Epiphany Prayer

Isaiah 60:1-6 ~ Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.

Paul to Ephesians ~ Brothers and Sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.

Gospel according to St. Matthew: After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

YAWEHTHEWAY

How often has the most profound prayer

come amidst upheaval or crushing poverty or oppression?

I have been quite blessed;

I never worry about my food

better shelter than my Lord, Jesus

The poor struggle, but still fast and sacrifice better than I

In Iraq, in Africa, in Korea, in Okinawa, in Cuba, in death of loved ones,

All places of my upheaval,

and yet I had prayer and pondering most exquisite

like a great wine,

still savored.

Praying in chaos…

“Walking beneath the moon and utter hatred in Fallujah

You, o Beloved, grasped my hand if not my heart and soul,

and saved me from despair.

You nurtured my burnt ashes and You fixed my broken compass.

Changed direction, or at least calmed my temper tantrum.

Discovered resources on my ship that I failed to recognize

Fished for desperate food

and then fished for sport and amazement

Jesus, you are wonderful to travel with.

When I was overjoyed at seeing your star…

basically only the light of your reality and truth,

I thought I saw the best of You.

But then when I saw you, like the wise ones,

for the first time all over again,

Baby in the manger with Mary, your mother…

I went prostrate and did you homage

and then opened the treasury of my heart and soul…

that inmost treasure you gave me out of love,

And offered it to You, my Beloved.

Your hand firmly placed on my shoulder

“Do not be afraid!”

And we walked down the mountain together as brothers and lovers

We returned to our home another Way

YaWehTheWaY

O my!”

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Wisdom is the refulgence of eternal light,

the spotless mirror of the power of God,

the image of his goodness,

And she, who is one, can do all things,

and renews everything while herself perduring;

And passing into holy souls from age to age,

she produces friends of God and prophets.

                                                            Wisdom 7:26-27

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Awareness & Intimacy

Morning grogginess and resistance to get out of bed

this time of year… sun doesn’t come up until 7:12 am

my soul really, really wants to be taken to the beach

thirsting for God or love or higher power or something…

O so tired… possessive of my sleep time, food for my brain

rationalizing the sacred wrestling with the sacred.

 

Reluctantly rising… at least my soul,

start the obnoxious grinding of my coffee maker… excited

pushing and pulled by my body to take care of duty

then no excuses… bike pushed out of garage

silence getting louder

body catching up to the desires of the soul

 

coffee in hand, seated on bike…

first surprise

waning moon just two hours from setting

peddling in the cool but warm shadows of morning

intoxicated by the moment before sunrise

my soul like a dog distracted by the smells or squirrel

letting go of seeing the sunrise

appreciating the moon… the feel of the bike beneath me

 

So much, no video, no photo, no story could understand

my ride to the beach was like eternity

gifted to me…

contemplating

filling up with intimacy and flowers bursting from the sand

 

little pricks to my senses like

fire in the distance

bug crawling along my ear and hat line

clouds blocking the sunrise… but a blessing

I was late and would have felt cheated

reluctantly left my bike on the path to the beach

 

breathing deeper

no longer fighting the tiny ants on my path

noticing the sound of the waves crashing louder with every step

silhouetting clouds

disjointed waves

delicious humans and dogs enjoying the same by different perspectives

feet finally in the water, soul thanking my body

sandpipers and dolphins skirting and frolicking

aware, alive, alone and one

 

o so much more,

but not the energy to express

ya’ll need to experience your own morning

even if ya don’t get out of bed…

how beautiful the yawn and stretch

the smells and creaky bones

encounter of your beloved, if only in your memory

 

borrowed a few shells from the shoreline

to share with my friends at Wekiva

beautiful friends

healing and stabilizing

as the mind, body and soul wake up to

awareness and intimacy

 

let us pray

let us hope

let us be aware and intimate

with our day, body and soul

 

breathe in…

breathe out…

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MOON WALKING: An Epiphany Experience

Blessings on this full moon!

Joy to the World


I rode my bike down to the beach and I witnessed a blood red moon on the horizon. She rose at 6:22 pm tonight. I didn’t take any pictures this night. I just breathed in the magnificence and peace.

Here are the pics I took on Friday night. I edited some…especially some wrinkles!

Have a glorious week. Today is the Baptism of the Lord where God says to Jesus as he rises from the water:
THIS IS MY BELOVED SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED!”

I am so proud of my brother, Jesus!

Love, joy, peace,
Ron Moses +

Listen to the moon and the stars