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Present with God
Present with Others

Recently Written

Great Works of the Lord – Translating Psalm 111
Protected by the Shelter of the Most High – Translating Psalm 91
A Night Prayer in the Sanctuary – Translating Psalm 134
God the Savior – Translating Ephesians 1:3-10
His Mercy Endures Forever – Translating Psalm 136

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A blessing for us all as we venture past Pentecost

A blessing for us all as we venture past Pentecost. We find ourselves entering into new seasons, new places, and new times. Yet, we are never alone. We are never without the promised and received Spirit of God.

A Prayer for the Recently Deceased This prayer wa

A Prayer for the Recently Deceased

This prayer was written after the passing of a close family member. My hope is that it might help us honor those who have died by turning to hope, and reflecting back to God realities from scripture. It is rooted in the grace, mercy, and love of our Lord Jesus as exemplified through the gospels. May this prayer be said of those near and far from God after their passing. For those who are dear to us, and may be against us. May the love, grace, and hope of God meet us all.

New Translation Reflection on Psalm 134 - A Night

New Translation Reflection on Psalm 134 - A Night Prayer in the Sanctuary

Bless those who pray throughout the depths of the night! This psalm is only three verses long. When we come across shorter passages, it can be tempting to read them quickly and move on. The psalmist turns their attention to those who serve and pray to the Lord. These words rest on a foundation of gratitude, and love towards those individuals.

Enjoy reading the reflection on our site.

New Translation Reflection on Ephesians 1:3-10 - G

New Translation Reflection on Ephesians 1:3-10 - God the Savior

From before history until the end of time, God is bringing all things together in Christ. This is the hopeful message the Apostle Paul is reminding the Ephesians. That God, who lives and has his being on beyond our experience of time has redeemed us. God has made his mysterious will known to us in the person of Christ.

Enjoy reading the reflection on our site.

» This is the first Canticle that I've shared. A Canticle is a song of praise or hymn with it's lyrics taken from the bible or other holy text excluding the Psalms. The divine office has one old testament canticle with the psalms in morning prayer, and one new testament canticle with evening prayer.

Psalm 136 - His Mercy Endures Forever This psalm

Psalm 136 - His Mercy Endures Forever

This psalm is known as the Passover Hymn. It was a part of various temple and Passover traditions since the first temple period. There is a sweeping arch of praise being given to God. Praise for who God is, his work of creation, his role in delivering his people Israel out of Egypt, and bringing them to the promised land.

Read the full reflection on our website: UrbanMonastic.org

Photo Credit: Paul Prins taken 13 June 2021 at the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Psalm 4 - The Lord Hears my Cries This psalm is ra

Psalm 4 - The Lord Hears my Cries
This psalm is raw with emotion, and of faithful trust in who God is. There is such a strong opening, and reminder that God is the one who was a previous source of justice for David (who is noted as the author). From a state of oppression God rescued him. It took me three days to translate these eight verses. While some were grammatically complex, it had more to do with my context. As I sat down to start the city I am from – Minneapolis – was scheduled to hand down the verdict for an agent of the state. This agent murdered someone. Someone who was marginalized and suppressed due to the hate and supremacy built into systems. The verdict was due, and after translating the opening verse it just too much for me to continue.

Read the full reflection on our website: UrbanMonastic.org

Photo Credit: Jordan Prins taken at the Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels

Psalm 114 - Israel Freed from Egypt We find oursel

Psalm 114 - Israel Freed from Egypt
We find ourselves invited by the psalmist to reflect on the period of exodus and taking the promised land. The unknown psalmist uses a healthy dose of repetition to highlight the work God had done to rescue and claim his people for himself.

Read the full reflection on our website: UrbanMonastic.org

Reflections from Translating Psalm 115 - Praise th

Reflections from Translating Psalm 115 - Praise the True God

"This psalm was full of repetition, and contrast. The unknown psalmist finds themself living in a world that worships idols. They don’t know God, and this leads the psalmist to reflect on the relationship with, and promises from the Lord."

Read the rest of the reflection on UrbanMonastic.org

Messiah, King, & Priest – Translating Psalm 110

Messiah, King, & Priest – Translating Psalm 110

What a wonderful first psalm to translate and prepare for our breviary. It does not take much imagination to see hints and glimmers of Jesus in these words of David. Much of the imagery Jesus shared about himself. He told us that he was going to sit at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and here we have a lord sitting at the right hand of the Lord.

Read the rest of the reflection on UrbanMonastic.org

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