Sunday, December 11, 2011

Cactus/Rejoice/Prayer

 Night-blooming Cereus Cactus.

 My husband has cared for this cactus
 since 1994 and it is now over 6 feet tall.
 This year, for the first time EVER, it sent out
  some new shoots, so he now has two that are beginning 
  to take root.
  It is such an amazing plant, it ONLY blooms at night (these
  photos were taken in the very early morning) and the
  blooms are spectacular!
 
       

Today is the third Sunday in Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday.  "Gaudete" in Latin means "Rejoice" and takes its name from the first words of the Mass, "Gaudete in domino semper" ( which means "Rejoice in the Lord always". )   The third candle on the Advent wreath  is rose colored as this Sunday is a day of rejoicing.  There is a wonderful hymn which is based on Isaiah, "The Desert Shall Rejoice and Bloom As the Rose".   I often think of our night blooming cereus cactus when I sing it!

For the past two years I was asked to say a prayer before the beginning of our company Christmas party and I recited the prayer by Robert Louis Stephenson which I shared with you a few days ago.   Again this year I was asked to say the prayer. (  I don't think this was because of any goodness on my part, I think that the manager is just a creature of habit!)  Oh dear, surely I can't use the nice Robert Louis Stephenson prayer three years in a row, could I?  Could there be something in my Book of Common Prayer that I could adapt and shorten without losing any of the meaning?  Yes, that is just what I did. 

Accept , O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us.  We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life and for the mystery of love. 

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for all the people that we work with everyday. 

Above all, we thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, for the truth of his Word  and the example of his life.  Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known, and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things.   AMEN.
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6 comments:

  1. Sharon LovejoyDecember 11, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    Finally got onto it. You had an extra e in the e-mail to me.

    LOOKS like my bloom, but the leaves sure look different.

    LOVELY, LOVELY, now back to work!

    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kay G.December 11, 2011 at 8:08 PM

    Dear Sharon,
    Sorry, in my haste to get that to you, I put my blog name in wrong.
    Thanks for looking at this post. Good luck on your new bird book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MartiDecember 11, 2011 at 9:47 PM

    I have one of these cactus growing my the edge of my front porch. If I get up early when it is blooming, I always see a bee getting breakfast. They are spectacular blossoms.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LibrarianDecember 12, 2011 at 1:24 AM

    Isn't it fascinating that there are plants that show their blossoms only at night, or some others who do so only for one single day in the year?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kay G.December 12, 2011 at 5:44 AM

    ArtyMarti,
    Lucky you! Our cactus is in a pot and must be carefully brought in each and every winter into the garage. Not easy to move a 6 foot cactus!
    Oh, but we do enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kay G.December 12, 2011 at 5:55 AM

    Librarian,
    Do you have a flower in Germany called a moonflower? It also only blooms at night.

    And before I forget, I hope you will have photos of your Christmas tree with real candles!
    Please, would you remember to put that on your blog for me? That would be like a gift for me!
    Love,
    Kay

    ReplyDelete

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