Obey My Words

July 26, 2010

Memorial of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

This wicked people who refuse to obey my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, and follow strange gods to serve and adore them, shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing. For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man's loins, so had I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD; to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty. But they did not listen. Jeremiah 13:10-11

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." Matthew 13:31-33

Piety

A Prayer for Haiti
January 2010

Most Holy Creator God, Lord of heaven and earth,
we bring before you today your people of Haiti.
It is You who set in motion the stars and seas,
You who raised up the mountains of the Massif de la Hotte
and Pic La Selle. It is You who made her people in your very image:
Their gregarious hearts and generous spirits,
their hunger and thirst for righteousness and liberty.
It is you, O Lord, who planted the rhythms of konpa, Twoubadou,
and zouk in the streets of Cite-Soleil; You who walk the paths
outside of Jacmel and Hinche. Your people, O Lord, cry out to you.

Haiti, O Haiti: The world’s oldest black republic,
the second-oldest republic in the Western world.

God, You are the One who answers the cries of the suffering.
You are a God who sees, frees, and redeems your people.
“I too have heard the moaning of my people,” you spoke to Moses.
Now, Lord, speak again to Chanté, Agwe, Nadege, and Jean Joseph.
Speak now, O Lord, and comfort Antoine, Jean-Baptiste,
Toto, and Djakout. Raise up your people from the ash heap
of destruction and give them strong hearts and hands,
shore up their minds and spirits. Help them to bear this new burden.

As for us, Lord, we who are far away from the rubble and the dust,
from the sobbing and moans, but who hold them close in our hearts,
imbue us with the strength of Simon the Cyrene.
Help us to carry the Haitian cross. Show us how to lighten
their yoke with our prayers, our aid, our resources. Teach
us to work harder for justice in our own country and dignity in Haiti,
so that we may stand with integrity when we hold our Haitian families
in our arms once again. We ask this in the name of Jezikri,
Jesus Christ. Amen.

(c) Rose Marie Berger (reprint freely)

Rose Marie Berger, an associate editor at Sojourners magazine, is a Catholic peace activist and poet.

Study

How many ways does the Lord need to use to tell us that he just wants to be friends?

Last Sunday’s Good News reminded us about the Lord’s Prayer. The reading went on to address the need for and importance of persistence. Jesus said if your neighbor wants a loaf of bread for his family, even if you don’t want to help him, you will help because of his persistence. Such persistence also was the theme of the first reading about Abraham pleading with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah even if there is only 50, 45, all the way down to ten honorable men.

Today, the persistence shoe is on the other foot. The Lord tells us again and again that he wants to be as close to us as our very clothes. He wants to be as close to us as the birds nesting in a tree. He wants to be such a close part of us we will not be able to separate our yeast from his.

Action

As we move further into the annual calendar, there is a risk that we can forget the people of Haiti and their daily struggle against poverty and the citizens of Port-au-Prince and their efforts to rebuild after the January earthquake.

Mediate today on the prayer from Rose Berger and use it to guide you to make a contribution to the ongoing rebuilding in Haiti. Please support the people of Haiti who have suffered a devastating earthquake with your prayers and donations.