Prayer for Today

 

This week, we will center and open our hearts to prayers for peace that I pray you find meaningful.  When I see the word “peace”, I also hear the Hebrew word, “Shalom” ~ which is more than the absence of war or violence, but a wholeness, healing, and flourishing.  Hold a moment when you felt aligned and alive in mind, heart, soul, and body.  Hold a moment when you felt healing.  Hold a moment when you were lost in wonder, love, and awe.  Peace has an elastic, expansive, and evolving vision in our life.  Please slowly pray these words from Mary Lou Kownacki:

 

I bow to the sacred in all creation.
May my spirit fill the world with beauty and wonder.
May my mind seek truth with humility and openness.
May my heart forgive without limit.
May my love for friend, enemy, and outcast be without measure.
May my needs be few and my living simple.
May my actions bear witness to the suffering of others. 
May my hands never harm a living being.
May my steps stay on the journey of justice.
May my tongue speak for those who are poor without fear of the powerful.
May my prayers rise with patient discontent until no child is hungry.
May my life's work be a passion for peace and nonviolence.
May my soul rejoice in the present moment.
May my imagination overcome death and despair with new possibilities.
And may I risk reputation, comfort, and security to bring this hope to the children.

 

Which words of the prayer above caught your attention?  Were there words above that caused your shoulders to tense or your stomach to turn?  Were there parts of the prayer your inner defense attorney objected to?  Were there moments your shy soul said, “Amen”?  Re-read the prayer again at some point today to see how the words land in you at that time.  And may the peace that surpasses understanding hold you every hour this day.  Amen.