Spiritual Reflections, Prayers
and Songs
Paul Flaman
Email: pflaman@ualberta.ca
January 5, 2022
Contents:
The Eucharist—Jesus the Lord with Us
If You Exalt Yourself You Will Be Humbled, If
You Humble Yourself You Will Be Exalted
Thank You Jesus for Being with Us
With our Limited Understanding, We are Simply
Called to Love
Human Weakness, Suffering and Death
With God All Things Are Possible
"Be still, and know that I am God."
Entrust Everything to God, Do Everything for
God
We are the Adopted Children of God
Songs with Chords by Paul Flaman
Hail Mary (Spring 1974; words of the
traditional prayer)
Come to the Waters (1 Feb. 1976)
Sing a Song of Joy (11 Mar. 1976)
The Suffering Servant (Psalm 22)
You Are the Way (20 Dec. 1976)
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89lrNp3D4FA
The Splendor of God (12 Apr. 1977)
Our Father (5 June 2021) (See Mt 6:9-13 and Lk
11:2-4)
Immaculate Mary (traditional Lourdes song)
Jesus, I Trust You and Entrust All to You
To Jesus,
my best Friend, who is not only human but also divine.
I would like to thank all of those
who have shown love to me and prayed for me including my parents and
grandparents, my brothers and sisters, my beloved wife Maggie and our children,
and other relatives and friends. I would
also like to thank all those including those Catholic priests, religious
brothers and sisters, and many lay people who have shared the Christian faith
and their experiences with me. They have
all blessed me in more ways than they realize.
As well, I would like to express my appreciation for the various
inspiring spiritual authors I have read.
These range from the authors of the Bible to classical Christian authors
such as John Chrysostom, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of
Sienna, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Francis de Sales and Thérèse of
Lisieux, and to more recent Christian authors such as Mother Teresa of
Calcutta, Jean Vanier, Pope John Paul II, Chiara Lubich
and Pope Benedict XVI.
All biblical quotations are from the New
Revised Standard Version Bible with Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books
unless otherwise indicated.
This little
book contains a number of spiritual reflections,
prayers and songs composed over several years.
They reflect some of my own struggles and joys as someone who is trying
to follow Jesus. As one will gather from
these reflections, prayers and songs, Jesus for me is not merely someone who
lived on earth some 2,000 years ago. He
remains very much with us by means of God’s amazing grace and Holy Spirit, as
well as by means of the sacraments, including the Eucharist by which he comes
to us not only in the fullness of his divinity but also in the fullness of his
humanity. Jesus also promised to be in
the midst of two or more who meet in his name.(see Mt
18:20) Although it is often not easy to
be a follower of Jesus today, with him the journey involves not only many
trials and sufferings but also a growing peace, joy and love that no one can
take from us.
What or who
is God really?
Our
scientists tell us something of the vastness of the universe. God, you are present everywhere, beyond the
farthest star yet within each subatomic particle and each human person. We
understand the universe to be billions of years old. You existed before all else. You created everything other than yourself out
of nothing and continually hold all things and persons in existence. When we contemplate the beauty of nature or a
human person, we can get a glimpse of your Beauty, infinite beyond all compare.
Can our minds, marvels themselves of
your creation, begin to understand who you really are?
More and
more we humans understand something of the complexity of life from cells and
DNA to organs and ecosystems. Nevertheless,
life remains a great mystery for us. There
is so much we do not understand about the beginning of life, genes, the
development of a human zygote into a woman or a man, the human brain... Yet God, you who created and designed life,
know and understand everything perfectly. Of the billions of human beings who ever lived
and who live on the earth today, no thought, feeling, choice or action escapes
your attention. You understand each of
us much better than we do ourselves. You
created each of us. You love each of us
and have a plan for each of us, wonderful beyond our limited understanding.
Can we
really begin to appreciate your greatness, O God? Yet in amazing humility you made yourself one
with us in Jesus of Nazareth. When we
contemplate your example of love, how you suffered and died for our failures to
love and rose from the dead so that we may have a well-grounded hope in eternal
life and happiness, can we do anything other than stand in awe, speechless
before such Love? Truly, God, you are a
God of infinite Love as numerous sinners and saints have experienced. Can any words or gestures of thanks and praise
even begin to do you justice?
When we
turn to you in sincere and humble prayer we can
experience that your peace and love are real. We can begin to taste the joys you have in
store for those who love you and others, who live and die in your love. May we be united with you forever, our one and
only God.
We are created in your image, O God, an eternal communion of three divine
persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You
completely give yourselves to each other in perfect mutual love. You are completely open and receptive to each
other in perfect unity.
Jesus, eternal Son of the Father, Word of God incarnate, you made yourself
one with us but did not sin or fail to love in any way. Jesus, you invite us to love as you love. You set an example for us of service, of
totally giving yourself in love, of laying down your life for us. You invite us to pray for the gift of the Holy
Spirit who fills our minds with the light, wisdom and
clarity of your truth, and who fills our hearts with the fire, compassion and
warmth of your love.
O Holy Trinity, we ask that you make us more and more a true communion of
persons in reciprocal love as you are. Help
us to make ourselves one with each other without sinning and to serve the true
good of each other. Help us to be open to
each other, to appreciate each other as your beloved children. Each human person is created in your image. Each is unique, irreplaceable and of value
beyond all the riches of the earth. Help
us to grow in understanding and loving each other as you do.
Jesus, you promised to be present in our midst if we meet in your name. Help us to welcome you in our midst by laying
down our lives for each other, by growing in loving each other more and more as
you love us. Jesus, you also prayed that
we may be one as you and your Father are one. We ask that this prayer may be fulfilled in
us. Come, abide in and with us so that our
interpersonal relationships may reflect, even if only in a small way, your
infinite glory.
