Day 23

Psalm 72(71):16

 

Aubade — Lake Erie (Thomas Merton)

When sun, light handed, sows this Indian water
With a crop of cockles,
The vines arrange their tender shadows
In the sweet leafage of an artificial France.

Awake, in the frames of windows, innocent children,
Loving the blue, sprayed leaves of childish life,
Applaud the bearded corn, the bleeding grape,
And cry:
“Here is the hay-colored sun, our marvelous cousin,
Walking in the barley,
Turning the harrowed earth to growing bread,
And splicing the sweet, wounded vine.
Lift up your hitch-hiking heads
And no more fear the fever,
You fugitives, and sleepers in the fields,
Here is the hay-colored sun!”

And when their shining voices, clean as summer,
Play, like churchbells over the field,
A hundred dusty Luthers rise from the dead, unheeding,
Search the horizon for the gap-toothed grin of factories,
And grope, in the green wheat,
Toward the wood winds of the western freight.

Musical Selection

We plough the fields, and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God's almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain:

All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
For all his love.

He only is the Maker
Of all things near and far,
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star.
The winds and waves obey him,
By him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, his children,
He gives our daily bread:

We thank thee then, O Father,
For all things bright and good;
The seed-time and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food.
No gifts have we to offer
For all thy love imparts,
But what which thou desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts:

Meditation

This Conference in Egypt was one more example of the difficulty of negotiations. It could be said that at least it marked a step forward in consolidating a system for financing “loss and damage” in countries most affected by climate disasters. This would seem to give a new voice and a greater role to developing countries. Yet here too, many points remained imprecise, above all the concrete responsibility of the countries that have to contribute.

Today we can continue to state that, “the accords have been poorly implemented, due to lack of suitable mechanisms for oversight, periodic review and penalties in cases of noncompliance. The principles which they proclaimed still await an efficient and flexible means of practical implementation”.  Also, that “international negotiations cannot make significant progress due to positions taken by countries which place their national interests above the global common good. Those who will have to suffer the consequences of what we are trying to hide will not forget this failure of conscience and responsibility”. (LD 51-52)

Prayer

Lord and Bountiful Creator,

giver of grains and seeds, of fruits and berries

and all that grows from the earth,

we thank You and we bless You for this year’s harvest.

We lift up our hearts in gratitude to the Sun,

which, together with rain, wind and earth,

worked in harmony to produce this bountiful harvest.

We are grateful to all those

who labored in - together with - the earth

so that this harvest time might come to fullness.

Lord, as Your Son, Jesus, knew: harvest is hard work!

Yet, it is also richly rewarding

to see the fruit of our labor

to take pride in this completed harvest.

We thank You, our Lord and God,

for Your protection and care in this season of harvest.

We bless You for the weather given to us for our work.

This harvest, Lord, was not without its difficulties;

no harvest is,

but we rejoice that those times of trouble

did not prevent us from the completion of this task.

The sun smiled on us, the wind cooled us

and the earth laughed as we caressed her skin,

collecting the fruit of this harvest.

Come, Lord of the Harvest, Lord of Rejoicing,

come and join us in our festive celebration.

May our joy at this harvest

be a taste of the joy we shall share

when we celebrate the final harvest of heaven,

that day of days when all that you have begun

will be matured to completion

Blessed are You, Lord our God,

who has given to us this harvest.

Amen. — Diocese of Green Bay