Blessing Prayer for Father's Day 2009

Let us praise those fathers who have striven to balance the demands of work, marriage, and children with an honest awareness of both joy and sacrifice. Let us praise those fathers who, lacking a good model for a father, have worked to become a good father.

Let us praise those fathers who by their own account were not always there for their children, but who continue to offer those children, now grown, their love and support. Let us pray for those fathers who have been wounded by the neglect and hostility of their children.

Let us praise those fathers who, despite divorce, have remained in their children's lives. Let us praise those fathers whose children are adopted, and whose love and support has offered healing.

Let us praise those fathers who, as stepfathers, freely choose the obligation of fatherhood and earned their step children's love and respect. Let us praise those fathers who have lost a child to death, and continue to hold the child in their heart.

Let us praise those men who have no children, but cherish the next generation as if they were their own.

Let us praise those men who have "fathered" us in their role as mentors and guides.

Let us praise those men who are about to become fathers; may they openly delight in their children.

And let us praise those fathers who have died, but live on in our memory and whose love continues to nurture us.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine fathers that they realize we appreciate their love and sacrifices they make each day for their children. Bless them and keep them safe in your hands.

Time Out

I am driving along route 19 when I notice a farm to my left with a meadow of beautiful wildflowers and horses grazing in the field. Since 5am I have had five appointments and I am racing to get back home to do some household chores. Then the thought strikes me. Take a “time out.” I still driving home and asked myself, what’s more important cutting the lawn or turning back and taking a photo of those horses. A few nano seconds go by and I still driving home, when a “heavenly hand” takes the wheel of my car and turns me around back to that meadow.

It is a divine sign and I am encouraging you to take a TIME OUT. "Who...me?" you ask. Yes! There is no one in the whole world reading these lines (I have had e-mails from nearly 110 countries) who can not benefit from a "time out"

In sports such a time allows the players to take a break, to get rest, to plan their strategy, even to get strength for the rest of the game.

We have got to make it a habit to read the time out signal from the Lord daily. When we participate in that you will receive strength. That strength will be not just physical but spiritual strength. Strength for your soul. The soul is our mind, will and emotions. Getting the needed strength allows us to go on more confidently.

The time out also gives us a breather to ask God's direction in a particular matter. How important it is not to get so involved in the living activities that we forget the "life in the Spirit.”

Still, in our heads we hear this mantra: “I’m so busy!” How many times a day do you hear (or say) that? Our lives are hectic, in part because of the 24/7 culture we live in. But some of the stress comes from our own choices. We say, “yes” too often. We overload our schedules. We long for a simpler life, but we’re not sure how to get there. I once told a successful business person that it appeared that they were so busy making a living that they were failing to make a life.

So I have two questions to help us “catch our breath” from the busyness of our culture are: Am I joyful? And the second: How do I bring that joy to others?

Saturday morning was the Spirit encouraging me to take a time-out to play. A “divine signal” to turn around and take a time out. So the image I want to share conveys this joyful focus is these young foals kicking up their hoofs in the meadow celebrating life.

Take lots of moments to relax this summer, Bookmark and forward to your friends my Photo Gallery that mark the “divine signal” pointing us to play and relax to revive our spirits.
www.drmatt.org/gallery/main.php


God prays for us as we reflect: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” (Psalm 62:1)

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they understand that taking a time out is so important. May each of you be encouraged to do even more than you are. May they find the peace that is so crucial to a fast paced world. Encourage them to take a time out when they are confused, when they are troubled, when they are agitated and ...when they are feeling alone. I am taking a time out from writing “Today’s Sonshine, ” Bookmark and visit the “Photo Gallery” often to see where the “divine signal” leads me this summer: http://www.drmatt.org/gallery/main.php

Silence That Breathes

I am deeply troubled about two young people who have suffered a severe injustice. One poor lad died suddenly due to a drug overdose, that was given to him by his “best friend.” A co-worker said that this young man literally died in her arms after her efforts at CPR failed to relive him. She felt a failure and in shock from the incident. Later she discovered that his death was not the result of alcohol poisoning but his poor judgment as he continued to party with his friend using cocaine.