Scientists
recently reported observing parts of our universe thirteen billion light years
away. When one considers the speed of
light, it is difficult to imagine how large our universe really is. We are so small in comparison. We can seem really
insignificant, almost nothing. And
yet, we human beings, created in the image of the one God, are tremendously
important. Each of us is an awesome microcosm
in the vast cosmos created out of nothing by God who is omnipotent and eternal.
Each of us is a child of God, called
into being and loved infinitely by God.
Do you not
find all this utterly amazing? I do.
God is
omnipresent—our faith teaches us. Experience
confirms this. Turning to God in prayer,
whether at home or in any church or motel room, in any city or in the
wilderness, God is present—everywhere.
And yet, we
are so often very far away from God in our thoughts and daily preoccupations,
in our subjective experiences. Nevertheless,
God is always present to us, completely aware of every thought, feeling and
action of each one of us. In his
infinite love and mercy his grace is always there to help us to turn to him, to
open ourselves to his love, to love him, to give him our hearts and minds. God, I offer you all that I am, all my joys, sufferings and everything else.
Lord teach
us to pray; please give me the grace to pray, humbly and sincerely, "Our
Father ... Your kingdom come (in my heart and life) ... Your will be done on
earth (by me) as it is in heaven...."
“Our
Father”: Every human being is a child of yours. We are all brothers and sisters, of each other
and of Jesus, Your Son, who taught us this prayer. We are called to love one another as Jesus
loves us.
“Who are in
heaven”: You transcend this vast physical universe you have created out of
nothing. Yet you are present everywhere
holding all else in being. You are
present to each one of us finite creatures with your infinite love, mercy and beneficent providence.
“Hallowed
be your name”: O God, Our Father, you are infinitely greater than everything
and everyone you have created. May we
always revere your holy name and honor you with our words and actions. You are more wonderful than we can imagine. When we begin to appreciate and taste your glory we begin to find ourselves and true happiness.
"Your
Kingdom come.": Although you are all powerful, as
'King' you are not a tyrant or arbitrary dictator. You are infinite love, goodness, truth and beauty. You
are the ultimate source of all the love, goodness, truth
and beauty that we experience and know. Your
'kingdom', therefore, is much better, much greater, than any human kingdom or
empire, past or present, no matter how glorious. If we were to be fully incorporated into your
kingdom, all of our relationships—with you, each other
and the rest of your creation—would be perfect. We would share in your own perfection with
nothing lacking. Indeed, let us yearn
and pray with every fabric of our being that your kingdom may come.
"Your
will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.": Father, you chose to create
each of us. On earth we often sin,
failing to love you and each other as you desire. In heaven the angels and saints enjoy perfect
unity with you and each other because they are completely open to your love and
in harmony with your marvelous will. Father,
you want to transform each of us, to heal each of us in your infinite mercy. Lord, may your dreams
be fulfilled in this piece of 'earth' that each of us is. Please heal our brokenness and empower us to
love, you and each other, as you will, as it is in heaven.
"Give
us this day our daily bread.": Jesus, Son of Our Father, You are the Bread of Life. Please, come and live
and abide in us, in our hearts. You are
Love and Wisdom itself. With you is all
the love and wisdom and grace we need to love God, others
and ourselves as you desire. Lord Jesus,
You renew the gift of Yourself each day in the
Eucharist, the Bread of Life. Help us to
receive this Blessed Sacrament of Your love with true love, often, even on a daily basis when possible. And, when we cannot receive You in the Eucharist,
help us to make a true ‘spiritual communion,’ to grow in unity with you, to be
spiritually nourished by You. Father of
Jesus and the rest of us, we entrust all our daily needs to You. Give us this
day our daily bread, not necessarily all we want, but all we truly need.
"Forgive
us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.": With
this petition, Lord Jesus, you teach us an amazing spiritual law. If we close
our hearts to forgiving others, we also close ourselves to your love and mercy.
You know that it can be very difficult
for us to forgive others including those who have repeatedly failed or hurt us.
You, however, do not teach us to pretend
that their sin does not exist. We can be
called to correct a 'brother' or 'sister' in private (see Mt
"And
lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all evil.": St. John of
the Cross points out that our real enemies are the world (that is, what would
incline us to sin in our environment), the flesh (not our bodies per se which
are part of God's good creation, but what would incline us to sin within each
of us such as our selfish tendencies) and the devil. For us these are the source of temptations to
sin—to fail to love God, others and ourselves properly.
Father, we ask you to protect us. Please provide us with all the help and grace
we need to resist all temptations, to always choose your will. Fill us more and more with your Holy Spirit,
with your love. And when we fall, help
us to get up quickly, to begin again, to acknowledge our sins and with your
mercy and grace to love again. Deliver
us from evil.
“Amen.”:
Thank you Jesus for teaching us this wonderful prayer. Help us to pray it with
ever more depth and meaning.
On the road
to Emmaus, in the breaking of the bread, the disciples recognized the Lord
Jesus, who had died and risen from the dead. "I am the bread of life," Jesus told
us, "The one who eats of my flesh has eternal life..."(Jn 6) The early
Christians were faithful to the breaking of bread.(Ac 2:42) Sharing her experience of praying before the
blessed sacrament, Saint Thérèse of Liseux said, "He looks at me and I
look at him." 'Eucharist' means
thanksgiving. Thank you
Jesus for choosing to be with us in this way.
"Hail
Mary": we greet you, mother of Jesus, who is Lord of heaven and earth. God commands us to honor our father and
mother. As the best of children, Jesus,
you would have truly honored your mother, Mary, and your father on earth, Joseph.
Jesus, teach us to honor and love them
as you desire. Of all human beings, Mary and Joseph, you were chosen by God to be Jesus'
parents. How special and wonderful you must be.
