Sunday Reflection: The path

Today's reflection is brought to you by

Psalm 16.

You,

O God,

are the path for my life,

you are my joy,

and you are my destination.

You

are all that I ever need,

my sustenance

is the breath You give me

just as much as the food I eat

or the cup I drink.

You 

hold my very existence

in your more-than-capable 

(and more-than-loving) hands.

So I keep my eyes fixed on You,

seeing You in every sunrise

or snowflake,

in every stranger's smile.

When I remember

that 

You 

are always with me,

my worries cannot move me.

My entire being celebrates your presence:

my heart is happy,

my soul turns somersaults,

and my body rests in the peace I find in You.

You 

are the path for my life,

you are my joy,

and you are my destination.

Let me remember You

in the midst of the darkness and struggle

that lives in every life.

May my life

show others that

You,

O God,

are the path for every life,

You are its joy,

and You are its destination.

My my life help others to discover that 

You

are all that our lives need;

our sustenance

is the breath you give us

just as much as the food we eat

or the cup we drink.

You hold our very existence

in your more-than-capable

(and more-than-loving) hands...

Thank You.

+Amen.

Psalm 16 is one of my favourites, especially the version below. How I loved to sing the alto part with my sister singing the soprano. Deep gratitude to Marty Haugen for all his beautiful music, but especially this one.

Words that stopped me on a Sunday

This morning at mass we sang Marty Haugen's hymn, God of Day and God of Darkness, and the words of the second verse put a lump in my throat:

Still the nations curse the darkness,
Still the rich oppress the poor;
Still the earth is bruised and broken
By the ones who still want more.
Come and wake us from our sleeping,
So our hearts cannot ignore
All your people lost and broken,
All your children at our door. 

All I can say is -- Amen.

Sing out Thanksgiving

This past week as I've been doing my physio in the mornings, I've been going through old CDs in my collection, and came across this Marty Haugen song (kudos to the photographer/video maker, though I wish he or she had left on the wonderful musical intro, because it's so joyful and lively). Even as is, it seems very appropriate this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend... we can all sing out our praise and thanks. Have a good one!

Merry Christmas!

I can't resist sharing this one! From St. Paul's Arts and Kids in New Zealand...

And here's my favourite Christmas hymn. The words are fantastic; thank you, Marty Haugen! You are a musician and poet extraordinaire. Our family music group sang it at Christ-mass last night:

Awake! Awake and greet the new morn,

For angels herald its dawning,

Sing out your joy, for now he is born,

Behold! The child of our longing.

Come as a baby weak and poor,

To bring all hearts together,

He opens wide the heavenly door

And lives now inside us forever.

To us, to all in sorrow and fear,

Emmanuel comes a-singing,

His humble song is quiet and near,

Yet fills the earth with its ringing;

Music to heal the broken soul

And hymns of loving kindness,

The thunder of his anthems roll

To shatter all hatred and blindness.

In darkest night his coming shall be,

When all the world is despairing,

As morning light so quiet and free,

So warm and gentle and caring.

Then shall the mute break forth in song,

The lame shall leap in wonder,

The week be raised above the strong,

And weapons be broken asunder.

Rejoice, rejoice, take heart in the night,

Though dark the winter and cheerless,

The rising sun shall crown you with light,

Be strong and loving and fearless:

Love be our song and love our prayer,

And love, our endless story;

May God fill ev'ry day we share,

And bring us at last into glory.

(CBW #303, Awake! Awake and Greet the New Morn, (1983) Text and Tune by Marty Haugen) 

He came to bring us peace and joy, not the kind you see on greeting cards,
but a deeper awareness of ordinary, daily, simple peace and joy
 in the little things of life.

May that peace and joy be with you this holy season and always!

 With love, Maria