Daily Bread November 09

The “Big City”
Don Richardson of Nauvoo, IL, USA


When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. -Leviticus 19:33-34

I grew up five miles from a village with a population of 300. My wife grew up on a small island near the coast of Maine. We have been married over 49 years, and the largest town we ever lived in had a population of about 4,000. Then a diagnosis of lymphoma sent me to a lymphoma specialist in a big city. I have driven through large cities (including this one) many times, but the thought of living there for up to two months was something I did not look forward to.

I have had one round of chemo in the “Big City.” All is going well. We have met many caring medical personnel who really care about people. We stayed at Hope Haven (sponsored by the American Cancer Society). We met more good people there, both staff and patients. The nights we were there we did not have to fix our evening meal as volunteers from different organizations brought it in.

Though I still do not care to drive in large cities, the people we met made it easier to stay there.

We all can brighten someone’s day with friendliness and by volunteering for worthy causes. God bless the good people everywhere who recognize the worth of all persons and use their God-given talents to make life easier for others.

Prayer Phrase

“Over the years we melt into what we seek” (Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year).

Spiritual Practice

We are in the threshold between seasons in the Christian calendar. You may have been noticing the physical transitions of the seasons wherever you live as some enter the depths of winter and others the warmth of summer. The seasons are a visible reminder that even among the most predictable rhythms and routines of our lives, change is always happening. The events of our moments, days, weeks, years form us and transform us over time. We enter each season different from when we arrived here last. This is the nature of this cyclical journey of faith. In these final days of the Christian calendar and the season of Ordinary time, there is opportunity to take a sacred pause, to notice how you arrive in this threshold. What have you been formed by this year? What has been deepening you as you’ve lived through another cycle of this life of faith?

Today‘s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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