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SCRIPTURE
- Luke 6:27-28         
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

REFLECTION
- Mary Ellyn

MUSIC
- At the Cross Her Station Keeping by The Cathedral Singers

- Concert Friday song by Jackie De Shannon

NOTES
- All Souls Day: Submit Your Loved Ones Here

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_03 0:33

If we want the world to know that hatred has no place in it, then put love in your heart. That's the message from our scripture today, and will be the theme of our concert Friday song as we take leave. But for now, we begin together, as always, signing ourselves in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

I breathe in the quietness, enjoying the empty space, knowing I am in the company of the Holy One.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

It is a good place to be. My confidence finds its anchor. My spirit feels renewed. God is a safe haven for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Trust grows from this place to be honest and free in God. Place and privilege are worthless. They are delusions created by others.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

Everything can change in an instant. And life's gift is in the here and now. Put no confidence in things that disappear, but find blessing in the wisdom of the ages.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

God has shared this story again and again. And I will hold on to this truth. For love is God's gift, a place of security and sanctuary.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

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

SPEAKER_00 2:43

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

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. The word of the Lord. Eighteen years ago, I received a call from a friend of mine hysterically crying. She received news that a shooting had occurred at the university that her son attended. She was pretty sure that her son was not in the classroom where the tragic event occurred. But she was drawn to travel to the campus to make sure that he was okay. She was calling me on her way. When she arrived, she found out that her son was indeed in the classroom. His girlfriend had class in that hall that day, and he went in to surprise her. Without going into further detail, sadly, he was killed. The pain and devastation of losing a child is unimaginable. But losing a child through such a cruel act of violence is incomprehensible. I continued to support my friend in the following weeks and months, going through thousands of cards that she received from people that were praying for her, or those that had gone through similar experiences. The only way we can heal is to forgive him. Just like Jesus forgave the people that crucified him so that they could be healed too. How powerful is that? This passage today can be really hard to digest. How can we love our enemies or someone that hurts us? That is exactly what God challenges us to do today. God asks us to break the cycle of evil and revenge with goodness. To choose love over harm. Just as he loves all people, even those that wronged him, so shall we. She chose love and forgiveness instead. She told me one day that she knew her son had seen the face of Jesus, and that comforted her. So let us share God's love with all God's people and give glory to him forever.

SPEAKER_03 8:00

And together, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 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. Loving God, fill our hearts with your love. Fill them so deeply and completely that there is no room for hatred, for bitterness or violence. Teach us to see one another not as enemies to be defeated, but as brothers and sisters to be embraced. Make us instruments of your love, Lord, so that wherever we go, we leave behind a little less hatred and a little more of you. We ask through Christ our Lord. As the cross tells us, when we surrender ourselves to the Father, love is poured forth. Let us pray for that now. 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. A quick reminder of our all souls' mass of remembrance that we will be shared, that that we will be shared. No, that we will share together on November 2nd. For all our loved ones who have died. So share with us their name and picture, and we'll include them at our altar, along with all the others from past years in our beautiful mosaics. So the link to it is in the show notes today on our website or the Discover tab. Okay, all this talk of love and sharing leads us to our concert Friday song today to send us forth. And it needs no introduction, nor the lyrics, because you'll understand them all. So go forth, brothers and sisters. Live love boldly as you go in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Enjoy, and we will see you tomorrow for Merrion Saturday.

SPEAKER_04 11:03

Think of your fellow man and in my helping hand. Put a little love in your heart. You see it's getting late. Oh please don't hesitate. Put a little love in your heart. And go up. We'll be up in the face. And go up. We'll be up in the face.