The other incident concerns a good and compassionate soul whose vocation has been to care for families when loved ones have died. His services are outstanding and his compassionate and professional model the best in his profession. Now he is in danger of losing his license and freedom.

I am on my knees praying for these two young men, one in heaven and the other waiting judgment. It is mercy I pray for. At times like this, I come before God shaking my head wondering where is Your compassion and healing to be found.

Despite our anger, confusion and doubt, we need to find the anchor to help us through these unspeakable times that make no sense. We need to get away from the distractions like those Ipods, cell phones and DVD’s that drive us away from the voice that brings peace when we feel most upset and afraid.

The great truth that the monks teach is that we need a center; we need to get in touch with that God who anchors our lives and gives them meaning. Lacking this holy anchor—and we see it frequently enough---so many anchorless young people, unknowingly clutching their cell phones, iPods, texting and blaring CDs to drown out their spiritual loneliness and emptiness.

The monks remind us of whom that Beacon is, without which our souls shrivel and life becomes unmoored. This truth was brought home when a renowned theologian went to visit the monks. He asked the master of novices, “What is the novices’ biggest complaint?” The master says, “they complain they have to be up at 2:30AM to attend the divine office and sing matins and lauds. They aren’t too happy about it. They tell me it’s so much better when they’re out in the fields and they feel ecstasy and love for God. So I ask them: “all right, I forbid you to come to any services, except for Mass.” Well, after a short while they come back and said, “We didn’t come here to be farmhands.” What happened to your ecstasies? The master said. They dried up, said the novices
So, the master wisely told them, Of course, you now realize that what you are doing at 2: 30 AM is what gives you the ecstasy in the fields.

Going into the Great Silence, connecting to the Beacon, the Anchor, the Center gives you the ecstasy in the fields of your life. You won’t need alcohol or dugs or your iPods and cell phones.
When you know something scary is coming, you must find and hold onto your own source of reassurance and wisdom. You must have a steady beacon to guide you through perilous waters.

God prays for us as we reflect: “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. (Psalm 56:13).

Lord, I pray for these two special Sonshine Friends that they turn to you the Beacon of life for comfort and peace. Help all who face scary moments to find you in the silence where you come to stand by our side and take us by the hand and say: “I am here and there are no monsters under your bed.”

Prayer Forest

A number of years ago a pastor found an old abandon one room schoolhouse in the mountains. He made it a great retreat house. He transformed the one room into a hotel looking like lobby. He put in a free standing fireplace, old stuffed furniture, and hung his landscape and flower photos. Every Thursday morning after his 9:00 a.m. staff meeting, he would go there to study.

When he first got the place he ordered 500 small pine saplings. The house, while in the mountains, was in a large field of maybe 8-10 acres. No trees. So, he planted two rows of 57 trees on the long driveway leading up to the house. And the rest he planted on the fence line and other various places. Then there was an area quite large across a gully. He planted the trees there real close together like 3 feet, some less, some more. It was going to be a Prayer Forest. After the trees grew he was planning on going in and make a meandering trail to a large opening.

The prayer forest never occurred. The beautiful 2 rows of closely planted trees on the drive way are not there today. They never made it to what he had planned for them because of the hot spring/summer and lack of water. The only 11 that remain to this day are the ones close to the house. They were the ones that got his special attention. (There was no way to water hundreds of little trees so far away from water.)

In going through a drought in living - you know those hot times when nothing seemingly is going right, we need "the water of life" What I do, when I feel I am getting drained of sap is to go to Jesus and ask for refreshment and take a walk in my mind in my Prayer Forest. No, I can't see or physically taste the water, but there is something in my soul that responds to the refreshment. I can then lift my limbs in praise and thanksgiving.

God prays for us as we reflect: Jesus declares himself to be that water. “Whoever believes in me, streams of living water will flow from within them." (John 7:38).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are experiencing the drought of living and ask that they be like the 11 remaining trees which are strong, healthy and tall. Let us be the tree planted by the river that survives. May the spirit help you to drink deeply from the never-ending supply of life flowing water.

