Sr. Sue's Thoughts on Prayer

Last year our Japanese maple tree in the courtyard was dying... except for one branch with a few leaves at the end of it. Apparently, this was the effect of an early warm up followed by a severe frost in a previous year. I decided to wait one more year to see what happened. 

Talk about resilience! That one trunk has all sorts of new growth on it. So, we cut away what was dead and will continue to see how this part progresses.

Prayers from a Japanese maple tree: 

God, give us the grace to let go of that which no longer gives us life - old habits, ideas, desires which no longer serve us.

God, help us to nurture the gifts you have given us - bringing new energy to our life, and beauty to be shared with those around us.

God, help us to see the little signs of hope that are hidden all around us, waiting to be noticed! 

Be well and be at peace!

They say "Many hands make light work". 

We just had a grounds day and extra hands helped us get much more done and made it quite enjoyable! Prayers from Grounds Day:

God, give me the ability to see where my hands can be of help to others. 

God, give me the grace to accept the helping hands of others when I am in need.

Be well and be at peace!

On this Memorial Day weekend, may we pray for all who have experienced war:

~ For those around the world who have fought to protect those they loved, the country they lived in, and the beliefs they cherished.

~ For all those around the world that have been affected by war in any manner - loss of loved ones, loss of home, hunger, fear, illness, grief, incapacitation, loss of hope...

~ For the ability to find a way to peace, ending all wars and division and inequality. 

Please God, may it be so!

Be well and be at peace!

It’s that time of year (for some of us) when our thoughts turn to planting. Some people are getting their flowers in, others are planning their vegetable gardens or herb gardens, still others are planting some trees.

Perhaps planting is a good image for our prayer!

Listen closely! What are the messages that God is planting in your heart in prayer?

Where are the roots of your prayer taking hold?

What seeds of something new in your life would you like God to nurture?

What prayers are you planting in God’s heart?

May God bless the continual growth of your prayer!

Be well and be at peace!

There are plans for the road in front of the retreat house in the coming years. The powers that be are calling it a "traffic calming" project. It made me think how hard it is to calm the traffic of thoughts in my brain when I'm trying to pray. So....

All my worries, concerns, anxieties, and fears that float through my mind - hold them tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

All the tasks, projects, and deadlines that have to be accomplished - hold them tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

All the wonderings about conversations past or yet to be voiced - hold them tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

All the grief over that which cannot be changed - hold it tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

All the hopes and dreams both for myself and those I love - hold them tenderly God, and calm my mind, heart, and soul.

Be well and be at peace!

It’s spring, and one of the things I am noticing more this year are the birds. When I walk to the retreat house early in the morning, I can hear them all chirping as they greet the dawn. There has been a cardinal visiting me outside my window regularly, and last week I saw a bluebird! With the spring winds, there have been hawks riding the drafts in the sky. Perhaps this week we can pray with our feathered companions!

For these creatures who grace the sky:

~ May they remind us of the gift of freedom if we can go with the flow of the currents in our lives.

~ May the beauty of their diversity help us to recognize the diverse beauty in all our human companions.

~ May the gift of their songs bring joy and comfort to our hearts.

~ May they be a reminder to look up at the sky – to look beyond all the cares and worries that are right up in our face and remember that God is bigger than all that. And that, as I heard someone say this week, “God’s got this!”

Be well and be at peace!

There's a phrase from the beginning of Psalm 66 stuck in my brain as I write this: "Let all the earth cry out with joy to the Lord!" 

As we celebrate our earth this week, take some time to pay attention to all that is bursting forth around us. Spend some time in nature or looking out a window. Stand in prayerful awe and wonder at the beauty of the earth "crying out in joy to the Lord!"

Be well and be at peace!

Did you know that there is a concrete canoe contest? I was speaking with a young woman who will be graduating this year as a civil engineer, and their school won the contest for New York state. The concept baffles my mind as something that would be seemingly impossible.

So I thought we needed to pray with it!

~ For all our graduating college students as they prepare to finish their degrees, may they use their knowledge and skills for the good of their communities.

~ For engineers of every kind who create items, structures and spaces that are safe and beautiful for the use of their communities.

