SOAP HOUSE IN SPRING

 

(Irises are the Easter colors for the Soap House)

 

SPRING is definitely here at the Prayer Fraternity!  With the warm weather, the normal spring flowers arrived early.  It was the irises who arrived in time for the Easter season and continue to grace the campus.  Pictured above is the former guesthouse of the Volchok family (Mike and Martha Volchok built the buildings we use today for our friary. This building was used as a guest house for them.).   Today Br. Joe uses the building for his soap-making.  If you are interested in seeing a slideshow of Br. Joe making his soap, click on the Franciscan Soap-Making site on the blogsite here.

 

Franciscan Soap makes a great gift for special occasions;  it's great for personal use.   Br. Joe offers a number of different soaps; for the Christmas season, he always has two special Christmas soaps (not available till Oct. 15th);  his normal soaps for purchase are:

 

     Oatmeal, Milk and Honey

     Lemon

     Honeysuckle Hollow

     Woodland

     Lavender

     Fragrance Free

     Rain

     Sage, Sweetgrass, Cedar

     Lavender and Cedar

 

You can email him at brojofm@aol.com to order, or to obtain a brochure.  The brochure additionally shows some of the packaging that is available for gift items.

 

 

 

 

DOGWOODS and GOOD FRIDAY

 

 

(pictures of dogwoods here on our Ava property)

 

This is HOLY WEEK and your Franciscan brothers at the Interprovincial Prayer Fraternity wish you a BLESSED HOLY WEEK and a GLORIOUS EASTER!

 

With the warm winter/spring we have had, the dogwoods, of which our woods are full, are in full bloom now, just in time for Holy Week;  it's especially appropriate when you hear the spiritual symbolism of the dogwood tree.   Read on!

 

"The dogwood was the tree chosen to construct the Cross that would be used to take the body of Jesus.   Even though His body may have been taken from this earth, His spirit remains and every spring we are blessed with a reminder of the events that unfolded on that fateful weekend.  The blooms often appear in the shape of a Cross with holes in the tips of the pedals signifying the nails that were driven into the Cross.  If you look closely at these holes, you can notice a faint red stain representing the Blood.   In the center,  you will find a green bloom symbolizing the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus.   After the Crucifixion, God proclaimed that dogwood trees would never grow large ever again.  This the reason the trunks of dogwoods are skinny and often branch off low on the trunk.  The dogwood is more than a tree....it is a representation of life.   With every spring we are reminded of what God did for us and given the chance to be reborn and start a new life as "children of God".

 

Again, have a Blessed Holy Week -- hope you see some dogwoods.   HAPPY EASTER!!!

PRAYER! -- NATURE CALLS SPRING INTO BEING

(bench down by St. Anthony Park & pond - our 'swamp cathedral')

 

 

NATURE'S CHORUSES HERALD ARRIVAL OF SPRING

 

(Several weeks ago some retreatants were sitting on the bench down by the pond and noticed that there was a chorus of tree frogs and other creatures singing -- or was it praying?   They seemed to be letting us know that God was speaking through them of the arrival of spring and new life for them and the trees and spring flowers.   New life for us!    A friend of the community, Alice Ellis, shared the following reflection as she experienced nature awakening and reminding all of us of God's goodness in this 'spring-has-sprung hallelujah'.)

 

 

MUSIC IN THE EARS OF THE BEHOLDER

 

Even though it was only March 18th, it was so warm at bedtime, I decided to open the window.  Could it be true?  I thought that I could hear frogs singing.  I put my ear closer to the window-screen and sure enough, the frog choir was belting out the "hallelujah chorus" from the nearby swamp-cathedral.   The wake-up hallelujah from hibernation.  The spring-has-sprung hallelujah. 

 

I am sure George Frideric Handel (1685 to 1759) would not compare the song of frogs to his Hallelujah Chorus, but I suspect Handel would hear "music."  After the deadening silence of winter, spring arrives through the love-arias of birds, the operatic yip of coyotes, the full choir of frogs, the trumpet of swans, the percussion of woodpeckers, the drumbeat of grouse ... it is all here.   We have singers and we have a full symphony ... all playing the song of life.

 

In 1717 Handel composed a collection of music called Water Music.  This concert was performed outdoors on the River Thames for King George I.  It was said that George I enjoyed it so much, that he made the musicians play it three times during the course of the outing.  No wonder the frogs sing all night!

 

When I think of the genius of Handel,  I can't help but ponder what forces inspired him.   Did he also keep the bedroom window open at night?   Perhaps.  Sing it out frogs;  we hear you.  Hallelujah!

 

  

 

FIVE FINGER PRAYER

 

 

Teachers use all sorts of practical examples to help us to learn;  perhaps in the quest for a way to pray, to systematically know how to incorporate intercessory prayer into our lives, we can use this simple method below called the 'Five-Finger Prayer':

 

1.     Your thumb is nearest you.  So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you.  They are the easiest to remember.  To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a 'sweet duty.'

 

2.     The next finger is the pointing finger.  Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal.  This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers.   They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.  Keep them in your prayers.

 

3.     The next finger is the tallest finger.  It reminds us of our leaders.   Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators.   These people shape our nation and guide public opinion.  They need God's guidance.

 

4.     The fourth finger is our ring finger.   Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify.  It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.   They need your prayers day and night.   You cannot pray too much for them.

 

5.     And lastly comes our little finger -- the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others.   As the Bible says:  'The least shall be the greatest among you.'   Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.   By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. 

 

(the author of this method is unknown)