top of page

The Prayer Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

​

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring love. Where there is offence, let me bring pardon. Where there is discord, let me bring union. Where there is error, let me bring truth. Where there is doubt, let me bring faith. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is darkness, let me bring your light. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.


O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that one receives, it is in self-forgetting that one finds, it is in forgiving that one is forgiven, it is in dying that one awakens to eternal life.

Amen.

Moving Forward Meditations

Search

Moving Forward - 9 February 2025

    Updated: Feb 13, 2025

    SUNDAY, February 9, 5 Epiphany


    Luke 5:10b Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”


    Instead of selecting rabbis and royalty as his first followers, Jesus called regular fishermen who may or may not have been good at their day jobs. This was probably not the best human resources strategy. But his approach makes me wonder: What if the discipleship call is not about the capacity for competence but rather the capacity for connection and reconciliation?

    That’s what this whole divine rescue mission is about, after all: giving fractured humanity and cracked creation a way forward, the possibility of real connection in Jesus and a means for divine reconciliation through Jesus. I think Jesus called Peter and Andrew for who they were and would be in relationship rather than for what they were already doing. Perhaps this is why Jesus was willing to start out with a group of folks who would misunderstand, be afraid, and repeatedly mess up. It gives me hope for why Jesus now partners with us. Maybe real discipleship is being open and willing to connect, willing to fail and try again, continually called and continually answering…maybe that’s the job.


    MOVING FORWARD: Are you open to this divine rescue mission?



    (Source: Forward Day by Day Movement)


     
     
     

    Moving Forward - 8 February 2025

      SATURDAY, February 8, Josephine Bakhita


      Galatians 6:1a My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.


      This verse sounds like “preaching gone straight to meddlin’. ” But I love that there’s no expectation that Christian community will be a holy utopia. Restoration to relationship and community is not about bypassing a wrong done but rather engaging the wrongdoer with accountability in love—and engaging the wronged with healing. There is no us and them in God’s economy. Them is also us. Forgiveness is a spiritual discipline that allows us to feel what we feel but address our relationships in loving, brave, and mutually respectful ways, even if we disagree.


      And because abuse and oppression never have been and never will be love, even in forgiveness, restitution (not retribution) and justice are still to be sought. Healthy boundary setting can stave off peril and bitterness. I have never been able to do this on my own. But with the Holy Spirit’s help, forgiveness is how we can live, even if we hurt and/or get ticked off at each other sometimes. 


      MOVING FORWARD: How can you engage in conversation this week with someone with whom you’ve experienced hurt or anger?



      (Source: Forward Day by Day Movement)

       
       
       

      Moving Forward - 7 February 2025

        Mark 9:7b This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!


        I don’t think Peter did half-bad here in the scene we know as the Transfiguration. If I saw Jesus and two dead guys start shining like searchlights, I would have required sedatives and a rescue helicopter and responded loudly, repeatedly, and in tongues that needed no interpretation. Thankfully, I don’t think human response is the point.  


        I think God’s compassion is the point or at least part of it. Maybe that’s why God speaks from a cloud, with simple instructions, after the sensory overload of the visible glory of God the Son, Moses, and Elijah, saying: This is my beloved Son. Listen to him. God extends divine compassion, a sacred and open place where we can hear and receive truth as a means of loving transformation. Divine compassion gives us access to the covering of divine love, strengthening us to look at and go into the hard and holy places—in our lives, in our ministries, and in the world.


        MOVING FORWARD: How would you have responded as a witness to the Transfiguration?



        (Source: Forward Day by Day Movement)

         
         
         
        bottom of page