"Full
of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. Blessed is the
fruit of your womb, Jesus." May we
follow your lead in being open to God, Mary. When the angel of God told you that you would
conceive the Son of God, Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you believed
that with God all things are possible. You
surrendered yourself without reservation to God's will saying, "Be it done
onto me according to your word." Mary,
you were truly blessed to be always with the Lord, the source of all grace. You were truly privileged to be chosen to be
the mother of Jesus, to conceive the very life of the Lord within you and to
nurture that life. Indeed, Mary, you are blessed among women. In God's eyes you are the fairest of them all,
the most beautiful, the most "full of grace." In this light we can understand why in God's
plan you were conceived without sin. You
were full of God's grace from the beginning of your existence.
Jesus,
please help us, who were conceived in sin, to grow in grace. Help us to believe like Mary that with God all
things are possible and that God has a marvelous plan
for each of us too. Help us to surrender
without reservation to the will of God. Then
we too like Mary will find favor with God and be truly blessed among women and
men. The Lord will be with us, his life
will be conceived and grow within us, and we with Mary can be instruments of
God in bringing his Son Jesus into this world. May we be a blessing for others in this way.
To what is
said about Mary in the Gospels, the Church has added the following words in the
"Hail Mary" prayer: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." The early Church honored Mary with the title, Theotokos (Greek) which means
"God-bearer," and considered her to be the Mother
of God, since Mary truly is the mother of Jesus, who is not only truly human
but also truly God. At the wedding of
Mary, you
who are now in heaven as part of the communion of saints with Jesus, please
intercede to God for us, that all of our needs may be
met, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
“‘You shall
love the love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the
second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.”(Mt 22:37-40)
Do we live
to please ourselves or to please God, to do what we want or what God wants? If we really want to please God, to give glory
to the Lord, with all our thoughts, words and actions,
we will want to fulfill all the other requirements of God's moral law. Many of us, much of the time, seek to please
ourselves in our relationships even with God, in work and recreation, in sex,
and perhaps even in unhealthy pursuits. If
we really seek to please God in all these areas with all our heart, we will
find the fulfillment for which we long, for which we were created. God's moral law as faithfully taught by the
Church will not seem a burden but as a light to help us find our way. Let us rejoice in the ways of the Lord!
"Why
do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your
own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of
your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of
your neighbor’s eye.” Jesus instructs us.(Mt 7:3-5)
How different our marriages and families, our relationships, our places of
work, and our world would be, if we heeded these sage words and really tried to
live them with the help of God.
I often do
not see clearly how to help another to overcome his or her fault or weakness. I am often blind to my own faults. Truly, I am in need of an ever
deeper conversion to God, in profound need of healing.
"Lord
I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be
healed."(a prayer said at Mass before receiving Jesus in the Eucharist;
cf. Mt 8:8) Jesus,
I believe you want to heal each of us. Help
me to entrust myself completely to you, to your tender and infinitely powerful
healing touch. I ask this too for all my
brothers and sisters, for all humanity.
We human
beings are finite or limited. Everything
we experience and know in the physical universe including other human persons
and ourselves is finite. God, You, who
created this vast universe out of nothing, are truly almighty. You, who are the Supreme Being, absolute
Spirit, infinite Good, Truth and Beauty, are not limited by the properties of
matter, space, time and change. With our very limited bodies, senses, brains
and minds we cannot fully comprehend you who are without limit, you who are
infinite. Although You, in your
graciousness, have enabled us to understand some of the properties of the
finite beings you have made including ourselves, our knowledge and
understanding of these is very limited. We
do not understand why gravity and so forth have the properties that they do. We do not understand how you created physical
matter and energy or the spiritual soul of each one of us, and how you keep
these in existence, from vanishing into nothingness. For us who are finite, it is a great mystery
to realize that you, who are infinite—all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving,
present everywhere, and perfect in every way, chose to make yourself one with
us, to live among us and to reveal your plan for us in Jesus, your Son, God
incarnate. What great condescension and
mercy. What great love! Thank you.
We can be
tempted to ask God for many things we do not really need to satisfy our vain
desires. When such prayers are not answered
we may feel that God is stingy or tightfisted. One mistake we often make though is not to ask
for enough. We typically ask for finite
goods such as more money or knowledge or better health. What God really wants to give us, however, is
Himself. He is infinite goodness, truth,
beauty, life and love. Only he can really satisfy our hearts and
fulfill all our desires. If we have God we really do not need anything else. For then, even if we lose everything in this
world and die, and we will one day, we will still enjoy everything and everyone
in God.
Those I
feel called to pray for I place in your hands. Father, you created each of them. Each is a gift of your love. You know each one completely, what is good and
tainted by sin, what each one needs. Jesus,
you died for our salvation and healing. May
the fruits of your redemption be actualized in each of them. Holy Spirit, fill their hearts ever more
ablaze with the fire, warmth and compassion of your love, and their minds ever
anew with the light, wisdom and clarity of your truth.
I ask you to heal their souls of all the
wounds of sin, others and their own. I
also commend to you any bodily and psychological ailments they have. Provide them with all the grace they need to carry
these and the other crosses in their lives in union with your Passion, Lord
Jesus. Please heal them of these ailments
now or at the time you know to be best.
Thank you
for hearing my prayer, most holy and merciful God. I also commend to you myself and my needs. Please realize these same fruits of your
redemption in me so that together we may all enjoy your eternal life as you
desire.
Jesus, this
teaching of yours really hits home. For do we not often exalt ourselves in our
minds, in our conversations and other actions? And yet, we are really so
small in this vast universe God has created out of nothing. Lord, help us to have a true sense of reality
and ourselves. All the good in our lives
comes from you. Thank you for your
wonderful beneficence toward us. May we
often exalt you in our thoughts, conversations and
other actions. May we humble ourselves,
following your example, Jesus. You who
are God made yourself the servant of all. If we follow your example, Jesus, we will also
share in your eternal glory.
(Written on the Feast of St. Francis of
Jesus,
almost 2000 years ago, when you walked on this earth, you said to many people,
"Come, follow me." Through
your first disciples you extended this call to people of all nations (see Mt
28:16-20).
