The Feast Meant for Everyone

(words & music by Sarah Hart and Tom Booth)
 
Bread for the immigrant, 
Bread for the poor
Bread for the hungry who beg at our door
Food for the outcast, waiting to belong
Come to the Feast Meant for Everyone...

50 Countries Affected By COVID-19 Sing Amazing Grace

Diaspora, Advocacy and the Certainty that Things are not Right Yet

"For surely I know the plans I have for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope for you, says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:11

"Diaspora is the constant reminder that you are not at home.  Are you in the diaspora?...Those of us who believe in advocacy are people who know that we have not yet come home, that we are still in the diaspora. That there is still more to do for the city where the city where we live to prosper. We are a non-comformist people. That is why we knock (on) doors on the Hill, that is why we write our members of Congress. That is why we organize communities and individuals to speak out about hunger and poverty, because we are not there yet." 

"Verse 11 of Jeremiah 29 is healing.  For this strong sense of the diaspora that we are experiencing these days  That certainty that things are not right. That we cannot hear the dreams of certain prophets anymore. That the voice of the streets does not agree with the voice of the palace. That it's time for a change. And this is a constant invitation in the sacred test: Do not conform the pattern of this world.

"Gracias a Dios, Thanks be to God, we come to verse 11.  For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster. To give you a future and hope. "

Pentecost Pilgrimage in Place "People of God, Call Down the Spirit!"

New Mexico Pilgrimage for Unity invites us to Join pilgrims from a wide variety of Christian traditions as we prepare our bodies, hearts, and spirits to celebrate Pentecost 2020 with a Pentecost Pilgrimage in Place: People of God, Call Down the Spirit! Here’s what to expect:

 1) Pentecost Pilgrims Orientation (Online): Saturday May 23 at 9AM
We’ll gather on zoom for a time of orientation, sharing, prayer and preparation (both practical and spiritual) for planning your Pentecost “Pilgrimage in Place.” Join us to meet your (virtual) companions on the journey! Zoom Meeting ID: 869 9287 4266 Password: pilgrim

2) Opening Gathering & Prayer Service (Online): Friday, May 29 at 7 pm.
We’ll gather on zoom for a time to worship, share intentions, learn a new song and pray together with our fellow pilgrims. Zoom Meeting ID: 829 9651 3217 Password: pilgrim

3) Personal Pentecost Pilgrimage: Saturday, May 30 all day,
On Saturday you will walk your self-designed pilgrimage route, recognizing that every place…including your own home and neighborhood… is a “holy place.” You are encouraged to wear red, and to carry with you a stone to represent the prayer intentions you carry as you walk. Along the way, please email Sylvia Pentecost Pilgrims Orientation (Online): Saturday May 23 at 9AM
We’ll gather on zoom for a time of orientation, sharing, prayer and preparation (both practical and spiritual) for planning your Pentecost “Pilgrimage in Place.” Join us to meet your (virtual) companions on the journey! Zoom Meeting ID: 869 9287 4266 Password: pilgrim

4) Closing Gathering & Prayer Service (Online): Saturday May 30, 7 pm
We’ll gather on zoom for a closing prayer service that will allow us to share insights, experiences, and images from our personal pilgrimages, and to consecrate the prayer intentions we’ve carried.
Zoom Meeting ID: 899 2028 2808 Password: pilgrim

Please let us know if you plan to participate!
RSVP for Pentecostal Pilgrimage by Wednesday, May 20th, so that we can send you further instructions, information, and links to join online orientation & services.
Submit Prayer Intentions/Requests for Pentecost Pilgrimage

Be Not Afraid

During this time of crisis, English-speaking Catholic artists have come together with this message of hope. We hope you enjoy this Salt + Light Media presentation. https://saltandlighttv.org/


Video produced by Salt + Light Media. Instrumental Track: Mixed and mastered by Tom Booth Rick Modlin – piano Tom Booth – acoustic guitars, bass and synth strings Todd Chuba – percussion

