Previous Page new stuff St. Francis Thank you Lord that your grace helps us to realize that rebellion against weakness, sins mistakes as pride of those who think themselves perfect and forget that we are weakness weakness weakness Ah If only your pride understood you perform miracles to sustain true and genuine humility Amen There were two best friends; one a judge and one a business man. One day the business man got caught and charged with fraud: a real large amount of money. And, when it came through the courts his best friend sat as the judge. After the case was presented, the gavel came down and the judge passed the toughest sentence ever, a $ 1,000,000 fine. Then he stepped down from the podium and took off his judge robes and came over to his business man friend and said, “Friend, I have sold my house and all I own and have paid your fine.” This is what Jesus did for us. The judge has paid the price for our sins. Your smile warmed me awake as I lay drunk in the snow. Your hand touched nursing healing my sores. Your voice surrounded me in words of prayers of hope for my well being and God’s blessing. Your feet travelled to encourage me, visit me in jail, in hospital, in the park. All that you are is challenging me steadily to be all I can be beyond my dreams. Thank you to all of you from all of me. – “Fox” To A Stranger at Christmas; My hand reached out My voice said “stay” A child was born this winter’s day Who loved the lost, the weak The poor, who never would have closed the door to one in need. He told his friends to feed his sheep to light the way for those who might have gone astray. Come in, my friend, and share the feast With all those who may be called least. By: Charlotte A. Swede Sacramental Time If we can each set apart Our common time to sacred Use by bringing our gifts to the table, then we will find Christ at the table ... For Christ is right here in our midst. If we can each reach our Roots in search of living water by being fully present at the table, then we will find Christ at the table ... For Christ is right here in our midst forever and ever. Amen By: Anne Shotwell A problem is a chance for you to do your best. Duke Ellington Mother and Son Love; The moment when their eyes first met, The feelings they’d always felt, The look that runs so deep, The warmth that fills your soul. The love they held deep in their hearts, The love they knew could not be kept apart, The bonded love of mother and son, Their hearts aflutter, Their eyes aglow, Now they know they will never have to let go. A day of healing, a day of feeling, The world all their own. True love has come back To a mother and son. Done By Bradford J.M. – Spring 91 I’ve learned that God does answer prayer – The prayer of the faith. The trouble with me was I prayed but I did not even Know what having faith meant. When you ask God for help, don’t take the problem out of his hands. Trust him when you have real faith. He will never let you down. Done by Sandra M.M. Take time to be friendly – It is the road to happiness. Take time to dream – It is hitching your wagon to a star. Take time to love and be loved – It is the privilege of the gods. Take time to look around – It is too short a day to be selfish. Take time to laugh – It is the music of the soul. Old English Prayer \At the dawn of this new millennium, we turn to you, Lord of justice and goodness. Let each person here present Be a worker of peace On this earth in turmoil from so many divergent interests. Give us the strength to work with courage To serve the common good of all our countries. Let our political commitment Help us increase our fellow citizens’ humanity, Help us respect their dignity and their rights. Be with us and support us in our personal collective efforts Toward a more equitable distribution of wealth And a stronger focus on the have-nots And the weaker members if our societies. At the heart of our commercial practices, Our cultural exchanges, our political relations, Help us to always give priority to human beings And to the great spiritual values That have shaped our democracies. Bless, O Lord, ourselves, our families, our countries. Amen. For the Love of the World For the love of a tree She went out on a limb For the love of the sea She rocked the boat For the love of the earth She dug deeper For the love of community She mended fences For the love of the stars She let the light shine For the love of the Spirit She nurtured her soul For the love of a good time She sowed seeds of happiness For the love of God She worshiped & praised For the love of a good meal She gave thanx He who dies Before he dies Does not die When he dies Get used to dying before death arrives for the dead can only live and the living can only die I Know You I know that you’re sorry – I know you’ve been drunk all week – I know that you did not mean – to spit out those profanities – I know you’re a loser – I know you’ve had bad skin all your life – I also know you will never find a wife – someone who could love someone so hard – And you are – And you are – I don’t think you’re ugly – I just think the world has made you weird – I doubt very much that you even hear – anything I say to you – What’s that on your shoulder? – Don’t you know its pulling you apart? – Every vein connected to your heart – Nobody could love someone so hard – I know you well enough to say – You need to start again – I hope u never underestimate - yourself my friend – My friend I think that you need me – Even though you tell yourself you don’t – I will love you even though you won’t – I will be your confidant – Won’t you let me hold you? – Won’t you let me kiss you on the mouth? – Oh I know you’ll tell me to get out – It doesn’t matter anyway – I know you well enough to say – You need to start again – I hope you never underestimate – yourself my friend – My friend – My friend – My friend – I know you so well – I know you so well – I know you so well I walk down the street picking up cans before an audience of cars See no Evil “Can you spare some change?” I ask Ignored by people who saw too much of themselves in me. Hear no Evil In a crowded city, my downtrodden walk is like that of Claude Rains. I am truly an invisible man. Speak no Evil The evil that needs to be spoken is this… Society is wrong. We aren’t statistics. We aren’t asking for hand outs. All we ask is that you give us our humanity back. Just a Prayer for Housing Someday Roses are Red… Violets are Blue… How I wish I had a place to lay my head… How I wish I had a place to hang my head… How I wish I had a place to call my own… How I wish I had a roof over my head… How I wish I had not to sleep on the streets… Can you even imagine the cold and rainy nights out here on the streets… Prayer of Forgiveness God, our loving Creator, your Son Jesus told us to first be reconciled to our brothers and sisters and then worship you. May we offer the forgiveness to others that we would ourselves wish to receive, knowing that through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son, we are already a forgiven people. We pray our thanks in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. Say Buddy – Willya Lend Me a Loon ? Back in the thirties, the Depression was bad, And many lost everything they ever had. The Soup-lines and the Bread-lines got longer each day, So a dime was worth something and went a long way. So often you’d see some poor soul walking by Who, with eyes on the sidewalk, he’d so softly cry… “Well, I wonder kind sir, if you’d be quite so kind As to help me a little and… lend me a dime?” In the fifties the quarter was the coin of the day. It could buy you a sandwich at the Corner Café… You could take in a movie on a Saturday night, And be left with some change if you played it just right. Though work was abundant all over this land, There would still be a poor soul in need of a hand. The question you’d hear then, went something like this… “Mister, can ya spare me a lean of two bits?” The nineties rushed in and to our surprise, The Bread-lines of old were again on the rise. Unemployment kept growing. ‘Seemed higher each day. And the cost of living sent many astray. Our dollar was bumped by a coin, coloured ‘gold’, Worth not a lot more than the quarter of old. Will the Queen reign forever on the back of the Loon? How long will so many be singing this tune… Say Buddy – Can ya lend me a loon? Can ya spare it? I promise I’ll try to pass it on soon. It’ll buy me a coffee at the Corner Cafe … Hey, Buddy – Can ya help me? Please, don’t turn away… -E.W. Smith Thanksgiving She wanders in silence Stopping briefly To pick through garbage For a cigarette or lottery ticket One day her ship will come in Long white hair matted Torn coat tied with A rope and safety pins She pushes her cart Mumbling to her Imagined friends Day after day The same old game Scavenger hunt “Spare change Spare change” A crazy old woman She hears them say As a coin falls To the ground Near her And she thanks God Once again We come in all colors ages shapes and sizes we are alcoholics and abstainers our families are rich and our families are poor our moms and dads loved us and our moms and dads beat us mercilessly we do drugs and we wouldn’t touch the stuff we are suffering from mental health problems and we are painfully sane we are fearful and we are fearless crooked and trustworthy atheists and believers personal and private and many many more things we are the homeless of your community and we wish to speak to you what is more is we wish to speak to you as equals in what we know can be a very unequal society we want to heal that society and in the process heal ourselves A poem by George Agrippa Zulu Another Night Cold, Cold, Cold, It’s Gonna get worse, so I’m told, I’m at my wits end, But I refuse to give in or bend, Even though I feel so old old old…. Is it a Bird? Or is it a Can? Better than that It’s Simon’s van, Oh what a way, To end the day, A phone call away, I’m glad I ran, ran, ran…. Where is one, two, nine? Marie says it’s really fine, Is it Kentish Town or Chalk Farm? Doesn’t matter I’d give my arm, For I know I’ve found My little Mine…. I may not be where I wanna be, But it’s a lot lot better than where I used to be … Gods delays Are not Gods denials. Christ Our Advocate Christ our advocate, we pray for our sisters and brothers throughout the world: out of our poverty and theirs, may we not stumble by judging each other, Christ, brother of the poor, in the faces of our partners may we see your love. In our faces may they see your love. Together may we abide in you, celebrating the risen life of the Kingdom Christ, bridge-builder, help us to work with you and for you. Through the power of the Spirit help us to rebuild God’s community of diving purpose in partnership with all your people. I asked Love to help me greet the stranger in myself. I knew how to open my door to the world and greet everyone out there as friend but I didn’t have any kind of welcome for the impoverished one within. She was the weakness I couldn’t acknowledge. She was the pain I didn’t allow. She was the leper I’d tried to cast out the city, the one who cried at night in lonely places. I thought that if I let her in she’d cause me no end of trouble, and I was afraid. But Love helped me to prepare a feast. We set the table, Love and I, and then I did it, I invited my stranger. ‘Answer the door,’ said Love. ‘You have nothing to fear.’ She came in slowly. I put my arms around her and embraced her in her rags and we wept together for years of separation. I sat my stranger at the head of the table, gave her the best of food and wine and, claiming her as my own, began to introduce her to my friends. ‘But who shall I say she is?’ I whispered to Love. ‘I can’t c all her a stranger now.’ Love smiled and said, ‘Don’t you know? She is the Christ Jesus Christ is waiting, Waiting in the streets; No one is his neighbour, All alone he eats. Listen, Lord Jesus, I am lonely too. Make me, friend or stranger, Fit to wait on you. Jesus Christ is raging, Raging in the streets, Where injustice spirals And real hopes retreat. Listen, Lord Jesus, I am angry too. In the Kingdom’s causes Let me rage with you. Jesus Christ is healing, Healing in the streets; Curing those who suffer, Touching those he greets. Listen, Lord Jesus, I have pity too. Let my care be active, Healing just like you. Jesus Christ is dancing, Dancing in the streets, Where each sign of hatred He, with love, defeats. Listen, Lord Jesus. I should triumph too. On suspicion’s graveyard Let me dance with you. Jesus Christ is calling, Calling in the streets. ‘Who will join my journey? I will guide their feet.’ Listen, Lord Jesus, Let my fears be few. Walk one step before me; I will follow you. Lord, Teach me what it is is to be poor not just poor with the absence of material wealth But poor in spirit the kind of poverty that will make me empty and create space for you. Help me let go of the false securities, the material props that are so easy to cling to. Show me what it is to be truly bereft. Teach me what it is to be poor – Then Lord, you will be my all and my priorities will be in order – Then Lord, I will know what it is to truly love. Teach me Lord, show me what it is to be poor – show me, teach me now! O Great Spirit, Creator of all things; human beings, trees, grass, berries. Help us, be kind to us. Let us be happy on earth. Let us lead our children to a good life and old age. These our people; give them good minds to love one another. O Great Spirit, be kind to us. Give these people the favour to see green trees, green grass, flowers and berries this next spring; so we all meet again. O Great Spirit, we ask of you. Tending Our Inner Garden Gardening is a soul-feeding activity for many of us. We nurture and care for our flowers, vegetables and trees by watering, weeding and feeding them. Often we talk to them. Studies done using special photography demonstrate that plants react differently depending on how they are spoken to. When addressed in a soft and soothing manner, the energy around a plant expands and brightens, and the plant leans towards the speaker. But when the plant is spoken to harshly or approached threateningly, its energy field constricts, the colours around it darken, and it leans away from the perceived threat. What kind of gardener are we to our inner gardens? Do we cultivate kindly? Prune with patience? Encourage and appreciate our flowering and out ability to bear fruit? There is no other flower like us. We are each unique and beautiful, worthy of the finest care. A compassionate inner environment allows us to bloom more readily and more exquisitely. Gently allow an image of a flower to come into your mind’s eye. Imagine this flower is a part of you that is thirsty for appreciation and care. See yourself watering the flower from a beautiful pitcher. Imagine your flower lifting its head up to accept the refreshing sprinkle. Feel its roots thankfully absorbing the sustaining and empowering water. Soak in the sensation of being nurtured and encouraged to grow. The Impossible Dream In the colds and flu’s of winter, the rainy season of summer; On these pavements I live, sleep maybe and will die Covered my card boxes and plastics And yet the street noise is still within my ears. Harassment and abuse from those with authority I receive, I feel no longer human; Neglected, condemned and unwanted, Still hoping to get a better image; It’s impossible - nothing looks positive I live with this impossible dream. I wish all cats, dogs and rats get killed, and be alone So as to ease my burden when searching for food, For it is only these dustbins and garbage cans now, Only they can solve my problem They are my sustain-er. I hope one day, the best will come, my dream is to see the better side of things; I have a dream, to live, not lie the way I am now; I am tired of the pavements, I want something better, now! The old man stares out of his realm concrete mattress his only bed eyes glazed staring, not caring beyond that now. Spare any change, Guv Just for a cuppa they walk on by kick empty cans “Get a job” they say walk on leaving him cold, hungry and dejected Just another day only need eight cans a bed somewhere to lay his head another day begins they find him dead frozen to his concrete bed who cares YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE YOUR MOTHER unless she is who you want to be. You do not have to be your mother’s mother or your mother’s mother’s mother, or even your grandmother’s mother on your father’s side. You may inherit their chins or their hips or their eyes, but you are not destined to become the women who came before you, you are not destined to live their lives. So if you inherit something, inherit their strength. If you inherit something, inherit their resilience. Because the only person you are destined to become is the person YOU DECIDE to be. You will find out that charity Is a heavy burden to carry Heavier than the bowl of soup And the full basket. But you will keep your gentleness And your smile. It is not enough to give soup And bread This the rich can do. You are the servant of the poor, Always smiling and always good humored. They are your masters, (Terribly sensitive) and exacting masters, You will soon see. The uglier and dirtier they will be, The more unjust and insulting, The more love you must give them. It is only for your love alone That the poor will forgive you The bread you give to them. - St. Vincent De Paul