September Taize: Labor Day and The Dignity of Work

Introduction

Let us begin our prayer by recalling the words of Cesar Chavez: “Every time we sit at a table at night or in the morning to enjoy the fruits and grain and vegetables from our good earth, remember that they come from the work of men and women and children who have been exploited for generations.”

Too often we don’t pay attention, we don’t stop to think that, even in this day and age, injustice remains an invisible ingredient in much of the food that we eat.

Jesus, shake us awake, open our eyes to see our power and obligation as consumers to help put things right. Justice demands it. Love demands it.

Reading one: Beatitudes of the Farm Worker

I was hungry, and you said, we only deal with problems in the city, not in the rural areas.
I was imprisoned, and you said you were sorry but there was nothing you could do.
I was naked, and you looked the other way as you passed me by in your expensive three-piece suit.
I was sick with pesticide poisoning, and you never thought of the human cost in the vegetables on our table.
I was homeless, a migrant sleeping in my old car with my family of six, and you refused to see how your board members could make a difference.
I was grieving over my children, who never had a chance to get an education, and you said “Too bad” and continued with business as usual.
Whatsoever you do to the least of My people, make no mistake, you do it to Me.

Down load a copy of the music and readings for the evening here: Sept. 7, 2023 Taizé Worship Aid.

Closing Prayer
God of goodness, you give us the land to provide us with food. Hear the prayers of Your people and give all who work on that land a full measure of human dignity and justice. May we bring the spirit of Christ to all our efforts, and may these efforts yield a rich harvest of justice, peace, and love. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Amen.

What is Taizé?

Taizé prayer is practiced throughout the world. It is a meditative candle-lit form of community prayer that includes simple chants sung repeatedly, silence and prayers of praise and intercession. In prayer, we enter the silence, stilling the mind, opening the heart, surrendering to the action of the Spirit ever molding us into the image of Christ. The candles used in the service symbolize the presence of the risen Christ, who conquered darkness and sin and offers new life to all humankind.

Taizé Prayer comes from an ecumenical, monastic community in France and has spread to numerous spots around the world.

From the depths of the human condition, a secret aspiration rises up. Today many are thirsting for the essential reality: an inner life, signs of the Invisible. Nothing is more conducive to communion with the living God than meditative common prayer. When the mystery of God becomes tangible through the simple beauty of symbols, when it is not smothered by too many words, then a common prayer awakens us to heaven’s joy on earth.

We gather on the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. Each month we explore a different theme. The event is live-streamed for our many friends who cannot be with us physically.

All the videos of our Taize prayer services are available here.

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