Dear All,
Another week into summer so we thought a few ‘summery’ reflections could be good after all the big feasts etc. And our blessing today is ‘Deep Peace’, a Gaelic blessing from ‘Libera Peace’. We hope you enjoy it. I will pray it very specially for anyone amongst us who is greatly in need of that deep peace.
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of the gentle night to you,
Moon & stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ the light of the world to you,
Deep peace of Christ to you.
Enjoy the next weeks of summer & with our love & prayer
P.S> For those who join us for Evening Prayer: Beginning on this Sunday, 26th, there will be no ‘zoomed’ Evening Prayer until Thursday 7th July. Also, for those who join us at Blessed Sacrament church on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, there will be no EP there this coming Tuesday or Wednesday, 28th & 29th.
Summer
Macrina Wiederkehr
How easily the seasons speak to me of God! Yet as I sit experiencing the heat & longing for rain, I realise I do not have the same fondness for summer that I had as a child. My childhood summer memories do not include a thought of heat. I simply do not remember being hot. I was so involved in life I did not have time to notice the discomfort. Summer was a celebration of life. It was the time I lived most intensely, holding nothing back. It was the season of total commitment to life. I joyfully participated in the sacrament of summer because I was still in the process of receiving the sacrament of childhood. As a child I was quite successful at living life fully because I had not yet learned to live by the calendar. I lived by heart.
Little Summer
Mary Oliver
Every summer
I listen and look
under the sun’s brass and even
in the moonlight, but I can’t hear
anything, I can’t see anything—
not the pale roots digging down,
nor the green stalks muscling up,
nor the leaves
deepening their damp pleats,
nor the tassels making,
nor the shucks, nor the cobs.
And still,
every day,
the leafy fields
grow taller and thicker—
green gowns lifting up in the night,
showered with silk.
And so, every summer,
I fail as a witness, seeing nothing—
I am deaf too
to the tick of the leaves,
the tapping of downwardness from the banyan feet—
all of it
happening
beyond all seeable proof, or hearable hum.
And, therefore, let the immeasurable come.
Let the unknowable touch the buckle of my spine.
Let the wind turn in the trees,
and the mystery hidden in dirt
swing through the air.
How could I look at anything in this world
and tremble, and grip my hands over my heart?
What should I fear?
One morning
in the leafy green ocean
the honeycomb of the corn’s beautiful body
is sure to be there.
A Summer Prayer
May you breathe in the beauty of summer with its power of transformation. May this beauty permeate all that feels un-beautiful in you.
May the God of summer give us beauty.
May you seek and find spaces of repose during these summer months. May these moments refresh and restore the tired places within you.
May the God of summer give us rest.
May you be open to times of celebration and recreation that are so much a part of summer. May you find happiness in these times of play and leisure.
May the God of summer give us joy.
May your eyes see the wonders of summer’s colours. May these colours delight you and entice you into contemplation and joy.
May the God of summer give us inner light.
May you feel the energy of summer rains penetrating thirsty gardens, golf courses, lawns, and farmlands. May these rains remind you that your inner thirst needs quenching. May your inner self be refreshed, restored, and renewed.
May the God of summer give us what we need for healing.
May you savour the fresh produce that comes to your table and enjoy the fruits of summer’s bounty.
May the God of summer give us a sense of satisfaction in the work of our hands.
May you find shelter when the stormy skies of summer threaten your safety.
May the God of summer give us shelter when inner storms threaten our peace of mind and heart.
May you enjoy the unexpected and find surprises of beauty and happiness as you travel the roads on summer vacations.
May the God of summer lead us to amazing discoveries as we travel the inner roads of our soul as well.
Amen.