Moment of Oneness, March 1, 2023

First Week of Lent, Wednesday, Liturgy of the Hours. Evening

Leader: God, Come to my assistance.

ALL: Holy One, make haste to help me.

ALL: Glory and Joy be to Peace and Love and Grace. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

ALL: Prayer of Jesus. (Miriam Therese Winter)

Oh Holy One, Who is within, around and among us.

We celebrate your many names. 

Your Wisdom come. Your will be done, Unfolding from the depths within us.

Each day you give us all that we need.

You remind us of our limits, and we let go.

You support us in our power, and we act with courage.

For you are the dwelling place within us,

The empowerment around us,

And the celebration among us,

Now and forever. AMEN.

Psalm:  Poem by Mary Ann Matthys. Ash Wednesday. (2023)

When the ashes
of your life
are strewn about,
dispersed to the ends
 of the earth,
ego dissolves
into humility
as you kneel,
your life spent.

How do you pick up the ashes?
Hands dusty,
black with soot
Mark an imprint
on the forehead
of your soul.
Who knows?
Who Knows.


When the ashes
of your life
are strewn about,
dispersed to the ends
 of the earth,
Can you even begin
to pick them up?
Do you really want to?
Or is it better
to walk through them,
to live anew?
Leave the ashes
of the past.

Step through
the threshold
Of the present moment.
Create the path
As you walk toward
Presence, possibilities,
and a future
laced with hope.

QUIET REFLECTION

First reading:  The Soul Adores Unity, Anam Cara, John O’Donohue.

When you decide to practice inner hospitality, the self-torment ceases. The abandoned, neglected, and negative selves come into a seamless unity. The soul is wise and subtle; it recognizes that unity fosters belonging. The soul adores unity. What you separate, the soul joins. As your experience extends and deepens, your memory becomes richer and more complex. Your soul is the priestess of memory, selecting, sifting, and ultimately gathering your banishing days toward presence. This liturgy of remembrance, literally re- membering, is always at work within you. Human solitude is rich and endlessly creative.

QUIET REFLECTION

Second reading: (The Practice of a) Breathing Room, Peace is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh

We have a room for everything ---- eating, sleeping, watching TV ----but we have no room for mindfulness. 

I recommend that we set up a small room in our homes and call it a “breathing room,” where we can be alone and practice just breathing and smiling, at least in difficult moments. 

That little room should be regarded as an Embassy of the Kingdom of Peace. It should be respected, and not violated by anger, shouting, or things like that. 

You may want to have a small bell, one with a beautiful sound. Invite the bell to sound. 

The bell will help not only the person in the breathing room, but the others in the house as well. 

The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions. 

I believe that every home should have one room for breathing. Simple practices like conscious breathing and smiling are very important. They can change our civilization.

Deep Peace, by Sara Thompson

https://youtu.be/kb-FAOe396U

Deb: Let us have a moment of quiet as we remember our intentions and those who need our prayers.

Please share your intentions if you wish…

Deb: As we prepare for our Quiet time in Darkness and Dream, May we remember our call to Lenten Peace, Lenten Contemplation, and Lenten Awareness.  Knowing that we are supported and Loved, May we enter into our time of Rest with Contentment and Peace. 

AMEN.