Performed by: Dan Schutte, John Michael Talbot, Steve Angrisano, Tom Booth, Fr. Rob Galea, Sarah Hart, Sarah Kroger, Tony Melendez, Jesse Manibusan, Susan HooKong-Taylor, Jennifer Martin, Renee Bondi, Curtis Stephan, Mark Mallett, Kitty Cleveland, Chris Bray, Nancy Bodsworth, David Wang, Bob Halligan Jr., Marie Miller, Luke Spehar, Amanda Vernon, Danielle Rose, Ken Canedo, Gretchen Harris, Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, Colleen MacAlister, Mikey Needleman, Danielle Noonan, Cooper Ray, PJ Anderson, Michael James Mette and MJM7, Lee Roessler, Lorraine Hess, Kathleen and Jesse Leblanc, Greg and Mary Walton, Tori Harris, Aly Aleigha, Rita West, Matt Lewis, Corrie-Marie, Ryan and Elizabeth Tremblay, Taylor Tripodi, Miley Azbill, Hannah Schaefer, Francesca LaRosa, John Angotti, Damaris Thillet, Ivan Diaz, Pedro Rubalcava, Anna Betancourt and Santiago Fernandez.

BE NOT AFRAID By Bob Dufford, SJ Published by Oregon Catholic Press Text and music © 1975, 1978, 2007, Robert J. Dufford, SJ and OCP. All rights reserved. Used with permission.  (Includes the fourth verse that Bob Dufford wrote in 2007.) v1.

Urban Way of the Cross: Physically Separated, Still a Community

Let’s stay spiritually connected while social distancing. Let’s remain grounded in faith, guided by the Spirit, and directed towards hope. We will continue to rise above the challenging times... -Loyola University, New Orleans

We have been asked to engage in social distancing during the current outbreak of COVID-19. This has forced us to abandon our traditional ways of practicing community. We have walked together, we have held hands during prayers, we have hugged and kissed each other on the cheek. Social distancing precludes all these practices.

Therefore, our traditional Good Friday Urban Way of the Cross in Albuquerque will not follow its usual format. Instead of walking on the streets of downtown to offer witness about the many ways in which we failed to follow the teachings of Jesus to love our neighbor, we will offer witness through social media.

Stay tuned for a series of reflections that we will post on this site on Holy Week. 

In the meantime, we offer these reflections to help us ponder, pray and hold each other in solidarity.

As always, those who are in poverty, those suffering from illness, immigrants, and/or refugees are the most likely to be severely impacted. These are, obviously, all groups of people Jesus calls on us to protect in Matthew 25 — always a core Gospel text for us that clearly relates to this growing health threat...Each of us has a personal responsibility to each other: to be prepared and to do what we can to minimize transmission of this virus.  -Rev. Jim Wallis, Sojourners

We are in the midst of a highly teachable moment. There’s no doubt that this period will be referred to for the rest of our lifetimes. We have a chance to go deep, and to go broad. Globally, we’re in this together. Depth is being forced on us by great suffering, which as I like to say, always leads to great love. -Father Richard Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation

In times of national uncertainty, with all the unknowns about COVID-19 spread, there are a few things about which we can be certain.

That our prayers for God’s power, protection and presence are with those on the front lines of public health leadership and those who are isolated, sick or fearful.

That our nation has an essential role to play in public policy decisions that shape the health, security and well-being of people, throughout this country and the world, and that our vigilance and advocacy are required to hold our leaders accountable.

That as the ELCA we will not stand by when people are scapegoated, attacked or targeted based on race or ethnicity, which today means solidarity and presence with Asian and Pacific Americans and their communities.

That in Lent God invites us to renewal of faith and life, and at this moment of fear and uncertainty the church is charged with witnessing to a liberating spirituality that includes repentance, resistance and hope.  -Rev. Amy Reumann, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Prayer for a Pandemic

A Tiny Piece of God

Via Sojourners 
 

verse of the day
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? - 1 Corinthians 3:16

voice of the day
Yes, it could be that I am a tiny piece of God, and each of you too, or at least of his intention and his hope.    - Mary Oliver

prayer of the day
God of hope, may we see you in all who we encounter this day. May your love flow in handshakes and embraces, over cups of coffee and broken bread, in places near and far from our earthly homes. Amen.