We humans
tend to follow various people, fashions and fads. It may be the popular, or our own personal
favorite, singer, actor, athlete, politician, charismatic leader, expert,
philosopher, theologian, guru or saint. Now, these can provide us with some insights,
especially if they have or are truly trying to follow you, Jesus. But, each of us is
personally called to follow you, Jesus, who alone among human beings, is the
Messiah, the Christ, the eternal Word of God incarnate. No one else can follow you for us.
What does
it mean to follow you? Among other
things, it means to follow, to put into practice, your
teaching. You call us all to love God
with all our strength, with our whole hearts, minds
and souls. You call us to do the will of
our Father in heaven, to love everyone as we love ourselves, to love one
another as you love us. Jesus, you set
an example for us of taking time to be alone with God in prayer and of reaching
out to serve, to touch and to heal others.
You
promised to be with us, to send the Holy Spirit to lead us into the complete
truth, and in the Eucharist you gave us your body and
blood to eat and drink, to provide us the spiritual nourishment we need. Jesus, help each of us to learn and follow
your teaching and example more closely. Help
us each to take time in prayer to discover our personal vocations, how you want
us to follow you, how you want us to love those you have given us to love, how
you want us to give glory to God.
(See 1 Jn 3:3)
God does
not condemn any person to hell, to life without enjoying him and his infinite
love, goodness, truth, beauty, joy, peace and
happiness. Rather, anyone who sins and
fails to repent condemns him or herself.(cf. Jn
God wants
to redeem us, to liberate us from the chains of our sins, to heal our broken
hearts, to transform us into the image of his Son, Jesus, to make us pure as he
is pure. Jesus says, "Blessed are
the pure in heart, for they will see God."(Mt 5:8)
Heavenly
Father, as Jesus, your Son, suggests, I ask you to please give us your Holy
Spirit (see Lk
Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner. Please give us your grace, so that all our
prayers, thoughts, intentions, actions and words today
will be for your praise and service, and in your love.
Thank you,
Jesus, God Incarnate, for becoming a human being and for dwelling among us. Thank you for walking on this earth and for
showing us how to love and serve one another. Thank you for teaching us the way to God our
Father by your example and words. Thank
you for showing solidarity with all human suffering by willingly suffering
terrible physical, psychological and spiritual
suffering for our sake. And when you
died, rose from the dead and ascended to be with our Father in Heaven, you did
not really leave us. No, you sent us
your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with your love, so that you and the Father
may abide in us too and we in you. You
promised as well to be present in our midst when we meet in your name, that is,
when we keep your commandment, when we love one another as you love us. We also thank you for giving us your
sacraments through which you continue to act in this world. In particular, we
thank you for the great sacrament of the Eucharist, for being with us not only
spiritually, but for sharing with us your very body and blood. Thank you, Jesus, for being truly present with
us in the fullness of your humanity and divinity. And thank you Jesus for offering us your grace
so that we can believe what you have revealed to us, and so that we can become
more and more open to your transforming presence with us.
Jesus you identified with all who suffer,
with all human beings. You asked the
Apostle Paul before his conversion when he was persecuting Christians,
"Why are you persecuting me?" You also taught that what we do to the
least of our fellow human beings—feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty,
clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, visit the lonely...—we do to you.(Mt 25) Jesus,
help me to recognize and love you in others, in those I encounter every day. Help me to respond with true love to the needs
and sufferings of others, both near and far, taking into
account the needs of myself and my family, my time and resources, and
your vocation for me. Please guide me (in
unity with my spouse) to know what to share from my (our) surplus with those
who lack the necessities of life.
We are all
part of a great symphony. Each of us
plays a definite part which no one else can play for us. We neither compose nor direct the whole
symphony, God does. This symphony, which
is marvelous beyond compare, includes the angels, all human beings—past, present and future, as well as all life and this vast
universe in which we dwell. Although
each of us plays a limited part, we can all appreciate and enjoy every part and
the whole. With God's grace and
inspiration, we can each play our part well and contribute to the wonder and
amazing beauty of this great symphony.
A number of years ago I was driving our
family station wagon between
The Church
clearly teaches that angels including guardian angels really exist. The Bible in many places speaks of their role
as ministers of God (see, e.g., Mt
Although we
human beings have various kinds and levels of intelligence, the understanding
of each of us and of all of us together is actually very limited. In spite of this the
human mind and intellect are great gifts for which we should be grateful. Humanity has produced a
number of great philosophers and theologians. In recent times, considering the whole history
of the human race, there have also been significant
developments in the natural and social sciences as well as in technology. Nevertheless, there is still much that we do
not understand or that we understand only partially. Indeed all of our human
perspectives are limited—our understanding of anything is far from complete. For example, while we are getting to know more
about this universe we inhabit, how our bodies and brains
function, and about human psychology, we do not really understand why things,
from gravity to consciousness, have the properties that they do. Even if we believe that God created the laws
of physical nature and human spiritual souls and gave them their properties, we
do not really understand how God creates and sustains what he has created.
It is
natural for us to seek to learn and understand better. No matter how much we may learn or grow in understanding,
however, it is important to remain humble and realize our limits.
We are not
called to know and understand everything completely. Rather, we are simply called to love. This includes being open to things and persons
as they really are and appreciating their respective value. Loving properly actually helps us to learn and
see things and people in proper perspective, to understand them better.
Some time
ago I heard a very moving homily by Fr. Joseph Bruce, a hearing
impaired Jesuit priest. He shared
how he went to
(Written on the feast of
The Catholic
faith is a wonderful gift of God. It is
centered on faith in Jesus Christ, God incarnate, the Way, the Truth and the
Life, the fullest revelation of God to us human beings. By his life, example, teaching, suffering, death and glorious resurrection Jesus revealed God's immense
love for us more fully than any other inspired human being.
