Comments on: Occupy London responds to resignation of the Dean of St Paul’s

By: Pete H (Lincs)

Pete H (Lincs) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:54:19 +0000

The Eight Beatitudes of Jesus. Written for our times at all times

Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Keep us from being preoccupied with money and worldly goods, and with trying to increase them at the expense of justice.

Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us.

Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others.

Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled.” Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread your influence in our private lives and in society.

Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn.

Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and fix our eyes on you.

Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country, and in the world.

Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven in theirs.” Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbors and oppress and persecute them.

Our loving healing redeemer. We come before you this day with many things on our hearts and in our minds. We come before you knowing you are a loving God who cares for us in ways deeper than we can understand, and who has a purpose for each one of us. You have promised that we can cast all our anxieties on you because you care for us.

We Bring to You Now Those Things Worrying Us:

Our concerns for our health
Our children and their needs
The bills that need paying
Our work
The activities we are involved in. We pray that in all these things you would be our guide.

For those who mourn – we pray that they would be blessed and comforted as you have promised.

For those who are hungry – physically or emotionally – that they would be filled

For those who are poor – either in spirit or financially – that the Kingdom of God would be theirs.

For those who show mercy to others – that they will be shown mercy

For those who are pure in heart – that they would see God

For the peacemakers – we pray that they would be called sons and daughters of God

For those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail – may they see right overcome wrong, and may they be filled with peace

For those who suffer for doing good – may you strengthen and reward them

For any of us – or our friends who are going through a particularly hard time. May you walk with us carrying us through this time in our lives? May we know your peace when things are in turmoil around us?

We particularly remember those who are hurting. May they be filled with your amazing love and have a purpose to carry them through this stage of their lives.We pray for all who serve you in the Church and community. For our children and young people, may your light shine in their lives and may you guide them on the path you have for them.

For each of us may we know your healing within and your Holy Spirit in a real and powerful way in our lives. We ask that this day, and through this week we will follow Jesus’ example to love and serve, and may we know we are redeemed by his love and forgiveness. That whatever hard things we have to face we can call on you for help.

Today Oh Lord I say yes to you

To life

To all that is true and good

And beautiful.

Amen

By: human of planet earth

human of planet earth — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:16:09 +0000

Sarah hello and I hope your son’s health is improving.
I am sorry for the rhetoric, but this is how I can express my views. I believe we desire the same results from life but it is the practicalities of implementation. Sadly, I am not able to answer all of my own questions in a practical way, but I am sure there are amongst us people who can; I agree ‘we cant all be ………….’ So would be happy for others to come up with answers, with the proviso that I get to agree to their ideas. Current politics needs to move on and catch up with some modern thinking corporations that have levelled out the hierarchy of management.
Ideally I want to vote on policies not vote for parties, with administrators i.e. the civil service, acting on the results of a policy.
Again I do not have the brain power to detail the practicalities of such a system but I do have the brain power to know there are those that do.
You end your reply with a few points of issue, which I would agree with but only as stepping stones towards my less practical views of a world I want for my children.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:06:21 +0000

I appreciate your reply, but I’m seeing a lot of rhetoric,and not a lot of practical application. For example, you want democracy. We currently have one of the most democratic systems in the world. We vote for our MP’s, and the rules get made. What practical way would you see the new system working? In almost all democratic societies there is some form of ruling class, purely because it is more practical that way – we can’t all be farmers, and teachers, and policemen, and make rules, and manufacturers, and doctors and so on. There are professionals in every aspect of our lives.

I think that there should be more transparency in the banking system, that bonuses should be capped for bankers, those should be in law.

By: human of planet earth

human of planet earth — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:01:59 +0000

Sarah, my friend,
I think the aims of ‘occupy’ are actually very clear, amongst the mist of demands for clarity. They want an end to greed, and the ‘power’ of money and the ‘powerful’ who use it to keep themselves all conquering and powerful over their supposedly fellow and civilized humans. I am relative to some doing ok in the ‘system’, however I constantly feel like a I am a rat in the biggest ever plague of rats, scrambling and scavenging around for scraps, that the ‘powers that be’ the ‘king rats’, have given us, to keep us alive long enough to make them ‘richer’. (Please excuse all my double meaning, I probably think too much). And before someone accuses me of propagating a conspiracy theory, I am not, its quite simply the way things have become without anyone in particular conspiring to make things this way. Them at the ‘top’ of the heap are mostly there by circumstance, just as we are where we are by circumstance. Some would say this is nature and nature is cruel, yes it can be, but surely that is no longer a valid argument as us ‘clever’ humans have developed. There is a fairer system for living we just have to work at making it fairer.

Personally Sarah as h.o.p.e. is my ‘name’
I would hope to help the campaign to achieve a majority of support for the need for real change in the short term. Long term I hope for real change to have begun.
As radical and utopian as some of my thoughts are I am also realistic enough ( frustratingly ), to not expect the level of change I hope for, for our childrens’ futures, to happen overnight, or at the next useless general election.
We need democracy, which I believe means the people make the rules, not what we have disguised as democracy where rulers rule over the people. We the majority (99%) are governed by in essence a dictatorship, the powerful allowing us to vote for them, so they can lead the way, their way.

By: human of planet earth

human of planet earth — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:00:24 +0000

Anon,
Excuse the un-intended sarcasm, but thats what a movement does, from 18mths ago it has moved on ! evolving, I have only recently joined in, the movement is moving. Dont be the last to join in.

By: human of planet earth

human of planet earth — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:59:31 +0000

yes thats a bit clearer now.
btw have you seen/heard latest st. paul’s news ?

By: human of planet earth

human of planet earth — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:25:32 +0000

Hallelujah ! and Amen !

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:17:45 +0000

I’m watching – and if it happens as you say this time then I’ll change my view.

I’m basing my view on the last 18mths of the anticuts movement, of which this is the latest version.

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:15:20 +0000

Fundraising – exactly.

Nothing at all about managing/controlling the Cathedral.

Which would be why they are not a majority, or formally represented on, the Dean and Chapter…

By: human of planet earth

human of planet earth — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:27:18 +0000

Sarah,
I have replied to you further down this………… ……’blog space’ ?
h.o.p.e. is michael