Our Daily Bread in Santa Fe

LORD GOD, I pray for our Governor, the members of our New Mexico State Legislature, and other elected leaders. May they be moved to make ending hunger in our state a priority. Grant them clear minds and generous hearts to sustain and improve those programs that provide help and opportunity to many people.  Amen. 

-Adapted from Bread for the World's Daily Prayers for an End to Hunger

After a productive day at the State Legislature, fellow Interfaith Hunger Coalition advocate Joy Dinaro and I were waiting at the Santa Fe Depot Railrunner station to catch the 4:15 p.m. train back to Albuquerque.

As we stood on the platform minutes before the train opened its doors to passengers, Joy spotted a woman she knows called Felis, with whom she has served on prison ministry. Felis had traveled to Santa Fe with a friend to celebrate that friend's birthday.

As Joy introduced me to Felis, she mentioned my role as volunteer state coordinator for Bread for the World in New Mexico. Felis' eyes lit up, and she proceeded to tell us a wonderful story about how she connected in a small way with our anti-hunger organization. Felis and her companion had visited the nearby Santuario de Guadalupe. On the resource table, they spotted a single copy of Bread for the World's brochure Daily Prayers for an End to Hunger. "Even though it was the only one left, I just had to have it," said Felis, who was looking for a prayer resource to use during Lent. And the timing was right for her to find the brochure because the following day was Ash Wednesday.

In retrospect, the appearance of a set of prayers on hunger was appropriate for those of us who had just spent time in the State Legislature, where Legislative Memorials were introduced reconfirming the creation of Hunger Council and Hunger Caucus to put a priority on addressing all aspects of hunger and finding long-term and broad solutions to the problem that has affected our state for so long. A few of us were on hand, when the House Memorial was read on the House floor on Tuesday. More on that later.

I adapted the prayer for Tuesdays from Prayers to End Hunger in this post as a response to our successful day in Santa Fe, as well as to mark the beginning of Lent (especially in the context of how Felis found that lone brochure at the Santuario de Guadalupe). 

Be Astonished

Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
- Mary Oliver

JustFaith Prayer, Matthew 25

From JustFaith Ministries

Works of Mercy and Activities

Mary Oliver on Praying

Praying 

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

― Mary Oliver,
(from the collection Thirst)

A Thanksgiving Blessing from MAZON

A Thanksgiving Prayer

A Handful of Essays on Unity and Diversity

Unity and Diversity is the theme of the latest edition of Oneing journal, published twice a year by the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque. The topic is more relevant than ever, in the wake of nearly 2,000 tragic mass shootings (many of which qualify as hate crimes) that have occurred in our country in less than a decade.

Here are a few excerpts from  Oneing,Volume 6, No. 2, including articles by people I know and respect: Richard Rohr,  Joan Brown and  John Dear.  I also had the privilege to write a piece for this edition of Oneing.

Today we see unabashed racism, classism, and sexism return to America at the highest levels of our government. White privilege is back in charge and the outcry is faint.  -Richard Rohr (Introduction)

Every one of us--every human being, every drop of water, every molecule, every bird, each grain of sand, and each mountain, is distinct or different. Each is a unique manifestation of Divine Love Energy. The universe thrives upon, and cannot exist without, diversity.  Joan Brown OSF  (Embracing Diversity through the Cosmic Principles)


If every human being is our very sister or brother, we would not dare hurt anyone, much less sit back silently or passively in the face of global suffering, endless wars, poverty, and killing. Neither can we ignore the millions of creatures going extinct because of our system of violence or remain indifferent in the face of systemic greed and the potential for environmental destruction from nuclear weapons. Knowing our oneness with creation, we would never harm Mother Earth or passively sit back while others unearth fossil fuels, heedless of the consequences of climate change. John Dear (Unity and Diversity in the Land of Nonviolence)


The mandate for individuals to come together to act to end hunger and care for those who lack basic necessities is found in our holy scriptures and in the words of important figures across faith traditions. In almost all religious traditions, the connection between our relationship with God and with our neighbor is at the core of our beliefs.   Carlos Navarro (Finding Collaborative Unity on the Issue of Hunger)


God has an incredible sense of humor. Paradoxically, we are each a unique creation, expected to love another across our differences. No two people are identical This seems to be the most difficult challenge to embrace, yet it can yield the most beneficial lessons.  Polly Baca. (My Challenging Journey from Diversity to Unity)

These are just five of the 16 authors with pieces in this edition of Oneing.  If you want to order a copy of the journal, please visit the CAC's online bookstore.

