CHANGE

CLICK HERE FOR PRAYER OF CREATION & CHARITY

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SCRIPTURE
Galatians 2: 20

 REFLECTION
- Fr. Ron

MUSIC
- Polar by Gjeilo

NOTES
-

PRAYER OF LETTING GO
To You do I belong, O God,
into Your hands I surrender my life.
Pour out Your Spirit upon me
that I may love You perfectly,
and serve You faithfully
until my soul rests in You.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_02 0:28

As we enter this sacred space of prayer, I invite you to set aside what's on your mind, what is taking your gaze off of the Lord. And for the next twelve minutes, let's together look at nothing but Him, who is all good and worthy of our love. Welcome to the God Minute. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Psalm 66. Thank you, Lord. Everyone, everywhere, lift up your joyful shout to God. Sing your songs tuned to his glory. Tell the world how wonderful He is.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Mighty in miracles, you cause your enemies to tremble. No wonder they all surrender and bow before you. All the earth will bow down to worship. All the earth will sing your glories forever.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Everyone will say, Come and see the incredible things God has done. It will take your breath away. He made a highway through the Red Sea as the Hebrews passed through on dry ground.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Praise him everywhere, and let everyone know you love him. There's no doubt about it. God holds our lives safely in his hands. He's the one who watches over and protects us.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

A reading from Galatians chapter two, verse twenty. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The word of the Lord. September first marks a season of rich transition. As summer slowly gives way to cooler autumn air and changing leaves, my favorite season, fall. September, though, invites us also to look beyond the weather and consider how God might be asking us to change as well. This month brings together two really meaningful spiritual focuses. Or is it foci? Whatever it is. The first is the season of creation, beginning with the World Day of Prayer for the care of creation, that is today. And that begins the season concluding on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th. This month of long observance calls us to contemplate life, to cherish the earth, and to renew our vocation as faithful doers of this incredible gift that God has given to us in the natural world. It also this month brings another spiritual focus, September Spirit, leading up to the feast of St. Vincent de Paul on September 27th, who is, of course, our patron here at the God Minute, founder of the Congregation of the Mission, My Order of Priests, and with St. Louise the Daughters. And this September Spirit Month, we take time to reflect deeply on his charism and practical love for those who have been marginalized and poor in need. And so, folks, to connect these two things together, I'm taking one simple action this month. I invite you, if you think it's worthy, to join me. I'm going to purchase and place a small potted plant or flower in my room, accompanied by a daily prayer that I wrote. And it will serve as a constant reminder of my duty to care for the natural world and also a symbol of Saint Vincent's love blossoming into active service for the poor and forgotten. Two things for which I need to be grateful and live my life from it. At its core, this month, it's about one central concept: change. We witness physical change as seasons shift, but the season of creation all this month asks for a change in how we treat the natural world, our earth. Saint Vincent urges a change in how we serve Christ in others. Ultimately, both lead us towards metanoia, the deep ongoing turning of our minds and hearts back to God. And friends, if we remain open to this grace, the Creator then can renew our vision, widen our hearts, and little by little our lives become an offering of praise, allowing us to echo Saint Paul's declaration in our scripture today. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, you have entrusted us with the sacred beauty of your creation and called us to be faithful stewards of the earth. Inspired by the spirit of our founder, Saint Vincent de Paul, open our eyes to see your presence in both the splendor of nature and the faces of our neighbors. Grant us his heart of radical compassion so that as we strive to protect our fragile planet, we prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable who suffer most from its degradation. We ask through Christ our Lord.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

To you do I belong, O God. Into your hands I surrender my life. Pour out your spirit upon me, that I may love you perfectly and serve you faithfully until my soul rests in you. For those who might want to join me in the prayer of creation and charity, that I'll be praying each day this month. I talked about it in the reflection, I put a link to it in the show notes today, and it will also be in the Discover tab on the app all month as well. I also created a video to it for those who prefer an audio version or maybe find it difficult to read. So either way.