Among other
things, Jesus chose twelve apostles as part of the foundation of his Church, a
people called by God to extend Jesus' mission. In particular he
commissioned the apostles to go to people of all nations and to share with them
all his teachings. Related to this, the
word "catholic," from the Greek kata
holos which means "according to the whole," has been applied to
the
Among the
apostles, Jesus said certain things only to Peter. For example, although Jesus foretold that
Peter would deny him, Jesus also told Peter that he prayed for him that his
faith may not fail and that it would be his role to confirm other Christians in
the faith.(see Lk 22:31-34; see., e.g., also Mt 16:15-19) While the early Christians remained faithful
to the teaching of the apostles (see Ac 2:42), among them Peter exercised a
primary leadership and teaching role. When
Jesus commissioned the apostles to share all his teaching with all peoples he
also promised to be with them all days until the end of the world.(Mt
28:20) Now it is obvious that Peter and
the other original apostles who heard these words have died. But a number of early
Christian writings clearly indicate that the apostles appointed successors to
continue their roles in the Church. In
this way Jesus' promise to be with the apostles until the end of the world has
been fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled by the successors of Peter and the
other apostles, that is, by the pope and legitimately ordained bishops. Following the example of the early Christians,
we today are called to be faithful to what the apostles' legitimate successors
teach in the name of Jesus.
In this way
Jesus provided us with a concrete means to ensure the purity and wholeness of
the message of his salvation for which he died. This is part of the Catholic faith, a great
gift. Among other things, this faith
also believes that Jesus has remained with his Church not only in
"spirit", but in the fullness of his humanity and divinity in the
Eucharist. This too is a most wonderful
gift.
When we experience human
weakness or suffering or are confronted with death, our own or that of others,
we are invited to turn to Jesus who is with us. While on earth Jesus drank the cup of these
deeply. God in Jesus, motivated by love
for us, made himself one with us in all things except sin. In experiencing various kinds of suffering
including physical torture, being misunderstood, rejected
and mocked by others, and even feeling abandoned by God his Father for a time
when he was dying on the cross, Jesus revealed his profound solidarity with all
human beings in their sufferings and deaths.
When we
turn to Jesus, who is always with us in the depths of our hearts, we can
experience his wonderful peace, not only when we feel well or happy but also
when we are feeling very weak or are feeling pain, sad, depressed, anxious,
shame, grief, rejected or scorned by others, or suffering in any other way. God in Jesus always loves each of us
immensely. If not already, he can be our
very best friend. He, who is never
unfaithful, will never betray us or abandon us. God in Jesus can provide us with all the grace
and strength we need in our weakness, to endure every suffering, and to grow in
love. If we unite our suffering with
his, our love and his love in us, for God, others and
ourselves, can grow in depth, breadth and beauty.
Although
God is, always has been and always will be, all-powerful, all-knowing and
perfect in every way, he is more humble than you or
me. God never tries to impose himself or
his ways on us, as we humans often try to do with others due to our disordered
pride. Although actually
great beyond compare, he humbled himself in the Incarnation—to be
conceived as a human zygote in the womb of Mary, to grow as a human embryo and
fetus within her, to be born, and to grow and learn as a human child. In his ministry he was the servant of
all. Finally, he humbly accepted to be
cruelly tortured and executed as a criminal even though he was completely
innocent.
When the angel
Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive a son whose kingdom will have
no end, she asks, how can this be since she is a virgin. The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called
Son of God…. For nothing will be
impossible with God.”(Lk 1:26-37) The conception of Jesus, the eternal Son of God,
in the womb of the Virgin Mary was truly a miraculous conception. There is no natural explanation including parthenogenesis,
which happens rarely with some animals but is not known with humans.
If
everything is possible with God, some may ask why are their
prayers not always answered, for example, when a healing from cancer is
requested. God can heal cancer through modern
medical means, a spontaneous natural means or even miraculously since he is indeed
all-powerful. His ways are above ours
and often what we think is best is not really best in
God’s greater plan.
The Apostle
Paul realized that it was better to be with the Lord, that is, in heaven, than
to be in the body, that is, to be alive on earth. In his own case, when this was written, he understood
that it was good for him to remain a while longer on earth for the sake of
others. That is, God wanted to continue
to use him on earth for some time to continue building the Church, to bring
more people to know, love and serve God. But there too was a time when God took the
Apostle Paul to be home with him in heaven.
The Apostle Paul died a martyr.
Since he did not die of old age, by human standards this could be seen
to be a premature death, but in God's plan the time and other circumstances of the
Apostle Paul's death including the grace for him to be faithful to God and die
a holy death, were within God's
We could
also consider the even more 'premature' death of Jesus who died younger than the
Apostle Paul and whose death involved more suffering. It should be noted that not all who completely
surrender themselves to God's will die a violent death. Consider, for example, Mary, Jesus' mother,
the Apostle John who lived well into old age, many of the canonized saints, and
many saints who have not been formally canonized. God's glory is manifested differently in
different people.
When Jesus
told his disciples that “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for someone who is rich to enter the
(Ps 46:10)
One human
person is more valuable than all of the physical
universe, than all the money and material things in the world. The human person created in the image of God
has a spiritual immortal soul and is "very good." Every human person is worth more than many
animals (cf. Gen 1 and Mt 6). A human
person who is open to God, his love and transforming grace, even if lacking in
physical attractiveness according to the world's standards, is much more
beautiful in God's eyes than one well-endowed with physical attributes but who
is not open to God. Having nice things
and physical attractiveness in this world are ephemeral. They only last a very short time. Let us give priority to what has eternal
value—human persons, God and his love.
So many people
are irritable or angry. Many resort to
violence in seeking or trying to protect what they perceive to be in their
interests. And many seek fulfillment in
what does not bring true satisfaction and fulfillment. St. Augustine of Hippo was right. When we are not subordinated to God, we lose
control of our passions and are ruled by them. When we surrender ourselves completely to God,
we gain control over our desires and fears. The more deeply we surrender ourselves to God,
the more we will find the peace that Jesus says the world does not know.
Our faith
teaches us to pray for those who have died and need further purification before
they can be fully united with God in heaven.