A Mother's Silence

I suppose every child remembers some special virtue their mother has, some piece of wisdom that saved them from disaster or a word that made the path infinitely easier. I love my mother for all the times she said absolutely nothing.

Our mother’s silence during the times I fell flat on my face, made a lousy judgment, and took a stand that I had to pay dearly for . . . I thank her for all her virtues, but mostly for never once having said, ‘I told you so.’

On this special day we are mindful that mothers are being remembered and celebrated and offer this prayer for the joys and sorrows this day brings.

For those who have a mother they dearly love, may we take time today to appreciate the gifts and graces that have come to them through their mother.

For those whose mother is dearly loved but no longer living, may we take time to remember the gifts and graces that have come to us through her.

For those who have recently lost or who are facing the imminent loss of their own dear mothers, may they find comfort in their grief, hope in their despair, courage in the love they have received.

We give thanks, God, for these good mothers who gave us birth. We give thanks for the mothers who support us in our living, who said absolutely nothing at the worse of times.

We pray, compassionate God, for those whose mother has been a source of hurt and pain, for all those for whom one or more members of their family has caused them to suffer. May they find refuge in your love. May their wounds be healed.

We give thanks to you, O God, for all those who, responding to the difficult lives of others, have stepped in to become surrogate mothers; for those who, in the absence of our own mothers, for whatever reason, have stepped into our lives to guide, to nurture and provide the stability and the love needed.

We remember single mothers and fathers who struggle to be both parents to their children--to provide all the emotional, physical and spiritual needs without the constant support of a spouse. May they find the strength, the courage and wisdom for their task.

Look now, loving God, upon all those who are mothers--biologically or by the role they play as teachers, mentors, professors, in the lives of others. We join all mothers everywhere in praying that their children may be a joy and a blessing.

We pray for those mothers who have been hurt, disillusioned, or disappointed in their role as mother. We pray for those who have been denied a longed-for chance at motherhood, and for those whose years of mothering have been cut short by the loss of a child. We turn to You, most compassionate God, knowing that you can bring consolation that seems impossible. May these mothers receive comfort for their soul and peace and hope for living that their gifts may not be denied to others.

Hear our prayers this day, O God, and give to us such assurance of your love that your love may spill forth from us into the lives of others.

River of Light

In his book The Art of Pilgrimage, Phil Cousineau writes that in every pilgrimage, there is a secret room, a place along the path that gives us insight into the deep mystery of our journey. In describing this hidden room, Cousineau draws on a story that poet Donald Hall tells of friends who purchased an old farmhouse. Cousineau writes,

“It was a ‘warren of small rooms,’ and once they settled in and began to furnish their new home they realized that the lay of the house made little sense. Peeling off some wallpaper, they found a door that they pried open to reveal a tiny room, sealed off and hidden, goodness knows why: They found no corpses nor stolen goods.” For Hall, the mystery of poetry to evoke powerful feelings finds its analogy here, in its ability to be sealed away from explanation, this is the place where ‘the unsayable gathers.’

And so it is on the pilgrim’s path. Everywhere you go, there is a secret room. You must find your own, in a small chapel, a tiny cafe, a quiet park, the home of a new friend, the pew where the morning light strikes the rose window just so. As a pilgrim you must find it or you will never understand the hidden reasons why you really left home.

Where is your secret room? Let me share my quiet room on Easter morning. I am perched high on a hill in Ellison Park. It is 6am. My fingers are freezing holding the camera on a monopod, waiting for first light. The predawn sky is showing signs of light with colors of red and purple. The clouds are quite strange and unusual.

The sunlight that peaks over the hill is harsh and bright. No cute orange ball here to show off to your friends. Rather, something more mysterious and profound is happening due to the cloud formation. The sun behind the clouds is creating a “river of light” that seems to flow from a waterfall cascading through the clouds. You see the stunning moment is not the sun coming over the horizon, but rather, how the light streams through the clouds in patterns and shapes that form a river of light.

