The Trees Are Bearing Fruit Again
Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!
God has done great things.
Fear not, wild animals!
The fields and meadows are greening up.
The trees are bearing fruit again:
a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!
Children of Zion, celebrate!
Be glad in your God.
He’s giving you a teacher
to train you how to live right-
Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.
And plenty of food for your body-silos full of grain, casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
Source: Joel 2:21-24 (The Message)
Columbus Day
Christopher Columbus was a child of the Renaissance. Columbus was not a saint, but certainly a defender of the faith. He was a Christian and a Catholic and his faith was strong, sincere, inexhaustible, free from superstition and hypocrisy. He made frequent references to God. In his own words, he said, “With a hand that could be felt, the Lord opened my mind to the fact that it would be possible … And he opened my will to the desire to accomplish that project … The Lord purposed that there should be something miraculous in this matter of the voyage to the Indies.”
Throughout his journals, we find him constantly in prayer, invoking the names of Christ, Mary, and the saints and solemnly giving praise to God. Columbus was particularly devoted to the Virgin Mary and named his flagship, the Santa Maria, in her honor.
His voyage was beset with calamities – a broken rudder, major leaks in the boats, and broken compasses. The ship hit a calm, causing seamen to complain they’d never be able to get back to Spain. But later, the sea rose without the aid of any wind. This “astonished them,” and Columbus compared it to the miracles that accompanied Moses.
Source: http://www.TheCatholicPriest.com
Let us pray . . .
For the Nation
Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will.
Source: Book of Common Prayer
For Our Country
O God, keep our whole country under your protection. Wipe out sin from this land; lift it up from the depth of sorrow, O Lord, our shining light. Save us from deep grief and misfortune, Lord of all nations.
Bless us with your wisdom, so that the poor may not be oppressed and the rich may not be oppressors. Make this a nation having no ruler except God, a nation having no authority but that of Love.
Source: United Methodist Hymnal
Prayer for the Government
Heavenly Father
source of all truth and wisdom,
who knows and loves the whole creation,
watch over our nation,
[state and especially Montgomery County]
that truth may prevail over distortion,
wisdom triumph over recklessness
and the concerns of every person be heard.
Source: http://www.ChurchOfEngland.org
Amen.
[Dated October 9, 2012 but lost in DRAFT folder and not published until 12/07/2018.]
David Robert Lambert 