Our faith also teaches us that the blessed in heaven, those who have
died, who have been completely purified and who now are fully united with God
in love forever can pray for us.(Cf. 2 Mac
12:44-5 and 15:11-16; 1 Jn 3; and the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, nn. 946-62) Let us pray for all the dead; may all
the saints pray for us. Let us call to
mind all those we know who have died. If
you have already crossed the threshold into heaven please intercede before Our
Father in heaven for us, for all our needs. If you are still being purified, may our
prayers help and support you.
One Saturday
morning in the middle of our Canadian winter I was driving home from
On another
winter day I read the life story of St. Margeurite d’Youville. She experienced many difficulties in life
including a husband with many problems. Later when she founded a new religious order,
the Gray Nuns, she and her sisters experienced scorn
from some people, poverty and a fire that destroyed their hospital. She and her sisters also experienced God’s
providence through the generous gifts of many so they could better serve the
sick and poor. One of the things that
really impressed me about St. Margeurite was her deep faith and trust in God. For example, when the hospital burned down and
they did not know what would happen with their sick people, she asked her
sisters to kneel down and she led them in praising and
thanking God—that he thought them worthy to experience such a trial. We need to remember that the lives of the
saints were often very difficult and full of many hardships. God did not spare them the lot of human
suffering and many also suffered, some even died, for their faith in God. And yet, their hearts were full of the love, peace and joy of God. Unlike many others, they appreciated how God
loved them and blessed them, also in their trials and sufferings with his
grace, strength and love. Their trials and sufferings were opportunities
for them to grow in love, virtue and true
character. Not just some people are
called to be saints, but as the Bible teaches us, each and
every one of us is called to be holy as God is holy. We are all called to become saints. So, let’s thank God for the weather and
whatever else God wills or permits in our lives.
(Written
on June 25th, the anniversary of the day we received our first
adopted child, Christopher)
The Apostle
Paul uses the analogy of adoption to describe our relationship with Jesus and
God our Father (see, e.g., Rom 8). Jesus, as God incarnate, fully shares the
divine nature and so is the ‘natural’ son of God. We are not divine by nature
but God wants to “divinize” our human nature in a real sense (see 2 Pet
1:4). He wants to share with us his
divine nature by enabling us to participate in it. Therefore, the analogy of our being the
adopted children of God is fitting.
My wife,
Maggie, and I have three adopted children—Christopher, Jesse
and Sara. They were not conceived in my
wife’s womb but, as has been said, they have indeed been “conceived in our
hearts.” Although they are not literally
of our flesh, we have accepted them and love them fully as our own children as
if they were our biological children. We
have shared with them our home, our lives and our
hearts without reservation. For us they
are as much our children as any ‘natural’ child would or ever could be.
We too have
been conceived in the heart of God our Father. He wants to share his life and love fully with
us now, and one day his home in Heaven forever. By Christian Baptism we are immersed into the
mystery of Jesus Christ, the true Son of God. Thus we have become
and indeed we are the adopted children of God, sisters and brothers of
Jesus. He promised to send us the Holy
Spirit (John 14-16) who also fully shares in the divine nature. If we are open to God’s Spirit
he will fill our hearts more and more with his love and our minds more and more
with the light of his truth and wisdom. He
will transform us, ‘divinize’ us, so that we can fully participate in his
eternal life and love forever.
Note: recordings of
these songs are available on youtube. For an Introduction to these songs on
youtube see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urBM2tjgYYc
4/4 time; tempo about 120; Intro: C F G7 C
C F
G7 C
C F G7 C
LaDaDaDa DaDaDa
LaDaDaDa Da LaDaDaDa
DaDaDa LaDaDaDa Da
C F G7 C C F
Hail Mary, full of grace, the
Lord is with you, blessed are you among women
G7
C
and blessed is the fruit of
your womb.
C F
G7 C
C F G7 C
LaDaDaDa DaDaDa
LaDaDaDa Da LaDaDaDa
DaDaDa LaDaDaDa Da
C F G7 C C
F G7 C
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
C F
G7 C
C F G7 C
LaDaDaDa DaDaDa
LaDaDaDa Da LaDaDaDa
DaDaDa LaDaDaDa Da
C F G7 C C
F G7 C
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray
for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
C F
G7 C
C F G7 C
LaDaDaDa DaDaDa
LaDaDaDa Da LaDaDaDa
DaDaDa LaDaDaDa Da
C F
G7 C C F G7 C
Amen, Amen,
Amen, Amen
C F
G7 C
C F G7 C
LaDaDaDa DaDaDa LaDaDaDa Da LaDaDaDa DaDaDa LaDaDaDa Da
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCmqTy5S83o&t=17s (Note: this and all but the last song below
were composed in the 1970’s when I was in my 20’s. I have gotten out of singing
and playing the guitar for quite a few years but recently have gotten back into
it. I still am very rusty as one can see from these recordings done mostly in
May and June of 2021. I hope to produce better recordings perhaps with the help
of one or more people who are more gifted in music than I am. The videos will
give you a sense of the melody and timing of the songs. If you have a good
voice and more musical talent than me by all means record
your rendition of one or more of these songs and let me know by email:
pflaman@ualberta.ca).
¾
time
(arpeggio) C Am F G7
Refrain:
C Am
F G7
Come, come, come to the waters.
C Am F
G7 C
C C
Come,
come, come to the waters (of Life).[1]
C Em F
G7
(Verse
1): Come and be still and rest in
My love
C Em F G7 G7
G7
Come and drink of the waters of
life.
(Note:
the shorter verses 1 and 2, and 3 and 4 may be combined.)
(Verse
2): Come and sit at the feet of
your Love.
Come, come, for I am your
Lover.
(Verse
3): The will of My heart is for you
to be one.
Come and live in union with Me.
(Verse
4): Listen, listen to My Word in
silence.
Can you hear the song of My
heart?
(Verse
5): Know your vocation, My
children.