The Coffee Prayer (from Catholic Relief Services)

A prayer for all those people who work to make the coffee we drink, at any stage of production

La oración del café

Amado Señor

Bebo esto en solidaridad con quienes plantaron las semillas,
en solidaridad con quienes cultivaron la tierra,
en solidaridad con quienes regaron los árboles,
en solidaridad con quienes cosecharon los granos,
en solidaridad con quienes trajeron la cosecha al mercado

¡Ha habido un largo proceso detrás de la preparación de esta bebida!
Con cada sorbo, rezo por justicia para todos los que participaron en el proceso.
Rezo especialmente por aquellos cuya pobreza
les impide disfrutarde la abundancia que tú nos concedes.
Solidaridad y justicia: ¡esos son nuestros desafíos!
Pero una cosa he aprendido de ti Señor,
y es que con nuestros pequeños gestos haces grandes milagros,
y que todos podemos ser uno y vivir unidos en ti.

Amen

A Walking Retreat and Sabbatical on the Camino de Santiago

My own experience showed me that Sabbath keeping could create a certain clarity, calling me to a more robust wholehearted living. It was about tending my soul, even as I tried to do that for everyone else. -from Soul Tending: Journey into the Heart of Sabbath by Rev. Anita Amstutz

Wikimedia Commons

In July 2017, John Bulten, executive director of East Central Ministries, took a six-month sabbatical from the great work that his organization provides to the community in southeast Albuquerque (and the entire metro area). ECM is an asset to the community, providing a thrift store, a low-cost health clinic, an urban farm, a housing co-op. a community food co-op and much more.

"From July through December last year, I was on a six - month sabbatical for a time of rest and renewal, said Bulten. "This time off was an incredible and unique gift! In hindsight, 18 years of inner-city ministry without an extended time away was not healthy for me or the ministry. I am committed to keep learning and growing in health on my life journey, and this time away was exactly what was needed."

The word sabbatical is rooted in sabbath, a day of rest in the Jewish and Christian traditions. The sabbath, however, is more than just a day of rest, but also of renewal and a time to step back and connect with the Creator. "Just as joy is more than the absence of sorrow, the Sabbath is more than cessation of labor. Resting in bed all day does not amount to a keeping of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is to be a delight and joy ( Isaiah 58:13-14 )," said the website Bible Tools.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

For their sabbath, John and his companion Morgan Attema, who is ECM's Growing Aawareness Urban Farm Manager, traveled through several western U.S. states and later made a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. This walking "retreat" has been taken by millions of ordinary people over the ages, and many, many books have been written about the journey.  Two come to mind: Walk in a Relaxed Manner by Joyce Rupp and To the Field of Stars by Kevin Codd. The film, The Way (featuring Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez), is based on Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route into Spain by Jack Hitt. John Bulten has not written a book (at least not yet), but he does offer a glimpse of his experience in the ECM Summer 2018 newsletter.  Here is in an excerpt.

We stayed in small towns and slept in bunk beds in hostels for pilgrims along the route. We walked an average of 15 miles a day. Every morning we drank strong Spanish coffee, and mid-day we ate a sack lunch of baguette, cheese, olives, and sardines in a church courtyard or a waypoint along the trail. It was a simple routine.

In total, we walked about 600 miles over 40 days from St. Jean Pied de Port, France to Muxia, Spain. We, with people young and old from around the world, walked the same path that millions of people have walked for centuries.

Using Father Richard Rohr as a spiritual guide, the Camino was as much an inner spiritual journey as a physical one—our physical, emotional and spiritual selves are intimately connected. I found that as my body broke down through constant walking and lack of sleep, my heart and mind opened up on a deeper level. 

