Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives lightto everyone in the house. (Mt5:15)
Greeting of one another: __________, I greet the oil of Love in you.
(name of person)
Prayer: (Fragments of Your Ancient Name, J. Rupp)
- Holy One,
You are the great heart of true loves,
Woven through the fabric of inner life. - You are the fondness in each genuine hug,
- The spark and ardor of marital bliss,
- The affection held in the eyes of a friend.
- You move through parental tenderness
- And those who carefully tend the weak.
- You are knit into our unselfish actions,
- Spun through each effort to be kind.
(all) You are the great Love in our loves.
Song: “What Kind of Love Is This?” (One Moment, Monica Brown)
Reading : The Essential Tagore, a reflection by Rabindranath Tagore
The lamp contains its oil, which it holds securely in its close grasp and guards from the least loss. Thus is it separate from all other objects around it and is miserly. But when lighted it finds its meaning at once; its relation with all things far and near is established, and it freely sacrifices its fund of oil to feed the flame.
Such a lamp is our self. So long as it hoards its possessions it keeps itself dark, its conduct contradicts its true purpose. When it finds illumination it forgets itself in a moment, holds the light high; and selves it with everything it has; for therein is its revelation. This revelation is the freedom which Buddha preached. He asked the lamp to give up its oil. But purposeless giving up is a still darker poverty which he never could have meant. The lamp must give up its oil to the light and thus set free the purpose it has in its hoarding. This is emancipation. The path Buddha pointed out was not merely the practice of self-abnegation, but the widening of love.
For reflection & dialogue
- How does the above reading speak to you about compassion?
- In what specific ways has the oil lamp of yourself been “giving up its oil”?
- What is most challenging about giving up your oil?
- What is most rewarding or satisfying about giving up your oil?
Video: You, the Christ, Ian Callanan, Shirley Erena (Carmelite Monastery of Baltimore) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HylHAcKhsD4
Prayer “The Heart of Eternal Love” (Out of the Ordinary, Joyce Rupp)
Heart of Love,
Source of all kindness,
Teacher of the ways of goodness,
you are hidden in the pockets of daily life,
waiting to be discovered.
Heart of Gladness,
Joy that sings in our souls,
the Dancer and the Dance,
you are Music radiating in our
cherished caches of consolation.
Heart of Compassion,
the Healing One weeping
for a world burdened and bent,
you are the heart we bring
to the wounded, worn and weary.
Heart of Comfort,
Sheltering Wings of love,
Refuge for sad and lonely ones,
you embrace all who bear loss,
gathering their tears with care.
Heart of Understanding,
One who gazes upon the imperfect,
the incomplete, the flawed, the weak,
you never stop extending mercy.
Heart of Generosity,
Abundance of insight and hope,
daily you offer us gifts of growth,
leading to continual transformation.
(all) Heart of Deepest Peace,
Center of tranquility,
Resting Place at the core of our being,
you are waiting always for our return
to this sacred home.