I call you to love as I love
you.
See the poor about you, see
your brother.
Will you care for me in your
sister?
(Verse
6): Reach out and love, touch the
hearts
of the wounded all about you.
Many are lonely and many are
sad.
Won’t you invite them to share
My Good News?
(Verse
7): Come and be still and rest in
My Love,
C Em
F F G7 G7 C C C
Come.
Come, abide in Me forever.
Video links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmHzbIx5LnI
(guitar)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ96ecSYehQ&t=106s
(keyboard)
(slow strum for each
bar)
Dm C
Bb A
Dm C Dm C Am
(Christ/Bridegroom 1) Be not afraid
little one of the calling of Love
(Bride 2) I am so afraid to come – to answer the
call of your Love
(Bridegroom 3) I pledge my love to you – to always be
true
(Bride 4) Oh how I want to come – to surrender
myself to your call
(Bridegroom 5) Trust in me for I am gentle and lowly
of heart
(Bride 6) Oh o o my love I surrender myself to you
(Together 7) Now we will sing forever of the joy of our
Love
F E F E F G Am
(Bridegroom 1) I offer the gift of
myself and my life to you
(Bride 2)
Where will you take me, where will you lead me; How do I know?
(Bridegroom 3) Don’t you know that
I love you with an everlasting love
(Bride 4)
I want to follow you – I want to come to you
(Bridegroom 5) Come and enjoy the
sweet embrace of my eternal love
(Bride 6)
Lead me into the courts of your love –take me forever
(Together) We
are one now and always
F E F E F G
Am
(Bridegroom 1) Will you share your
life with me forever
(Bride 2)
Will I be hurt, will I be left alone as before?
(Bridegroom 3) My promise to love
is a holy love – a love that will outlast time.
(Bride 4)
Will you help me to reject my fear – will you help me to abandon myself.
(Bridegroom 5) I will hold you and
I will caress you until we are one.
(Bride 6) Now I am free, oh how I thank you that we are
one.
(Together 7) Together
we offer the gift of our Love to all of you …
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P92NCgLLAA
GDC
(fast strumming)
G D C G (repeated for every line)
He’s the Lord of Life and Joy.
Halleluiah. Halleluiah. (extra G bar
after last line of each verse)
Praise Him for He is good.
Let your heart dance for joy.
Let your mind go and dream of heaven.
Praise the Lord of saints and angels.
I thank you Lord for little things, for birds that
sing,
For the air we breathe every day,
And for giving us our daily bread;
For friends that smile and care for us.
I thank you Lord for
I thank you for your blessed Mother.
Mary, how we love you. We thank you for the roses
That you send to us from Heaven.
All good things, O Jesus, are from your hand.
We love you and our Father.
In your Spirit we are one.
We will thank you Jesus for ever.
You are risen no longer to die.
Let your Spirit blow and fill us with your Love.
Sing your song of joy in our hearts.
Let our minds soar up to you.
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFigD9rNbOU
(words from the NJB; 2 Apr. 1976)
Dm (arpeggio) Gm Dm
Refrain: My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me
Dm
Gm Dm
Far from my prayer, from
the words of my cry?
F C
F C F C Dm
(Verse
1): Oh my God, I cry by day and you answer not by night
F C F C
F C
Dm
Yet you are enthroned in
the holy place O glory of Israel!
F C F C
F C Dm
In you our fathers trusted,
they trusted and you delivered them.
(Verse
2): But I am a worm, not a man, despised
by the people.
You have been my guide since
I was first formed, my security
At
my mother’s breast
To you I was committed
at birth
From
my mother’s womb you are my God.
(Verse
3): Be not far from me, for I am in
distress
Be
near, for I have no one to help me
I am like water poured
out; all my bonesare racked
My heart has become like
wax melting away within my bosom.
(Verse
4): They have pierced my hands and
my feet, I can count al my bones
They divide my garments
among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O Lord, be not
far from me, hasten to aid me.
(Verse
5): You who fear the Lord, praise
him, all of you revere him
For he has not disdained the
wretched man in his misery
Nor did he turn his face away
when he cried but he heard him.
(Verse
6): So by
your gift will I utter praise in the vast assembly;
The lowly shall eat their
fill; they who seek the Lord shall praise him.
May your hearts be ever
merry, for dominion is the Lord’s.
(Verse
7) He rules the nations, before him
shall bend all who go to dust
And to him my soul shall
live; let the coming generation be told of the Lord
That they may proclaim
to a people yet to be born the justice he has shown.
Video
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XuEXHBUNgY&t=24s
(4/4 time with arpeggio
with just 4 with each string being one beat)
AGAG A G A G A G A
EGAE
Refrain:
You are the Way, You are the Truth, You give Life to us.
(after
1) You are the Way, You are the
Truth, You give Life to us.
(after
2) He is the
Way, He is the Truth, He’ll give Life to you.
(after
3) For I am the Way, I am the Truth,
I’ll give Life to you.
(after
4) He is the
Way, He is the Truth, He’ll give Life to you.
(after
5 X 3) You are the Way, You are the Truth, You give Life to us.
E G A E E G
A E
Verse
1 Deliver us from evil, set us free from our sin
Verse
2 The Virgin Mary said Yes to
the Lord, God became man
Verse
3 Jesus walked among us Teaching: I am
Life
Verse
4 On Good Friday
He pour ed out
His bloooooood
Verse
5 He is Risen
from the dead, He has gone to the Father,
(lower) D C
A D C A
Verse
1 Free us to love our brother, free us to love each other,
Verse
2 In Bethle hem was born to her
Verse
3 The one who comes to Me, one who believes in Me
Verse
4 Laid down his Life in Love
be cause of sin,
Verse
5 Pouring out His Spirit
on all of us
D C A A
Verse
1 Free us to love you our God.
Verse
2 Jesus Light to
us.
Verse
3 will no longer die.
Verse
4 for you and me.
Verse
5 who cry out to Him.
