of Your wings:
With the power that shook the disciples out of their fear and complacency,
shake our lives free of our fears, our doubts and our uncertainties:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created
and You will renew the face of the earth.