Sr. Sue's Thoughts on Prayer

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!

This past week, I had a very bumpy plane ride to Baltimore. When we landed safely, everyone on the plane applauded! 

Let's pray for all those responsible for getting us safely from here to there: 

~ For the pilots of planes who fly is through the clouds

~ For the captains of boats who navigate us through the waters

~ For the engineers of trains and subways who guide us along the rails

~ For the drivers of buses, taxis, and other cars who move us along our streets

We are grateful for your service and for all you do to get us to our locations safely!

Be well and be at peace!

Many faith traditions have fasting as a prayer practice. As we in the Christian traditions begin lent, I share the following from Pope Leo XIV on fasting:

“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”

Be well and be at peace!

Today is Valentine’s Day where we celebrate those we love, and those who love us. 

Perhaps it is a good reminder to take some time in prayer:

~ to sit and feel the loving presence of God surrounding you

~ to thank God for God’s loving presence in your life

~ to lovingly acknowledge your own goodness, created in the image and likeness of God

Happy Valentine’s Day Beloved Child of God!

Be well and be at peace!