Prayer of Abandonment
Father, I abandon myself into your hands;
Do with me as you will.
Whatever happens in my life I desire to discover
You through it.
I thank you for whatever will be.
Let only your will be done in me,
And in all your creatures…
I wish no more than this.
Into your hands I commend my soul.
I offer myself to you with all my heart.
I love you, my God.
I desire to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
And with boundless confidence,
For you are my God and my all.

Charity

Last Monday the CS Lewis book study finished its current read, The Four Loves. In this volume, Lewis explores the four types of love based on four Greek words, all of which are translated as “love” in the New Testament. Perhaps the most difficult kind of love to understand is Charity, or God’s undeserved love for all of creation – the love that led to our redemption in Christ. We found Lewis’ writings on Charity very inspiring, so I share with you an excerpt of this chapter:

God is Love. Again, “Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that he loved us.”
(I John 4:10).

We must not begin with mysticisms, with the creature’s love for God, or with the wonderful foretastes of the fruition of God vouchsafed to some in their earthly life. We begin at the real beginning, with love as the Divine energy. This primal love is gift-love. In God there is no hunger that needs to be filled, only plenteousness that desires to give…We must keep always before our eyes that vision of Lady Julian (of Norwich’s) in which God carried in His hand a little object like a nut, and that nut was “all that is made.” God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that he may love and perfect him…Herein is love. This is the diagram of Love Himself, the inventor of all loves.
---CS Lewis, from "The Four Loves"

LOVE

Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lacked anything.
‘A guest,” I answered, ‘worthy to be here’:’
Love said, ‘You shall be he.’
“I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.’
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
‘Who made the eyes but I?’
‘Truth, Lord, but I have marred them; let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.’
‘And know you not,’ says Love, ‘Who bore the blame?’
‘My dear, then I will serve.’
‘You must sit down, says Love, ‘And taste my meat.
So I did sit and eat.
---George Herbert, 1593-1633---

Debra's Midweek Meditation
Mercy

"Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

The lepers in the story appointed this week rush to Jesus and shout out for mercy.

Jesus, the transparent representative of God’s compassion, makes space to hear their cries.

He gives room for hope, simply through his appearance on their path.

Yesterday I visited a center in the Pimlico neighborhood of Baltimore.
I saw a wall of "wishes" written by children for whom gunplay, gang activity and the ravages of drug addiction are all around them.
As I stood before this wall of words, what I saw was a wall of prayer-
A wailing wall-if you will.
Cries from the heart of children written upon a wall so that others could begin to hear their cries for mercy.

In the heart of Pimlico a place is becoming a safe spot for children to become vulnerable enough to plead for mercy.

They said-
"I wish there were no more guns."
"I wish my mother could come home."
"I wish there were no gangs."

They are saying, have mercy. And, I believe that Jesus is saying that they deserve not just mercy but love.

How we become Jewels by Jill Underhill

As we join our prayers with those of others, we are opening to the breath of the Spirit. We become ambassadors for compassion.
Let us join our prayers with those of Christ.

O compassionate Jesus, look on me today with tenderness and give me the grace to walk on the path of mercy marked out for those who follow you. May all I do today reflect your merciful love. Amen.
A prayer from the Sisters of Mercy.

Blessings,
Debra

Daily Morning Prayer:
http://www.episcopalchurchingarrettcounty.org/churchonthewebpage.htm

Oh God, make the door of this house wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship; narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and strife. Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children, nor to straying feet, but rugged and strong enough to turn back the tempter’s power. God make the door of this house the gateway to thine eternal kingdom.
--On St. Stephen’s, Walbrook, London--

This Week at St. James:

Today: Newsletter Deadline
Thursday: 7-9 Mending Creation
Friday: 10:00 Theology and Spirit
Saturday: 9:00 Daughters of the King; 12:00 Vestry hosts the leadership of St. Mary’s Walbrook; 3:00 Music on the Manor
Sunday: Clergy Conference; 4:00 Confirmation
Monday: No CS Lewis book study
Tuesday: 4:00 One Straw Farm at St. James
Wednesday: 8:30 Healing Eucharist;
9:30 Bible Study

NEXT WEEK the PAX will be on hiatus – I will be in Bethesda for Continuing Education.

Prayers Etc.

Rob; Brittany; Andy B.; Mac K.; Donna & Jim
Annabelle; Pat; David; Ray; Jeffrey; Nancy & Chris
Mike H.; Matt S.; Judy E.; John; Joanne B.; Mike R.
Natalie; Jeannie; Kate; Josh; Susan L.; Jack
Joel; Mike P.; Joyce R.; Jannon; Sylvia P.; Aunt Cary
Isabelle; Lori S.; Jim C.; Mimi B.; Michelle K .; Sally
Arnold; Diana; Sam B.; Tony P.; Leib M.; Norma Jean
Susan A.; Jay W.; John W.; Fred B.; Family of Korbin L.
Michael, Pam and Corbin; Sue G.; Fred S.; Jane C.
Andrew P.

For Laura and Lyle in seminary,
For those who are deployed and their families.

Thou hast given so much to me;
Give one thing more – a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be thy praise.
George Herbert

In Closing:

Lord, Jesus,
I sign my heart with the sign of the cross,
Reminding myself of your love for each person.
I ask that I may grow in faithfulness as your friend.

I sign my lips with the sign of the cross,
That I may speak as you would speak.

I sign my hands with the sign of the cross,
Asking that you would enable me to do your work, and be your hands
In our world which you love so much.

I sign my eyes with the sign of the cross
That I may really see, Lord,
And be aware of all that is around me.

I sign my ears with the sign of your cross
That I may listen and really hear
The communication that comes to me
In different ways
- from you
- and from the people
- you place in my life.

I sign my shoulders, Lord, with your cross,
Knowing that you call me
To carry my own cross each day
And support others
In the burdens and difficulties
That they have.

All that I do today
I set out to do
In the name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
---Jesuit Prayer---

Pax et Bonum,
Loree+

<- Back to Parish News