And here is a reflection by Morgan Attema.

Photo: ECM website

WHY? Why? Why do we walk the Camino de Santiago? What do we hope to accomplish, and what are we looking for? We walk seeking the mystery of the Spirit of God within us; we desire to become the true and intended souls that God created us to be. We walk trusting the ancient path and ancient promises and choosing to believe that the Spirit still leads, protects, and heals our wounded selves. We walk listening to the whisper of God coaxing us deeper, the song of God urging us to celebrate, and the joy of God inviting us to participate.

'A Blessing Over This Humble Offering'

As people of faith, we view our letters to Congress on hunger-related issues as an expression of our faith. Several of our Bread for the World congregations in Albuquerque ask their pastor or another member of the clergy to say a blessing over the letters before they are put in the mail.

Here are some photographs from the blessings of letters written at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Holy Ghost School, and St. John XXIII Catholic Community.

"One of the goals of Holy Ghost Catholic School is Care for Creation," said Rosemary Holland, who facilitates a retreat on this theme at the school. "As part of our action we close the school year with a retreat in each elementary class room to reflect on our responsibility to creation--which certainly includes people most in need. So we invite the students to write a Bread for the World letter."

Prayer Over Letters
God of the Hungry. God of Abundance. God of Grace.
Time and time again, you have called your people to care for those who are hungry and living in the margins. You have given us a world of abundance and we confess that we  have not been good stewards and shared justly.

We give thanks for the freedom and power you give us to resist this injustice. By writing these letters to Congress today, we use that power in a small way so that we might answer your call to feed those who are struggling with hunger.

We present these letters as a humble offering and ask your blessing upon them. Bless those who carry and deliver these letters. Bless the readers and decision makers they reach; that they may hear your call to allocate our shared resources so that people who hunger are fed. Amen.

Rev. Gene Gries, Holy Rosary Church

Litany
Leader: Our hearts desire to be in right relationship with God and one another. Therefore, we advocate to our lawmakers to support a budget that invests in programs that move people out of hunger and poverty. Let us act with a mind and heart for justice, love, and mercy.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of life, give us courage to care for all creation with mercy, to treat your people with kindness, and sustain our efforts with your love so all people thrive.

Rev. Ark Biczak, St. John XXIII

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of light, we pray for the wisdom to thoughtfully engage with our lawmakers, so they might pass a budget that supports an end to hunger in our world.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of wisdom, ensure in each of us gathered, the desire to speak with authenticity, compassion, and directness to change structures in place that keep people hungry.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of abundance, we pray for those who today will not have enough food to sustain themselves, their families, their neighbors. Challenge us to live in the spirit of your abundance to sustain and provide for all.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors.

Leader: God, source of life, may our call to stewardship be a worthy testament to what is most important in your heart: the care and protection of your most vulnerable people.

People: Lord, teach us to respond with your justice, love, and mercy in our endeavors. Amen.

(The blessing was created by Bishop Jose García and Justice H. Randolph. The litany was written by Genevieve Mougey. All three are members of Bread for the World's Church Relations staff).

Water to the Thirsty

A Prayer for All Mothers

From Catholic Relief Services: As we reflect on the struggles of mothers and their children worldwide, let’s lift up this adapted prayer by Mother Teresa of Calcutta:

O God, we pray for all mothers in our world
who are suffering from injustice:
because of their race, color, or religion;
for mothers imprisoned
for working for the relief of oppression;
for mothers who are hounded
for speaking the inconvenient truth;
for mothers tempted to violence
as a cry against overwhelming hardship;
for mothers deprived of reasonable health and education;
for mothers suffering from hunger and famine;
for mothers too weak to help themselves
and who have no one else to help them;
for the unemployed who cry out
for work but do not find it.

We pray for any mother of our acquaintance
who is personally affected by injustice.
Forgive us, Lord, if we unwittingly share in the conditions
or in a system that perpetuates injustice.
Show us how we can serve your children
and make your love practical by washing their feet.