Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Book of Common Prayer, page 823 Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. Amen. Mother Teresa’s Daily Prayer

O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all beings. Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory. Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world. [Please add your own intentions.] . . . Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God. Amen. (from Fr. Richard Rohr)

As many of you know, “Forward Movement” is an Episcopal organization which offers many different kinds of assistance to people in need. It is most famous for printing Forward Day by Day, a daily devotion providing meditations on scripture readings (in English, Spanish and Braille, as well as other languages). But did you know that it is also available online at https://news.forwardmovement.org/? It can be a great help for spiritual survival in these days of pandemic and isolation. (from Paul...

by Bill Teepen Throughout the COVID outbreak, I hear stories of heroism and plight. While it is easy to cheer on our national and worldwide leaders it is hard for me to accept fully the plight of the world. This is because I don’t know how to help them. How can I help an AA member who is lost a sponsor to COVID?How do I help another AA member who lost two family members and business due to COVID?How do I help the millions that are out of work and struggling to meet their basic needs? For me,...

by Judy Avery I sit at home, alone except for the dog and cat, and ponder the suggestion raised in St. Clare’s email posting: “We are encouraging members to contribute a reflection to be shared in our newsletter and on our website…” on how life is going during the pandemic.   I’ve read Katie’s piece on her life as a nurse and the lives of other medical personnel, and I have deep gratitude for the work they and other essential workers...

by Katie Oppenheim As most of you know, I am a nurse and President of the 6,000 member nurse’s union at UM.  Our members have stepped up to the plate in remarkable ways, in spite of the understandable fear and anxiety associated with caring for patients during this pandemic.  Beginning in mid-March absolutely everything changed at the hospital.  The Emergency Department was swamped with very, very sick patients.  Unfortunately, there has been a lot of death associated with this pandemic. ...

by Suzanne Di Piazza, Director of Children & Youth Ministries If this time of social distancing has reaffirmed anything for me it’s that the members of our church  know what ‘being church’ is. In case you hadn’t heard, I got a new knee on January 30. During my 6 week recuperation I received so much generosity from this community. People dropped off meals, sent cards and emails, or just called to see how I was. People who had had this same surgery offered medical equipment that that...