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

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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.

Lament for Climate Change

God, we find ourselves in a grievous position:
On a warming planet, 
Wildfires burning,
Icecaps melting,
Soil degrading,
Waters poisoning.  

Consumerist capitalism has so dazed and bound our society
That we cannot perceive a way forward;
We cannot get ourselves out of the trouble we are in.
We have waited long and late.
We are reaping the rewards of our inaction,
Our efforts frustrated by corporate greed.

We are sorrowful
For the ways we have harmed our earth-home
With our societal excesses and apathies,
Our hunger for more, more, more,
Our neglect of the needs of the poorest and least powerful,
Our disregard for ecosystems.

We lament the corporate greed that drives environmental destruction. 
We lament the industrial farming practices that harm the soil and waterways. 
We lament the industrial extraction of natural resources that destroys ecosystems. 
We lament the pollution with chemicals that harm humans, animal, waterways, and soil organisms.

Help us now to do what we must
To mitigate further harm.
Help us to sacrifice convenience for the greater good - 
The good of future generations,
The good of all humanity - not just a privileged few, 
The good of all of Earth’s inhabitants. 

We know this work won’t be easy:
It will require a revolution of consciousness. 
We know it won’t be quick;
It will take decades of effort. 
We know it won’t be popular;
It will mean people have to make sacrifices.

But, oh God, give us fortitude to do it anyway, 
To come back into alignment with Nature as you created it, 
And with your Spirit, who teaches us
And inspires us to the good work of wholeness and justice. 

Amen

Litany for Our Planet

I feel a great deal of urgency combined with hope. People, especially people who claim to follow the Christ - the Peacemaking, violence-ending, death-resurrecting Christ - need to wake up to the understanding that caring for creation = caring for the poor. This is my prayer that Spirit People will not wait to face this, that they will start now, make and push for change now. So that we can leave a legacy of a healthy planet to our children and grandchildren.


God, we ask for your help. 
Our planet, our mother, is suffering
Due to human neglect, apathy, and greed; 
Due to overconsumption, mass production, and pollution.…