By Sr. Doreen, SSJD
taken from Deposit Photos
In our call to be a blessing, may we be a blessing true;
May we live and die confessing Christ as Lord of all we do, Christ as Lord of all we do.
Genesis 12:2, which says, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing”.
As we move into Lent this year, I have been pondering one of Marty Haugen’s hymns called “Tree of Life”. Each week in Lent I thought I would share a meditation on one of the 5 Sunday Lenten final stanzas that can be added to his hymn.
I thought perhaps it would be helpful to put these stanzas into context by sharing Marty’s whole hymn and so I have printed it below:
Tree of Life and awesome mystery, in your death we are reborn; though you die in all of history, still you rise with every morn, still your rise with every morn.
Seed that dies to rise in glory, may we see ourselves in you; if we learn to live your story we may die to rise anew, we may die to rise anew.
We remember truth once spoken, love passed on through act and word; every person lost and broken wears the body of our Lord, wears the body of our Lord.
Gentle Jesus, mighty Spirit, come inflame our hearts anew. We may all your joy inherit if we bear the cross with you, if we bear the cross with you
Christ, you lead, and we shall follow, stumbling though our steps may be; one with you in joy and sorrow, we the river you the sea, we the river you the sea
Light of life beyond conceiving mighty Spirit of our Lord; give new strength to our believing, give us faith to live your word, give us faith to live your word.
So today, the stanza added to the hymn for the second Sunday in Lent:
“In our call to be a blessing, may we be a blessing true;
May we live and die confessing Christ as Lord of all we do, Christ as Lord of all we do.”
“The ultimate blessing is life in all its fullness” (David Steindl-Rast in ‘You Are Here”) He goes on to say “Blessing is the bloodstream of the universe. It needs to be kept circulating.”
As I began to think about blessings, I recall as a child singing a song that had the refrain: ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your blessings, see what God hath done; count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” It was a call to gratitude, in the good times and the bad times. It was a song sung to us, as we were hugged and reassured of the love that surrounded us, when we were in difficult times and discouraged. ‘Let’s sing it together’ was a favourite remedy and believing in the magic of love as a child, it worked, lifting us back to smiles and gratitude again.
Gratitude can change our life, it can change obstacles into opportunities. It seems to me now that this is what was part of the miracle of that song as a child. The troublesome times were trying to tell us something, like a gift from which we might gain some new understanding or some new insight. I know now that life is a great unending opportunity to see things differently, to keep on reframing. This is really what Jesus was trying to tell us, giving us a chance to be in the reframing business when he gave us, in the sermon on the mount, the Beatitudes. We are invited to see blessedness even in the midst of tumult and suffering, invited not to be trapped by circumstances, but to look for grace, for blessings and to find possibilities, to do something to move into new life for ourselves and for those around us, and for our world.
It is gratitude that opens our eyes to the blessings around us. But gratitude is a gift. Timothy Miller in his book “How to Want What You Have” wrote: “The feeling of gratitude is a shy bird. Chasing it does no good. Genuine gratitude can never be forced. Trying hard to feel gratitude is like trying hard to fall asleep or fall in love. The harder you try to be grateful, the more elusive the experience becomes. It must come to you on its own terms. You practice gratitude by carefully building a home in your heart to accommodate it. The bird does not always come, but if you make a home for it, it comes often enough.” Again, looking back on that childhood song now, it was the ‘count your blessings, name them one by one’ that helped to build a home in the heart: open hearts helped us to see the blessings of small things, the things that really sustain us in life, things we might not have been able to notice.
In our call to be a blessing it opens up for us the idea that we are not just recipients of God’s blessings but are actively called to be instruments of blessings to others, spreading kindness, compassion, and hope wherever we go. It is our blessing to be able to reflect the love and grace that we have received in life, from our experiences, from others around us, from God.