~ For all those situations that baffle us and seem impossible, may we remember that nothing is impossible with God’s help!

Be well and be at peace!

I have been marveling at the photos being taken by the crew of Artemis 2.

They give me hope and cause distress at the same time. I think it is so easy to think of my neighborhood, my city, my state, my country as being so vast and all important. But then we look at Earth from space and realize that this one planet is all we have and how small we are. We hear of borders and protection and what land and resources belong to "us". And yet from space, there are no borders, no walls. We have been given one planet to live on, together, with a finite amount of resources.

Today, may we pray for peace in our world 

~ for an end to violence and fear

~ for an end to greed and want

~ for the ability to see every human being as neighbor and kin

May our words and actions be ones of 

~ compassion

~ kindness

~ reconciliation

~ care

May we treat this beautiful planet, which we allinhabit, and every living creature on it with

~ respect

~ dignity

~ honor

Please God, may it be so!

Be well and be at peace!

I’ve been thinking about stones this week. For those of us in the Christian tradition, today is Holy Saturday. The large stone has been rolled in front of the tomb and we wait. Last weekend was Palm Sunday. While not used this particular year, in Luke’s gospel, during Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, Jesus says that even if the crowd were silent, the stones would cry out. 

What are the stones in our lives and what are they saying to us?

~ Are there physical stones, that we are rearranging in our gardens or paths after a long winter?

~ Are we hikers, who like to sit on a good boulder and enjoy the view?

What are the metaphorical stones in our lives?

~ stepping stones that lead us along a path

~ boulders that seem to block the way – that we can’t get past

~ pebbles that cause us to lose our balance

Perhaps this day you may want to find a small stone to carry in your pocket or hold in your hand. Ask God to help you hear what the stone is saying to you. And may you be blessed by what you hear!

Be well and be at peace!

With all this crazy weather going from warm to cold and back again, there is quite a bit of mud. Mud is kind of a blessing and a curse. Babies and little ones love to play in it. Some animals live in it. Others of us work on not slipping on it or getting a vehicle stuck in it.

So we pray for the mud lovers:

~ For the children who entertain themselves with the fascinating medium

~ For potters who use mudlike clay to create things of use and beauty

~ For toads, newts, salamanders, water birds and other animals who find their food and homes in mudlike areas

And for those who find mud difficult (actually or figuratively):

~ For those who are stuck in the mud and need assistance

~ For those who have been slip sliding on the mud, and need a little clean up or medical attention

~ For those whose thoughts or memories are muddy

God give us the grace to enjoy the mud, appreciate the mud, or simply accept the mud.

Be well and be at peace!

I’m not a scheduler when it comes to my hair. If you’re like me, you plan on getting around to it, until suddenly you can’t stand it anymore and you simply have to get it done. So as I found myself in dire need of a haircut, I thought, perhaps we could pray for those who take care of our hair!

This week, we pray for hairdressers and barbers:

As they trim, cut, shave, curl, color, wash and dry, their efforts do much to help us to feel better about ourselves.

May we give thanks to God for the work of their hands!

Be well and be at peace!

If you’re like me, you have some framed photos around your room or home, of family or friends – people who have been part of your life. Photos tell stories of relationship and experiences.

Perhaps this week you want to choose a photo to pray with. 

~ Take some time gazing at that photo

~ Allow yourself to remember that person and that moment

~ Ask God to help you remember the gifts you received from that person or moment 

~ Give thanks to God for that person, that place, that experience and what they have added to the story of your life!.

Be well and be at peace!

I woke up to ice covering everything - every surface, every needle of every pine tree. Very pretty, yet a bit dangerous. 

So let's pray with ice: 

~ For the glistening beauty that makes the world around us sparkle

~ For those who are recovering from injuries after falling on the ice

~ For those who risk their lives to help us in icy conditions - police, EMTs, firefighters, power line workers, tree cutters, plow/salt truck drivers 

~ For polar bears and penguins and all creatures that are losing their habitat as the ice caps melt

~ For the gift of cooling ice on a hot summer's day

God, may we acknowledge the beauty, the danger, and the gift that is ice.

Be well and be at peace!