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Mama Monday #94

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  I Bind Unto Myself Today Saint Patrick: Revisited Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail   READ IN APP   Originally written for & published on Church Anew . In a world going to war — at home, again, and in in SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) again — it could feel crass to ask us to take up the armor of God. But I am not speaking of the armor that comes with clanging cymbals and America-first idolatries. I am speaking of the tender breast of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick. Though famous more in this country for green-dyed rivers and a splitting hangover, Patrick is a saint revered for his generous sharing of the Gospel in Ireland. But he was not born in Ireland; he was born somewhere in present-day Great Britain. Until he was kidnapped, as a child, and trafficked into slavery. While he was enslaved he began experiencing ecstatic visions and converted to Christianity. He eventually escaped — critical, I think, for us today to note his conversion did not make him meek ...
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Mama Monday #93

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  reflections from Lectio last week (from the passage in the lectionary on Thursday 3/12):  Ephesians 4:25-32 New International Version 25  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  26  “In your anger do not sin” [ a ] : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  27  and do not give the devil a foothold.  28  Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  31  Get rid of all bitterness, ra...
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Mama Monday #92

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  Lover of souls, You have wrapped us in Your infinite affection. From our unremembered infancy to the moments that weigh us down now, you have always loved us, completely. When we feel like love is a scarcity to be measured, doled out in small sums, to keep the lock on our hearts secretly fastened, unfurl our fingers in the way only You can and remind us that Your love is not counted in cups or days, but in the infinite, borderless expanse of all the rooms, in all the universe, and more. And when we feel like we have no love left to spare, draw us to collapse in Your arms, kiss our foreheads, and remind us: Your love can bear all things, even when we cannot. Author of Love, who believes and hopes and endures, Hold us now, and evermore. Amen. -Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail got this book at the library and have really loved it...  (I sent you a blessing of hers before:  https://mamamondayblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/mama-monday-43.html )  ...
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Mama Monday #91

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The following post is from  The Book of Belonging Substack: Weekly Sabbath Practice: Mother, May I :  This week’s practice was inspired by conversations in my real life. It’s February - arguably the bleakest month of the year- and I can’t name a single friend who is not on the struggle bus. And I would know: I am the driver and I take roll call. We all have our different ways of coping and - having loaded my bus with a ragtag gang of spiritual hooligans ranging from deeply liturgical to fantastically woo-woo - prayer is a coping mechanism often discussed. If you’re new here, that term might not mean what you expect : as Rumi says,  there are many ways to kneel and kiss the ground.  We’ve explored  Scream Prayer  and something I now refer to as  Bug Prayer , based on Rachel’s iconography. And this week, one of my fellow riders on the struggle bus shared  this video  of Tracee Eliss Ross talking about her personal prayer practice. In short, she...
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