CFG7G7CAmCC
C
F G7 G7 C Am C C
Refrain: I want to take you to the arms of the
Father.
I want to show you the
splendor of God.
I want to heal you of your
broken dreams.
So come now, I am calling you (repeat last time)
C F
C F
C G7
C C C
G7 C C
Why
do you look for life where it can’t be found, where it can’t be found.
Leave
behind the past, live today, live today.
Turn from sinful ways, Turn to me, Turn to me.
I am
the God of Life, Come to renew you, come to renew you.
C
F C F C G7 C
C G7 C C
No
need to run and hide, for I am everywhere, I am everywhere.
No
need to pretend now, for I see in your heart, I see in your heart.
I see
your secret thoughts, laid bare before me, laid bare before me.
But
please do not forget that I am a God of Mercy, I am a God of mercy.
C
F C
F C G7 C C C
G7 C C
I see
how you’re crying inside, I see the wounds of your soul, the wounds of your
soul.
Open
your heart to me for I am a Healer, I am a Healer.
No
need to be afraid for I am a
God of Love, I am a God of love.
No
need to be alone now for I love you, I love you.
Video
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpNfNCXtOhA&t=25s
Intro E
G A E E (arpeggio); verses higher and refrain lower.
E G A E
E
G A E
To feed my poor family
E G A
E
And there are millions like me
E G A E E G
E G E
All over this world.
AAEEA A
E E D D A A E E G
E E
Refrain: Jesus, come to us to feed all who hunger.
E
G A
E (after
last line of verse: E G E E)
Looking for a friend
And there are millions like me
All o ver this world.
AAEE AA
E E D D A A EE G E E
Refrain: Jesus, come to us to be the friend of all.
E G A E (after last line of
verse: E G E E)
To give my life to follow You
And there are millions like me
All o ver this world.
AAEE AA E E DD A A
EE G E E
Refrain: Jesus, come to us to take away our fear.
E G A E (after last line of verse: E G E E)
Who doesn’t know
how to share
And there are millions like me
All o ver this world.
AAEE AA
E E D D A A EE G E E
Refrain: Jesus, come to us to show us how to give.
E G A E (after last line of verse: E G E E)
To feed my poor
family
And there are millions like me
All o
ver this world.
AAEE AA
E E D D A A E E G E E
Refrain: Jesus come to us to show us how to love.
E G A E
(End): I’m just
a man looking for bread
To
feed my poor fam ily…
Video
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JavT76XbOT8
4/4 tempo 160 (sung
sprightly, fairly quickly; guitar arpeggio, 1 string
for each beat)
ADAE A D A E
(Refrain:
higher) And I’ll sing a song of
joy to my Lord
A D A
E E
And I’ll love and I’ll
serve Him every day (repeat last time)
A D
A E
(Verse
1: lower) Oh my soul praise the King of the great universe
A
D A E
E
Shout and raise your hands in eternal praise
A D
A E
(verse 2) Live
in a spirit of always giving thanks
For the many blessings
from His mighty hand. E
A D
A E
(verse 3) And
I’ll work for the glory of His name
And I’ll pray for the coming of His Kingdom. E
A D A E
(verse 4) May
the peace of Our Savior Jesus Christ
Fill
the hearts of people of good
will. E
A D A E
(verse 5) Blow
your breath of love, O Holy Spirit
Upon the children of Our
heavenly Father. E
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IezXtnBejOU
Chord introduction:
AmAmGGEEE (4/4 quick strumming: 1 down, 2 down&up, 3 up, 4 down)
Chords: Am G E E
Melody: A(4) G G
G E
Jesus taught us to pray:
Am G E
E
E D
B
Our Father
Am G E
E
E
D D B B
Who art in heaven
Am
G E E
A
A G G E
Hallowed be your name
Am G E E
A
G G E
Your kingdom come
Am G E
E
E
D D B
Your will be done
Am G Am G
E E
E E G G EE
D B
On earth as it is in heaven.
Am
G Am G E
E
C(5) C
C B B A A
G E
Give us this day our daily bread
Am G Am
G E E
A A G G
G A A
G E
And forgive us our trespasses
Am G
Am Am G G
E E
C
C C B A A
G G G
E E
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
Am G Am
G E E
A
G G A
AA G G E
And lead us not into temptation
Am G AmAm GG
E E
E
D D E
E D B
But deliver us from e vil.
Am G Am
Am GG
AmAm GG EE
C(5) C B A A
G G A A
G E
For the kingdom, the power and the glo ry
(this doxology at the end is found in some ancient texts)
Am G Am
G E E AmGEE AmGEE
AmGEEAm (guitar 3 slow downstrums to end)
C
B A G
E E A G E
E D B (keyboard
extra chords then hold Am)
Are yours, now and forever. A men. A men.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuxrAXG7UQ8&t=4s
(guitar)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_0mvmovAzY&t=61s
(keyboard)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBO7BX-QHkE
(piano)
These versions need a lot of work yet. I like the
rhythm with the guitar, but I like the melody with the keyboard better which
follows the melody as written above. Both use the same chords. I hope to be
able to put together a better version or versions of this song in the near future. The piano in person sounds much better
than this cell phone recording (perhaps the cell phone was too close). As I said
above, I hope to produce
better recordings of these songs perhaps with the help of one or more people
who are more gifted in music than I am. The videos will give you a sense of the
melody and timing of the songs. If you have a good voice and more musical
talent than me, by all means record your rendition of
one or more of these songs and let me know by email: pflaman@ualberta.ca).
This was a favorite song of my father. Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh6PTDniBmg
Jesus, I trust you. I entrust myself, my family, my loved ones, all of humanity
and all Creation to you Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, to you God our
Father, Good Creator and Wonderful Provider, and to you Holy Spirit of truth,
beauty, holiness, and unity—to your infinite love, mercy, and wise providence. Thank
you for loving each of us so much and for your wonderful plan for each of us. Amen.