PSALM 29 - A PRAYER FOR A CAUSE!

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I ordinarily don't promote any particular "cause" on

the blog - I try to keep away from politics and such matters.

However, in this case, I have to make an exception.

A foreign-owned corporation is

 proposing to pump 54,000 acre feet of water, per year,

from an aquifer beneath the Plains of San Augustin in west-

central New Mexico (photo above) and sell it, and make

billions of dollars (yes, billions).

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The whole scheme is immoral and unethical.

Water, in New Mexico, legally belongs to the citizens of

the state.  It is not to be considered some commodity that

you can basically give away to a foreign corporation

so they can make bundles of cash.  The entire plan is obscene. 

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WATER IS LIFE!
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All over the planet multi-national corporations,
some mob-connected, some just greedy entrepreneurs, are
getting their hands on water resouces.
It's dark, and it's evil, and it's apocalyptic.
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 As part of an effort to educate the public,

and drum up support for the good guys, I've started

a blog on the matter - address further below.

One of the posts is basically a prayer - Psalm 29.  Here it is.

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PSALM 29
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 A SAN AUGUSTIN PLAINS PRAYER

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A PSALM OF DAVID
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Give to the LORD, you sons of God,

give to the LORD glory and might;

Give to the LORD the glory due his name.

Bow down before the LORD’s holy splendor!

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The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the LORD, over the mighty waters.

The voice of the LORD is power;

the voice of the LORD is splendor.

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The voice of the LORD cracks the cedars;

the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon,

Makes Lebanon leap like a calf,

and Sirion like a young bull.
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The voice of the LORD strikes with fiery flame;

the voice of the LORD shakes the desert;

the LORD shakes the desert of Kadesh.

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The voice of the LORD makes the deer dance

and strips the forests bare.

All in his Temple say, “Glory!”

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The LORD sits enthroned above the flood!

The LORD reigns as king forever!

May the LORD give might to his people;

may the LORD bless his people with peace!

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Translation from the United Conference of Catholic Bishops website.
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Below is a sung Hebraic (Jewish) version of the Psalm.

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Above: A summer thunderstorm on the

Plains of San Augustin at the VLA,
the Very Large Array, the world's largest

radio astronomy facility, operated by the NRAO,
the National Radio Astronomy Observatory,

with funding through the National Science Foundation.

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The NRAO is one of the many "PROTESTANTS,"
no, not like those nice Methodist or Lutheran folks who
live down the road, but in this case, it's legalese - lawyer talk -
for the GOOD GUYS, in the legal battle against
 the WATER GRAB by the BAD GUYS, 
who hide under a corporate shadow of secrecy. 

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STOP THE WATER GRAB!
"Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water;
she is very useful, and humble,

and precious, and pure."
From the Canticle of the Sun
Saint Francis of Assisi

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If you're interested in finding out more about

the issue, please visit the new blog:

http://stopthewatergrab.blogspot.com/

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THANKS!
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Below is an 8.5" x 11" jpeg at 600 dpi.
It prints out real nice, especially on glossy paper or
card stock - please feel free to copy, and maybe even post
on your church or synagogue bulletin board.
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WE ARE LIKE THE MOON - WE CAN BECOME NEW AGAIN

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The text below and the music
above are both about a Jewish
 ceremony called Birkat Halevana. 

 Debbie Friedman sings the song about

the matter from a Carnegie Hall concert.

It makes interesting background music

for the read.

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From WE PLAN, GOD LAUGHS

by Sherre Hirsch

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"CELEBRATING YOU"

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Each month, Jews host a party for the moon.

The Jewish year is based on a lunar calendar,
 and every month we take note of the passage of time
 through the ritual of Birkat HaLevanah,
the blessing and celebration of the new moon. 
 What is surprising is when this ritual takes place.

You would think we would celebrate the full moon,

the night of romance.  We don't.  Instead we celebrate when

the moon is just a sliver in the sky and hardly noticeable.

Most times we need a flashlight even to see the blessing

on the page.

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We bless the sliver because it expresses our faith in the future.

We are blessing what the moon can become. 
 It is a prayer of hope and belief and renewal. 
 Though we know that each month the moon
will wax and wane, the real purpose of this ceremony

is to remind us that we are like the moon. 

We can become new again.

We can uncover more potential and find even more

of our beauty.  As it says in the prayer,

"Blessed are you, God, who says to the moon each month,

you will be new again just like my children."

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Your potential is unlimited.  Each day, God revels in you.

From the day you were born until the day you die,

God is celebrating you.

God is not celebrating how much money you have made.

God is not celebrating your job title or your house.

God is celebrating each day that you are in his world.

Each day you have the potential to imitate him:

to create, to better, to discover, to build, to repair, and to laugh.

That is God's party, a joyous celebration of each one of

his creatures discovering her or his divine purpose.

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God does not stop celebrating when you are thirteen,

fifty-three, or even ninety-three.  Just like my mom never

stopped celebrating my birthday.  She still makes it a big deal,

even now.  We are God's children.  Just like we celebrate our

children and see all that they can become.  God thinks that our

best selves are always in front of us.  Whether it is your second

birthday or your seventy-second,
 God is hoping you will discover more
 about your incredible soul with each passing year.

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JEWISH RENEWAL BY IMMERSION

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Meditations Before Entering Mikveh

Now, as I immerse myself. I begin a new cycle,
a cycle of rebirth and renewal
of Your world and Your people Israel.
I prepare for my new life
and for the sanctification of that life
through the ritual of immersion.

Our mothers Rebecca and Rachel were betrothed and began new lives
at the gently flowing water of the well.
Our mother Yocheved gave life to her child Moses
in the ever-flowing waters of the Nile.
Our sister Miriam danced for the saving of lives
beside the overflowing water of the Sea of Reeds.

Water is God's gift to living souls,
to cleanse us, to purify us,
to sustain and renew us.

As Moses and Aaron and the priests of Israel
washed with cleansing waters before attending to God's service at the altar,
so I now cleanse myself -- before your altar of sanctification.

I am now prepared to link my life with the life of the people of Israel,
and with the God of Israel,
to become a partner in sharing the joys of Jewish living,
to learn and to celebrate the rhythms of a Jewish life.
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From beliefnet.com

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JEWISH PRAYER FOR PEACE

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Come let us go up to the mountain

of the Lord, that we may walk the paths

of the Most High. And we shall beat our swords

into ploughshares, and our spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation -

neither shall they learn war any more.

And none shall be afraid, for the

mouth of the Lord of Hosts

has spoken.

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From the World Peace Day ceremony

in Assisi, Italy - 1986

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