By living our life to the full, we tap into the life of nature as a whole, and so into mystery, the silent source of blessing … into God … at that inner most center of silence within. It is there we meet God as the source of all that we do. And we know that God is faithful and always provides. He’s blessed us with gifts and talents and resources to be a blessing to others. Let’s not hide or dismiss our gifts but use them for His glory. God has given us so many blessings and these are intended to be shared. We have been given so much, besides material things, families and friends, jobs and homes, we have been given gifts of inestimable value: gifts of faith, hope, and love. We have been blessed with means of grace and the hope of glory, with God’s very own self – a love that is tenacious and unconditional. All of these and more are blessings that as David Steindl-Rast said “it (the blessings) needs to be kept circulating” – shared and given away to others. It is the small tings that we all have – the smiles, the acts of kindness, the phone call or letter, the visit, a listening ear, help and encouragement …. And you can name so many ways that you have gifts that you can offer to bless others. For out of our mouths … out of our lives … can come these blessings that sustain us all.
We see this in the biblical story of Abraham (Genesis 12) where God tells Abraham, “leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation and I will bless you, and you will be a blessing … and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This story of Abraham points to God’s greater plan the world – God’s blessings are never meant to be exclusive but inclusive, a world-embracing plan for all peoples and all of creation.
When we read Isaiah 42:1 God is talking to us, to you and to me – “Here is my servant (that means me, and that means you) … my chosen one in whom I delight; I, God, have called you in righteousness … I will … make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for all people, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” A cup of tea, a visit, a letter, a small or big act of kindness …. The many ways that you and I have that can be a light, can open eyes and hearts.
God’s promises show us God’s heart, a love for the whole world. There is nothing ethnocentric about God’s love, all people are God’s chosen and precious people. But ethnocentrism is among the most deep-seated of all prejudices – we are the best! It is the one prejudice that God is determined to overcome! God intends to bless all people, and we are his chosen helpers, chosen instruments through which God will accomplish this loving purpose and plan. Everything, all we are and do, is from God and held in the heart of God. Everything we have received from God is at the end of the day to be used for the benefit of other people. We are blessed to be a blessing. Alone and together, one small act of kindness can have a significant impact on others and create a ripple effect of positivity.
What blessings, what gifts and talents has God given you? How are you using your blessings and gifts to serve others?
In 1987 the Medical Mission Sisters came out with several albums of songs, popular during those days. One of the songs is Sing of A Blessing, the words and music written by Sister Miriam Theresa Winter. I share it with you. It is a song where the leader and all sing back and forth with each phrase, the phrases in bold to be sung by all..
Sing, we sing of a blessing. Sing, we sing of a blessing, Sing, we sing of a blessing. Sing we sing of a blessing. A blessing of love. A blessing of love. A blessing of mercy. A blessing of mercy.
Love will increase. Love will increase. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Love will increase. Love will increase. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Pray now, pray for a blessing. Pray now, pray for a blessing. Pray now, pray for a blessing. Pray now, pray for a blessing. A blessing of joy. A blessing of joy. A blessing of justice. A blessing of justice.
Love will increase. Love will increase. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Love will increase. Love will increase. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Share now, share in a blessing. Share now, share in a blessing. Share now, share in a blessing. Share now, share in a blessing. A blessing of hope. A blessing of hope. A blessing of courage. A blessing of courage.
Love will increase. Love will increase. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Love will increase. Love will increase. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Live, live, live as a blessing. Live, live, live as a blessing. Live, live, live as a blessing. Live, live, live as a blessing. A blessing within. A blessing within. A blessing among us. A blessing among us.
Love will increase. Love will increase. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Love will increase. Love will increase. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Send forth, send forth a blessing. Send forth, send forth a blessing. Send forth, send forth a blessing, Send forth, send forth a blessing. A blessing to all. A blessing to all. Now and forever. Now and forever.
Love will release. Love will release. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
Love will release. Love will release. A blessing of peace. A blessing of peace.
