Posted on 01/12/2005 7:03:19 PM PST by AskStPhilomena
We greet you Spirit of the North. Teach us to plant our feet securely on the earth and to see things as they really are, that the coming of your Spirit may find us standing firm in integrity. Teach us, Spirit of the North, in the solitude of winter, to wait in darkness with the sleeping earth, believing that we, like the earth, already hold within ourselves the seeds of new life.
ALL: May the deep peace of mercy be on us forgiving us, beckoning us, encouraging us; and may our readiness to forgive calm the fears.
We greet you, O Spirit of the East.
Awaken in us with each day, new hopes, new dreams of colors, loves and joys never before imagined. Fill our bodies with your breath, invigorate us. Carry us to the farthest mountains and beyond. In-spirit us that we might reach out to you boldly to grasp the miracles that are given birth with each new dawn.
ALL: May the deep peace of compassion be on us holding us close when we are weary, hurt and alone; and may we be the warm hands and warm eyes of compassion when people reach out to us in need.
We greet you Spirit of the South. You bring the winds of summer and breathe on us the warmth of the sun to sooth and heal our bodies and our spirits. Quicken us, draw us by the urgings of your warm breath to break through the soil of our own barrenness and fear. Teach us to hold sacred the memory of the spring rains that we might have the strength to withstand the heat of the day, and not become parched and narrow in our love. Lead us to accept fatigue with resignation, knowing that life is not to be rushed, that there is no flower of the field that grows from seed to blossom in a single day.
All: May the deep peace of gentleness be on us caressing us with sunlight, rain and wind; may tenderness shine through us to warm all who are hurt and lonely.
We greet you Spirit of the West; cool our hot and tired bodies, refresh and bring laughter to our hearts. It is you who usher in the setting sun. Guide our steps at the end of day; keep us safe from evil. Fill us with your peace as you enfold us with your great mystery of night that we might rest securely In your arms until morning call us forth again.
ALL: May the deep blessing of peace be on us stilling our hearts that have fear and doubt and confusion within them; and may peace cover us and all those who are troubled and anxious. May we be peacemakers.
We greet you, Great Spirit of the Earth. It was from you we came as from a Mother; you nourish us still and give us shelter.
Teach us to walk softly on your lands, to use with care your gifts, to love with tenderness all our brothers and sisters who have been born of your goodness. And when the day comes when you call us back to yourself, help us to return to you as a friend, to find ourselves embraced, encircled and enfolded in your arms.
ALL: May the deep peace of community arise from within us, drawing us ever nearer, speaking to us of unity, true community where distinctions of persons is also oneness in being.
This has to be a parody site. What the heck is this?
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, have mercy on us! That is reminscent and probably based on neopagan/new age/wiccan-style formula for consecrating a magic circle...And this comes out of an archdiocesan website?
Now that's getting mighty close to the abomination of desolation....
Well, I guess God, the Holy Trinity, is out of the picture now.
WTF?
It's a ritual that could be used to cast a magic circle. It reads like something between a wiccan ritual and something from Black Elk Speaks....
But he's in full communion with Rome.
As an active member of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Levada has served on more than 10 committees including the Committee on Doctrine. From 1987 until 1993, Archbishop Levada was the only American bishop on the Editorial Committee on the Holy See's Commission for a Catechism for the Universal Church. In 1997, Pope John Paul II appointed Archbishop Levada as a delegate to the Special Synod of Bishops for the Americas held in Rome.
AskStPhilomena and I were getting tired of the "cranky trad" stereo type, so we thought we'd lighten things up a bit with some articles geared towards comic relief.
Ping!
Unfortunately, it's not a joke. I myself was present when this very...uh..."prayer???" was recited by three Sisters of St. Joseph at the beginning of a Parents' Guild meeting at my kids' school.
If it happens again, I will speak to the monsignor about it.
Regards,
Oh, and Great Spirit of the Earth, try to give us a little warning next time your techtonic plates reach the breaking point mid-ocean. Thanks.
I would complain like all heck, and anybody who knows me knows I don't do this alot, but this is an occult formulation...how dare they, earth goddess worshipping pretending to be catholic people....I
I have heard it two times. The first time I didn't complain. The second time I blew my stack! Unfortunately it was in two different locations. Too bad the first one didn't get a piece of my mind also.
I also blasted the second group on using centering prayer.
I would be careful and take him with you.
and we wonder why rome has difficulty tossing out child molesters.
I was raised Catholic but no longer am I a member of the Catholic church.
Having said that I really have to wonder about the authority of the church.
Who do these people (those who would utter such nonesense) take their orders from?
Does Rome have any say in this or any other thing that goes against the teaching of the church?
Unbelievable. Something tells me that we'll be hearing more on this subject...
Ahhhh, the Sisters of St. Joseph! They wandered off the path, when they began contemplating God in nature. One of their Provincial Houses is just up the block from where I live. During Lent, they open the House to anyone who wishes to attend (for a fee), a series of Lenten reflections. While I attended the mattinee showing of The Passion of the Christ on Good Friday, the Sisters of St. Joseph were reflecting on new life springing from a seed in the garden. It should come as no surprise to anyone, except the Sisters, that their ranks are shriveling up. Perhaps this year, they can spend their Lenten retreat contemplating a 'goose egg' and how it relates to vocations ;-D.
If it happens again, I will speak to the monsignor about it.
Why wait? Strike while the iron is hot! You have other witnesses to this chicanery but be prepared. The monsignor may very well throw his support to the Sisters. Last year, my (now former) pastor, who serves as chaplain at the Provincial House, told me how the Sisters dance at their liturgies. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to introduce liturgical dance to the parish. An exchange of letters with the Diocesan Office for Divine Worship, backed up with solid references, was all it took to stop him cold in his tracks.
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