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Time after time he rescued them, †
But in their malice they dared to defy him *
And sank low through their guilt.

i’m sure to be among those
who have dared to defy you

reveal your faithfulness
o god
on the way
to unlearn
the malice
that binds our hearts

for you are with us
to the end of the world.

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You will show me the path of life, †
The fullness of joy in your presence *
At your right hand happiness for ever.

I don’t know so much
about this happiness
the psalm suggests, but

at Tepeyac
the Virgin
vouchsafed a sign
of your favor

the image remains
beautiful
her message
still proclaiming

prod our stony hearts
open our eyes
help us to hear

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Set me free from all my sins, * do not make me the taunt of the fool :

i do not imagine that my failings
are red as crimson
even if they are
but I take them as a burden
and a barrier
to that life that I said I wanted

its one thing to be broken
another to be ridiculed for it

a priest once said
“You will not know until you are in it.”

bring us to yourself
then we will know.

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i’d be happy enough to say that I’ve got nothing today

Do not fret because of the wicked ; * do not envy those who do evil :

the psalm leads us through
the shenanigans of the wicked
followed by the promise
that the wicked will not prevail

this is supposed to be assuring
do not fret …

but the fret
is hard-wired
chaos writhing

waiting is hard
open our hearts

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You will show me the path of life, * the fullness of joy at your presence,

standing at the threshold
the little treacle anthem
I expected to sing
concealed a prod
Your child is the Savior, all hope lies in him :

not the child
but the redeemer

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling down death
by death
and upon those in the tombs
bestowing life.

we
wait

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The Lord’s revelation to my Master : †
‘Sit on my right : *
Your foes I will put beneath your feet.’

I find myself unmoved this evening
its ok to trust a little
to believe sometimes

while waiting

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The Lord did not forget the just man who was sold as a slave ; * he released him from the power of sinful men.

this antiphon captures the story of the experience of Joseph, sold into slavery and what unfolds after …

we get caught up in God’s mighty deeds
the messy, the disappointing, the complex,
the hurtful

we do not always see the whup-ass or the mercy
that others get to recall after us

in the second lesson today, St Cyprian recalls for us the Apostle’s teaching, in which charity is set before us joined together with endurance and patience, ‘Love,’ he says, ‘is large-souled, is patient and kind ; love is not jealous, is not boastful, is not given to anger, does not think evil, loves all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’ He shows that love can tenaciously persevere, for the very reason that it has learned how to endure all things.

He shows that neither unity nor peace can be maintained unless the brethren cherish each other with mutual forbearance and preserve the bond of harmony by means of patience.

give us large souls, equipt for love
while we wait

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I do not ask more bullocks from your farms,* Nor goats from among your herds.

Our psalmist asserts that God doesn’t need
anything from us
—everything already belongs to him

all i’ve got is virtue signaling

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My heart overflows with noble words.†
To the king I must speak the song I have made, *
My tongue as nimble as the pen of a scribe.

Again, today
we recount
the lord’s mighty deeds
tales of whup-ass, long ago
and end with the wedding song.

but we live in these latter-days
assailed by the dissonance of battle
and boredom and want
the wicked prosper
and I’ve got no whup-ass

So today I lean on the teaching of St. John Damascene.

By the blessing of the Holy Spirit, you prepared my creation and my existence, not because man willed it or flesh desired it, but by your ineffable grace. The birth you prepared for me was such that it surpassed the laws of our nature. You sent me forth into the light by adopting me as your son and you enrolled me among the children of your holy and spotless Church.

You nursed me with the spiritual milk of your divine utterances. You kept me alive with the solid food of the Body of Jesus Christ, your Son. You delighted me with the cup of his life-giving Blood.

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all the trees of the wood shout for joy † at the presence of the Lord for he comes, * he comes to rule the earth.

in anticipation of
the consummation of creation
where creator and creatures
meet
the new heaven and the new earth
. . .
trees
their very structure
an example of exultation
all of creation shares that structure
in thousands of iterations

help us lord
open our hearts
to join creation’s praise

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The poor man is devoured by the pride of the wicked : *
he is caught in the schemes that others have made.

the psalm pleas for a mighty act
while exposing the root of the poor man’s plight

complicit in these schemes
I am foolish enough to believe
that god doesn’t see
or that I don’t

we walk in a labyrinth
in these latter days
sinner and sinned against
together

let us lay this aside
we have no call for scapegoats here.

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For the oppressed let the Lord be a stronghold, * a stronghold in times of distress.

open our hearts to the refuge of your embrace
revealed in your word made flesh among us
open our hearts to the joys and sorrows
of our neighbors

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Blessed are they who put their trust in God.

Here we are, again, waiting
not for that child in the manger
we’ve already done the nativity
the visit with the magi
the finding in the temple
the laying in the tomb
the rising from the dead
it's the eschaton we are waiting for
our psalmist counsels trust

this is not an empty gesture
though many have counted it so
myself included
if I’m honest.

if God gave victories in the past
if the resurrection isn’t bullshit
then the eschaton will come

let it come now, o god
in our hearts
while we wait

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To the God of heaven give thanks ; * for his love endures forever.

The antiphon at the last minute proclaims
To the God of heaven give thanks ;
He set us free from our foes.

You did this…
You vanquished our enemies
You slew their Kings
You laid them bare

Let the crops grow
Let rain fall
Let the sea recede into its ancient bounds.

Let peace reign in our walls
Let peace reign in our hearts
Let foemen have peace.

Open the gates of our hearts, lord
Show us the way

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Stand up and come to our help! * Redeem us because of your love!

The Psalm this morning
is run through with nostalgia
remember when you loved us
when you drove our enemies aside
of course now, we appear to be less coddled
loved, protected
we wither before you
while we claim unbroken fidelity

I long for that redemption
that long ago psalmist bandied about

but I know myself
to be impious and broken

something has to change
nostalgia cannot save

open a door
let us leave the armies at home.

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Look away that I may breathe again ; * before I depart to be no more.

in the midst of life
we are in death
like a thriving terrarium

standing on the threshold
from breath to breath
I wait

Grant us your grace
that we may trust

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I was stupid and did not understand, * no better than a beast in your sight.
Yet I was always in your presence ; * you were holding me by my right hand.

One of the most forbidden of words
in the playground
yet there it is
and true

it stings a bit
if I’m honest

for the rest
we try to trust
that it is also true

give us grateful,
generous, and
courageous hearts
to meet the day.

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Be strong, let your heart take courage. * all who hope in the Lord.

We come again to hope
provoke us into hope, Lord
hope for ourselves and hope for all of your people
let no one be forsaken

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For you save a humble people * but humble the eyes that are proud

Save a humble people, Lord
yes in your justice
but save even the proud
in your mercy

reveal in us your compassion
let it run through all
your daughters
and your sons
may your people
rejoice in peace

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On the Feast of St. Cecilia

The Lord of hosts is with us : * the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

My own words, today
did not fly,
so i cribbed this from St. Augustine :

If words will not serve, and yet you must not remain silent,
what else can you do but cry out for joy?