Perhaps this is the true meaning of Easter, This is the place where ‘the unsayable gathers.’ Each second, the scene changes as the sun slowly rises piercing it sunlight through the clouds, each moment a living link with our maker, each an embodiment of his vision and love, each a threshold beckoning me deeper into my own creative path and reminding me why I set out on it in the first place.

And you? Did the pilgrimage through Lent offer you a secret room? Somewhere along the way, did you find a place that offered, not an explanation of your path, but a window onto it, a space within it that enabled you to see it anew, and the one who called you there? Where was it, and what did you find there? How does it illuminate the way before you?

God prays for us as we reflect: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.” (Psalm 46:4).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they remember that Easter is not just a day but rather a season. May the gift and challenge of the resurrection go with you, and may the path ahead be graced with secret rooms and sunrises that flow like a river of light.

Whos's Gonna Move That Rock, Ladies?

These three ladies--Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome--are making their way to the tomb with the intention of anointing the dead, lifeless body of Jesus with spices. So early Sunday morning, the morning after the Sabbath, these ladies got up with the intention of anointing the dead body of Jesus. That was their plan. That’s what they intended to do--nothing more, nothing less.

They were not expecting a miracle. They were not expecting the Resurrection. They were certainly not expecting Jesus to be alive. They were not expecting anything of significance to happen. They were simply going to the tomb for the gruesome, heart wrenching task of anointing the dead, lifeless body of Jesus.

As they were walking down the road to get to the tomb, it dawns on one of them, that they have a problem--a rather significant problem. A big question arises. The women ask each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

It’s a very good question. They can’t roll the stone away themselves. How are three little women going to make that rock roll? How in the world are they going to move that thing?

A family bought some boulders for landscaping--really, big rocks to use as part of their landscape design for the front of the house. One of the boulders seemed really, really big, and because of the tendency to change her mind someone reminded mom: “you tell us exactly where you want this rock because once it’s on the ground, it’s not moving.” This huge boulder is not like the end tables, couch and everything else that’s not nailed down in our house that seems to be moved every other Saturday. Once this baby is in place--it’s there until Jesus returns.”

Who is going to move the rock from in front of the tomb? Now you understand it’s a perfectly good question . . . if Jesus were still in the tomb. If Jesus were as dead as dead could be then that would be a very good question to ask. Who is going to remove the stone? It is a question that I hear people asking even today.

People say: “I have a huge obstacle to overcome. I was abandoned as a child, how can I ever feel accepted? Good question . . . if Jesus were still in the tomb. Or they say, “My life is in shambles after being laid off, when will I ever find work again?“ Or they say, “My alcoholic mother told me don't expect any help to care for my brat once my baby was born, how can I ever forgive her for her cruel and bitter attitude? My marriage is a mess, how could it ever be made right? Good question . . . if Jesus were still in the tomb. I hear students complain, “I’m failing the semester and in such a rut over a bad habit—alcohol and drugs or whatever--how can I ever break free?” Good question . . . if Jesus were still in the tomb!

But people, it’s a brand new day! Jesus is not in that old grave! He is not in the tomb. You won’t find a tombstone that reads: “Here lies Jesus Christ. May He rest in peace.” No! Jesus is alive. And just as He conquered death and defeated our ultimate foe He can defeat whatever burdens you are experiencing at this moment. This is a day for hope not despair. There is no obstacle in your life that He can not handle!

Who’s gonna move that rock, ladies? Jesus has already taken care of that problem! Who’s going to take care of obstacles in your life? Jesus Christ is more than able to handle anything that comes your way.

God prays for us as we reflect: “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!” (Psalm 18:46).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends on this Resurrection Day. With this prayer of faith. He was bruised and brought healing! He was dead and brought life! When I fall, He lifts me up! When I fail, He forgives! When I am weak, He is strong! When I am lost, He is the way! When I am afraid, He is my courage! When I stumble, He steadies me! When I am hurt, He heals me! When I am broken, He mends me! When I face problems, He comforts me! When I face death, He carries me home! God is by my side and all is well with my soul.