Epiphany 7 (Year C, 2022): Litany for Fretting

February 16, 2022 Fran Pratt

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(See also: “Litany for the Hard Teachings” - in PATREON - which focuses on the beatitudes of Luke 6)

Upon this reading of the Lectionary passages for this week, I’m bowled over by the word “fret.”

Do not fret because of the wicked (Psalm 37:1)
Do not fret over those who prosper by way of evil. (Psalm 37:7)
Do not fret--it leads only to evil. (Psalm 37:8)
Do not fret about your safety (Psalm 37:40)
Do not fret about your enemies (Luke 6:27).
Do not fret about meanies who hit or steal from you (Luke 6:29)
Do not fret about what others are doing that you don’t like (Luke 6:37).
Do not fret over whether you’ll have enough (Luke 6:38).
Do not fret about that bad thing you did (Genesis 45:5).

I’m thinking about all the fretting I do, which I’m working on unlearning. Wow, I can really fret with the best fretters around.

But I want to learn the Way of No Fretting. The way of trust and gratitude. The way of childlike faith in God’s care. The way of Julian’s “All shall be well.”

And there’s a lot to fret about. More things than we can even take in with our human minds. The fret-fest is overwhelming.

So we ask ourselves: where do we want to live? In world-driven, low consciousness (asleep to God) hamster wheel of fretting about this and that? Or in Spirit? In love? In the freedom from worry and fretting which is salvation, the imperishable? I think we get to choose. Every day we choose.

Easier said than done but we keep practicing.

God, in these days it's easy for us to fret over political divisions,
Over potential wars and conflicts,
Over the possibility of losing our way of life,
Over the future of our planet,
Over an endless array of problems and threats.
This anxiety can immobilize us and render us useless.

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Epiphany 5 (Year C, 2022): Litany for Trying Again

February 1, 2022 Fran Pratt

If you need some encouragement, this one's for you.

This week I’m thinking about Isaiah in his vision; he sees himself standing before God, with God looking very terrifying and judgey, and he says, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

And with an almost-magical touch of a burning coal, an angel restores Isaiah’s self-concept. The story Isaiah is telling about himself, about his unworthiness, is revised in an instant. He can see himself as belonging there in the presence of glory.

I’m thinking also of the exhausted fishermen in Luke 5, who have worked all night for nothing. No fish. No success. Their work has been a failure and they are beleaguered and disheartened.

And then, with an almost-magical word, Jesus invites them to try again. Try again at the thing you’ve already been failing at all night long! So they gather their last energy for one more try, and cast the nets again. And suddenly the story of the night of failure is revised. The fishermen can see themselves in light of success and blessing.

I wonder how many of us are in need of a new self-concept. Or in need of a bit of encouragement to give it one more try.

I know, it’s been hard. We’re beat down. So many of our efforts have failed. We have come to see ourselves as unworthy. We feel we don’t fit in with the glory all around us. And our pockets are empty at the end of long work.

May the burning coal touch your lips, revising the stories you tell about yourself.

May Christ’s word of encouragement touch your discouraged mind, giving you the strength to start again, to try again, and to embrace a new story of hope.

God, we have been through some difficult years.
We are weary after a long night’s work (1)
And worried about coming up empty-handed.
Our failures have etched themselves deep in our souls (2),
Leading us to believe we aren’t worthy of your company.
We are in need of a new story, a more true identity.

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Epiphany Week 8 (Year C): Litany for the Hard Teachings

February 19, 2019 Fran Pratt

Hi! As you may have noticed,
I’ve moved much of my work over to Patreon.
This is part of my effort to make 2019 a #yearofwritingsustainably
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This week’s Lectionary covers 1 Corinthians 15, and a continuation of Luke 6, the Sermon on the Plain. Like the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Luke’s account contains some of Jesus’ most radical and counter-cultural teachings… themes religion has historically not applied or taught well. Instead of embracing non-judgement and non-duality, the church became famous for condemnation. Instead of loving enemies, the church aligned itself with warring powers.

These are hard teachings, especially for Western ears to hear. Especially for wealthy, privileged Americans to hear. We need these universal spiritual teachings in front of our eyes and in our ears, penetrating our consciousness anew in these times.

God, some of the teachings we received from Christ are difficult
Asking us to practice counter-cultural ways of being.

So much of us must die
To become alive.
So much of what we desire must be let go
For us to truly receive it…

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