Will clutch til has he breathe no more
For where there’s life, there’s hope.
If my good turn be given to
My fellow man’s deficiency,
I’ll try to share my lowly gifts
Of Faith and Hope and Charity.
—Anne Shannon Demarest
22
Grace of Our Mother
Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
—Catholic Holy Rosary
23
Living in Peace
Come, Spirit,
make me docile to your voice.
Help me debate angels.
Let your will be done in me
even if it means
misunderstanding,
rejection,
scandal.
Give me wisdom to find you
in the irrational:
heavens gone awry,
astrologers’ predictions,
Give me such hospitality of heart that
songs in the night.
family,
foreign seers,
poor shepherds and animals
find a home in my presence.
—Benedictine Sisters
24
Who Made the World?
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
—Mary Oliver
25
Let There Be Peace and Justice for All Creation
Let us see one another through eyes
enlightened by understanding and compassion.
Release us from judgment so we can receive the stories
of our sisters and brothers with respect and attention.
Open our hearts to the cries of a suffering world
and the healing melodies of peace and justice for all creation.
Empower us to be instruments of justice
and equality everywhere.
—Jean Shinoda Bolen
26
Invocation for Future Generations
Divine Earth—
bring greening and surety to the world.
Like the stretching branches of the tree,
May we stretch ourselves
Into the life-affirming paths of reconciliation and healing.
Like the deep peaceful dome of night,
May we stand firm in the Goddess and the God,
Through this “dark night” of confusion and fear, and false “stars.”
May our souls be strong, steady, and revealing.
May our spirits be enlightened, faithful, and sure.
May our choices be wise and enduring
for the generations to come.
By all that is Sacred and True,
So Mote It Be.
—Pashta Marymoon
27
Living in the Heart of God
God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking.
God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.
God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my soul,
God in my heart.
God in my sufficing,
God in my slumber,
God in mine ever-living soul,
God in mine eternity.
—Ancient Celtic Oral Blessing
28
A Life of Service Is a Holy Life
Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow men
throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them through our hands this day their daily bread,
and by our understanding love, give peace and joy.
—Mother Teresa
29
Stand in Your Own Power
I stand in my own power now, the questions of permission that I used to choke on for my every meal now dead in a fallen heap, and when they tell me that I will fall, I nod. I will fall, I reply, and
my words are a whisper
my words are a howl
I will fall, I say, and the tumbling will be all my own. The skinned palms and oozing knees are holy wounds, stigmata of
my She.
I will catch my own spilled blood, and not a drop will be wasted.
—Beth Morey
30
Find Courage and Comfort in the Everyday
Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists
and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.
Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.
Make soup.
Play music, memorize the words for thank you in three languages.
—Judyth Hill
31
When Times Are Hard, Create Something
Children, everybody, here’s what to do during war: