Morning Prayer Reflection: The Song of Moses

Several years ago I posted occasional reflections on the day's Morning Prayer of the Church's Liturgy of the Hours. For some reason I can't  recall, I stopped writing these brief reflections. My guess is that life just got too busy and I simply didn't have the time. Really a poor excuse, since my reflecting on Morning Prayer probably helped me far more than it helped those few who actually read my thoughts. Such reflection is spiritually valuable only if we act on it, and perhaps I just hadn't been willing to live up to my own words. 

Anyway, I’ve decided to try it again, not every day because time remains an issue, but occasionally as the Spirit moves me. 

Perhaps, because of the emphasis on the un-natural, the pervasive influence of technology in our lives, I find myself attracted to the frequent images of nature we encounter in Scripture. In today’s Morning Prayer, for example, we find several of these references:

From Deuteronomy 32:1-2

Give ear, O heavens, while I speak; 

let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth!

May my instruction soak in like the rain, 

and my discourse permeate like the dew,

like a downpour upon the grass, 

like a shower upon the crops:

Here we encounter multiple images — rain, dew, downpour, shower — all likening God’s Word to the purifying, nourishing flow of water from the heavens to the earth. These words, the opening verses of the Song of Moses [Dt 32:1-43], are a prayer, an appeal to both heaven and earth. Among the final words of Moses before his death, they offer us a prophetic view of what awaits the people of Israel and their successors, the People of God. Take a few minutes now, open your Bible, and read the entire hymn. Note how many natural images Moses applied to God’s work in the world, His care for His people, and their response. Indeed, the entire hymn is filled with these images, reflecting a world with which the people were intimately familiar. 

For example, God is like the eagle who encourages its young nestlings [Dt 32:11], and provided His people with nature’s bounty, with all that the earth offers [Dt 32:13-14]. But we also encounter other, very different images when Moses prophesied the Lord’s response to the people’s faithlessness. Here he compared God’s actions to the harsh side of nature:

“Emaciating hunger and consuming fever

And bitter pestilence,

And the teeth of wild beasts I will send among them,

With the venom of reptiles gliding in the dust” [Dt 32:24].

I expect those listening to Moses were familiar enough with the reality portrayed by all these images, and took them to heart. But this led me to wonder about our response today. Recently I read that although there are more than two million farms in the U.S., only slightly more than one percent of our nation’s workforce is directly involved in agriculture. Most Americans live in urban or suburban areas, isolated from nature’s bounty and protected from its harshness. Few have probably ever set foot on a farm or experienced the need to cooperate with nature to earn a living or just to survive. I experienced the latter when the Navy ordered me to attend training programs for both desert and jungle survival. They proved to be far more intense than my childhood Cub Scout camping trips, and led me to appreciate some of the benefits of civilized society.

Today, in our increasingly technological, industrial society, this separation from nature begins early. Years ago, when Diane worked as a teacher in the Head Start program, she told the children that the milk they drank came from cows. One little boy, Michael, could not accept this, exclaiming, “No! Milk does not come from cows. It comes from the store. I know because I’ve seen my mama buy it there.” That was proof enough for him. End of discussion. Admittedly, Michael was a little boy from the inner city, but what about you and me? As we pour milk on our oatmeal or Cheerios, how often do we actually think of that milk coming from a cow on some dairy farm? And Isn’t this also true of that nice, thick steak at Outback, or the chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A, or that glass of Pinot Noir with your dinner? When you take a drive through the rural countryside, can you identify the crops growing in the fields? About all I can recognize for certain are corn and cotton. As for the rest, I can’t tell soybeans from alfalfa. Like little Michael, I too was pretty much a city boy. As a child my closest encounters with nature consisted of mowing the lawn and raking the leaves.

All of this leaves me wondering how seldom we turn to God in thanksgiving for all He has given us. He is the God of Nature, the God of all creation. Yes, He has given us the intellect and will to use His natural gifts in wonderful ways, but it all has its source in Him. Too often, like Diane’s little Michael, we attribute the gift to the wrong giver. As a society we have replaced God with man, replaced the true Giver with just another user.

Perhaps today we should all step outside and take a long walk through a tiny piece of God’s creation, thanking Him for the gift of our world and all it offers us. And so, I’ll conclude with these words from Psalm 95, which we pray every day in the Invitatory of the Liturgy of the Hours:

The Lord is God, the mighty God,

the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him,
the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands [Ps 95:3-5].

John of the Cross & Morning Prayer

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint John of the Cross, the great sixteenth-century Spanish mystic and poet whose life and writings have led so many to accept God's gift of faith. John realized early in his life that the search for worldly happiness can never succeed because true joy comes only from God. He taught that we can experience this joy only when we free ourselves from worldly desires. His writings have been especially helpful to those who suffer spiritual dryness in their prayer life, those who need the reassurance of God's constant love for them during times of spiritual hardship. If you want to delve more deeply into the life of prayer, I suggest reading the works of this mystic and doctor of the Church. If you're like me, you will find his work challenging, but it's a challenge worth accepting. Here's a link to the edition of his collected works that I first read a few years ago: The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross

This morning, as I prayed the Morning Prayer of today's Liturgy of the Hours, I was particularly struck by the brief prayer that followed the recitation of Psalm 86:

"God of mercy and goodness, when Christ called out to you in torment, you heard him and gave him victory over death because of his love for you. We already know the affection you have for us; fill us with a greater love of your name and we will proclaim you more boldly before men and happily lead them to celebrate your glory."

What a wonderful prayer for us today! It leads us to thankfulness for the gift of eternal life brought about by Jesus Christ's saving act of redemption. It reminds us that this gift, indeed, the gift of creation itself, is a sign of God's overwhelming love. And it calls us to proclaim this truth "boldly" to all, so that they too can experience the joy that God promises those who love Him.

God's peace...

A Word for Meditation

From today's Liturgy of the Hours, from the 2nd reading of the Office of Readings [St. Irenaeus' Against Heresies]:

This is the glory of man: to persevere and remain in the service of God. For this reason the Lord told His disciples: You did not choose me, but I chose you. He meant that His disciples did not glorify Him by following Him, but in following the Son of God they were glorified by Him. As he said: I wish that where I am they also may be, that they may see my glory.

...and from the Prayer of today's Morning Prayer:

Father, look upon our weakness and reach out to help us with your loving power.

A Word for Meditation

From today's Liturgy of the Hours, the Reading for Evening Prayer:

"Submit to God; resist the devil and he will take flight. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you backsliders. Be humbled in the sight of the Lord and He will raise you on high." [James 4:7-8, 10]

...good words for Lent. Maybe we should take these words and read them a few times each day.

A Word for Meditation

From the Liturgy of the Hours, the Office of Readings for today, Ash Wednesday:

"This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own." [Is 58:6-7]

...and from the Intercessions in today's Morning Prayer:

"Teach us to be loving not only in great and exceptional moments, but above all in the ordinary events of daily life."

And, remember, it's not what you give up for Lent that's important; it's what you give...in secret. It is in giving to others that we give up of ourselves.

A Word for Meditation

Sometimes the psalms can seem a bit strident, filled with calls for the wrath of God to inflict vengeance on the oppressor. As one who has never really been oppressed in life, I suppose I shouldn't judge those who have suffered greatly at the hands of others. But reading such sentiments can make it difficult to think of some of the psalms as Christian prayers, even though they form the basis of the Church's daily prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours.

As we make our way through the psalms the differences between the Christian and Jewish worldviews become readily apparent. For example, reading the psalms will bring two very different concepts of justice into stark contrast. As C. S. Lewis points out in his Reflections on the Psalms (p. 10 and 12),

"The ancient Jews, like ourselves, think of God's judgment in terms of an earthly court of justice. The difference is that the Christian pictures the case to be tried as a criminal case with himself in the dock; the Jew pictures it as a civil case with himself as the plaintiff...Christians cry to God for mercy instead of justice; they [the psalmists] cry for justice instead of injustice."

Once the modern reader of the psalms understands this difference, he can more easily come to terms with the tone of many of the psalms. In today's Office of Readings, for example, we find a man oppressed by his enemies and betrayed by one who was once his friend [Psalm 55]:

"How close was the friendship between us, we walked together in harmony in the house of God."

Seeking justice, not from man but from God, he cries out in hope:

"I will cry to God and the Lord will save me." 

And the expected result?

"God will hear and humble them...you, O God, will bring them down to the pit of death."

This is not the Christian cry for mercy, but the ancient cry for justice. With the proclamation of the Good News, the fulfillment of the Law by Jesus Christ, we come to a whole new understanding of justice and of our relationship with our enemies:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you..." [Mt 5:43-44]

And yet, even amidst the curses and cries for vengeance, there are wonderful things to be learned from the psalms. For instance, in the psalm we have been discussing [Psalm 55], we are left with some solid food for meditation:

"Entrust your cares to the Lord and He will support you. He will never allow the just man to stumble....O Lord, I will trust in you."

Good words for Christian and Jew and all God's people.

A Word for Meditation

Once again, in today's Office of Readings, we read from St. Augustine's Confessions: 

"All my hope lies only in your great mercy."

Because we are sinners, without God's mercy and forgiveness, we would have no hope whatsoever. Never cease thanking God for His mercy.

A Word for Meditation

From today's Office of Readings -- the second reading taken from the Confessions of St. Augustine:

Lord, you know me. Let me know you. Let me come to know you even as I am known. You are the strength of my soul; enter it and make it a place suitable for your dwelling, a possession without spot or blemish. This is my hope and the reason I speak. In this hope I rejoice, when I rejoice rightly. As for the other things of this life, the less they deserve tears, the more likely they will be lamented; and the more they deserve tears, the less likely will men sorrow for them. For behold, you have loved the truth, because the one who does what is true enters into the light. I wish to do this truth before you alone by praising you, and before a multitude of witnesses by writing of you.

 Yes, we have changed little since Augustine wrote these words 1,600 years ago.

"...the more they deserve tears, the less likely will men sorrow for them."

Baby in the womb

A Word for Meditation

In yesterday's Morning Prayer, we were given the following passage for meditation:

"In everything you do, act without grumbling or argument; prove yourselves innocent and straightforward, children of God beyond reproach in the midst of a twisted and depraved generation -- among whom you shine like stars in the sky." - Philippians 2:14-15

Are we grumblers, or are we children of God who shine like stars?

Excerpts from the Hours

From yesterday's Office of Readings:

"Seek then the highest wisdom, not by arguments in words but by the perfection of your life, not by speech but by the faith that comes from simplicity of heart, not from the learned speculations of the unrighteous." - St. Columban, Abbot, d. 615

...and from yesterday's Morning Prayer:

"As generous distributors of God's manifold grace, put your gifts at the service of one another, each in the measure he has received. The one who speaks is to deliver God's message. The one who serves is to do it with the strength provided by God. Thus, in all of you God is to be glorified through Jesus Christ..." - 1 Peter 4:10-11a

Liturgy of the Hours

One of the great pleasures of my day is my time spent with the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayer of the Church. So often I find that praying the Hours and experiencing the readings it contains bring me back to reality and keep me from the both sin and stupidity...well, maybe not all stupidity, but the Hours have certainly had a positive effect on me.

As a deacon I am obliged to pray both Morning Prayer (Lauds) and Evening Prayer (Vespers) daily, but whenever possible I try also to pray the Office of Readings, a wonderful source of both Scriptural readings and readings from the Church's 2,000-year tradition. Although the Hours are a part of the lives of the clergy, I have noticed that a growing number of laypeople are now praying them as well. What a blessing this is for the Church!

If you would like to join the Church in its daily prayer, I suggest picking up a copy of the one-volume version of the Hours called, Christian Prayer. It's available in a number of different editions. The cost varies based on the type of binding. This one-volume version contains Morning, Evening and Night Prayer and will provide you with a nice introduction to the Hours. And if your parish does not have a prayer group that prays the Hours together daily, I suggest speaking to your pastor about starting one. The Hours are meant to be prayed in community, and if you can draw together two or more people for Morning or Evening Prayer, Jesus will be there among you.Your priest or deacon should be able to get you started by explaining exactly how the Hours are prayed in community; and there are also a number of helpful guides available both online and in print.

To include the Office of Readings in your daily prayer, you will have to make a larger investment and purchase the standard four-volume edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. Of course, if like me you have an iPhone, you can download one of many apps that will make all of the Hours available on your phone. Some are free while others are available for a modest cost. Although I can't say for sure, I would think some of these apps are also available for other smart phones.

To encourage the spread of this wonderful way to pray daily with the Church universal, I plan to post one or two passages from the Hours each day. I would hope that those who take the time to read these prayers and excerpts from the day's readings might also take a moment to meditate on them and apply them to their daily lives. You might have noticed that I also included access to an online version of the Hours in the right-hand sidebar of this blog under the heading "Breviary." Click on one of the Hours and give it a try. It's free!

I'll include those excerpts this evening. Right now I must leave and drive to Orlando to visit some old friends who are visiting from up North.

Keep me and Diane in your prayers...

God's peace.

iPhone Liturgy of the Hours

For both the clergy and the laity, who recite the daily prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours, there is a new iPhone and iPod Touch application called iBreviary. The application not only includes all the hours of the day, but also contains the complete Mass prayers and readings for the day, along with a generous selection of other Catholic prayers and rites. This is definitely a keeper. And the best thing about iBreviary is its price: FREE! This is in contrast to other, relatively pricey versions available as iPhone apps. Here's a link to brief video in which the developer, Italian priest Fr. Paolo Padrini, explains the application: iBreviary.