The Times They Are A-Changing

 

For the past few weeks, I have been reflecting on change. It struck me that we are living in times of constant change. I often say that no two days are the same. Every day is a new experience and filled with blessings and challenges. When I was speaking to a friend the other day, she said that she was having a pity party for herself. In the midst of her pity party someone told her that she should practice having a fifteen-minute pity party followed by fifteen minutes of gratitude. What a fabulous practice. Imagine if we all tried that. I think our world would be a different place.

When I was reflecting on change Bob Dylan’s song came to mind. Perhaps it has some wisdom for us as we navigate these never-ending changing times.

The Times They Are A-Changing

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
And you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'

Songwriters: Bob Dylan

 

Veterans Day

 

Every wonder why Veterans Day is on the 11^th and does not change? World War I ended on the 11^th day of the 11^th month on the 11^th day on the 11^th hour.

Usually at this time we see veterans selling poppies. Often the veteran tells you how you should wear the poppy. It should be worn on the right side; the red represents the blood of all who gave their lives; the red represents the blood of all those who gave their lives, the black represents the mourning of those who didn’t have their loved ones return home, and the green leaf represents the grass and crops growing and future prosperity after the war destroyed so much. The leaf should be positioned at 11 o’clock to represent the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the time World War I formally ended. The explanation of the significance of the poppy is important to continue to pass on to future generations as the generation that began it will not be around much longer to teach it. We must remember those from our current wars too.

Tomorrow when you see a veteran remember to thank them for their service and to pray for those who did not come home or who are no longer with us. Let us take the time to pray for and remember those who fought that we might enjoy our freedom. May God bless all those who served and who will serve in the future.

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,

"Which is the first of all the commandments?"

Jesus replied, "The first is this:

Hear, O Israel!

The Lord our God is Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul,

with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

The second is this:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12: 28-31)

Today’s Gospel is a reminder of the great commandment. In this Gospel Jesus recalls the Shema prayer – the prayer said daily by most Jewish people. It is a poignant reminder or what we are called to be as Christians. We are called to love God and love our neighbors.

How do we show love for our God and our neighbors in these turbulent times? We are in the midst of the Presidential election and are being bombarded by political ads that are full of unkind rhetoric, accusations, etc. Social media is full of similar platforms that seemingly seek to divide. In the midst of all of this the call is clear we need to follow the great commandment. If we treat one another with kindness, we will be a far better nation. Let us take these days to pray for peace and model peace in all we do.

To Autumn

For the past month I have been intrigued by the beauty of the changing leaves. Cooler mornings and cold evenings have been happening more frequently. There is a true beauty to fall. I came across the poem To Autumn by John Keats. As you read it take some time to enjoy the beauty of autumn today.

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
  Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
  With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
  And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
    To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
  With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
    For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
  Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
  Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
  Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
    Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
  Steady thy laden head across a brook;
  Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
    Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
  Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
  And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
  Among the river sallows, borne aloft
    Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
  Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
  The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,
    And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Written September 19, 1819; first published in 1820. This poem is in the public domain.

Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

In today’s Gospel, a young man approaches Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replies that one must follow the commandments. The man acknowledges that he has observed all of these since his childhood. Jesus then says that only one thing is lacking: he must give his possessions to the poor and follow Jesus. The man leaves in sadness, and Mark tells us that this is because he had many possessions. This is a unique passage as the young man went away sad.  Encounters with Jesus usually end with the person being happy and grateful. In this story it is not the case.

Jesus makes two requirements of the wealthy man who approaches him. First, he must give up his possessions. The second requirement Jesus makes of this man is the invitation that Jesus extends to all would-be disciples: “follow me.” Jesus very much wants this man to be his disciple.

What does this Gospel mean for us as we move forward. Perhaps it is a call to give yourself first to God. Ground yourself in God and everything else will be blessed by God and fall into place. Let us live this day in joy rather than despair. May we hear and believe the responsorial psalm “Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!” May we be filled with the love and mercy of God every day!

Pray for Peace in the Middle East

 

Monday, October 7th marks the 1 year anniversary of thekidnapping of the hostages which escalated the conflict in the Middle East. As we mark this somber anniversary let us pray for peace in our hearts, our homes, and our universe. May peace reign in the hearts of all.

Peace in the Middle East

God of mercy and compassion,
of grace and reconciliation,
pour your power upon all your children in the Middle East:
Jews, Muslims and Christians,
Palestinians and Israelis.
Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope,
oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation,
that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces,
and peace and justice could be experienced by all.

- Reverend Said

World Day of Migrants and Refugees

 

Today, September 29, the church observes the World Day of Migrants and Refugees with the theme: "God walks with his people".

The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) since 1914. It is always an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers.

Pope Francis emphasizes that God not only walks with His people but also dwells within them, especially in the poor, marginalized, and those on the peripheries. The encounter with a migrant or refugee is an opportunity to meet Christ and to grow in love, compassion, and faith. Let us pray with migrants and refugees on this 110^th anniversary of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

Prayer

God, Almighty Father,

we are your pilgrim Church

journeying towards the Kingdom of heaven.

We live in our homeland,

but as if we were foreigners.

Every foreign place is our home,

yet every native land is foreign to us.

Though we live on earth,

our true citizenship is in heaven.

Do not let us become possessive

of the portion of the world

you have given us as a temporary home.

Help us to keep walking,

together with our migrant brothers and sisters,

toward the eternal dwelling you have prepared for us.

Open our eyes and our hearts

so that every encounter with those in need

becomes an encounter with Jesus, your Son and our Lord. 

Amen.