Verse of the day
Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
-Romans 14:19
Voice of the day
It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers.
–Pope Francis
Prayer of the day
God of peace, guide us to build communities rooted in compassion, understanding, and respect for one another. Help us choose kindness over division, seek understanding through our disagreements, and take meaningful action to create a world where everyone can flourish together. Amen.
When humans acquire power, how they trample others! What tortures, what horrors! …In a weak person, power becomes cruelty; a sense of inferiority is carried to the level of brutishness. — The Violence of Love, pp. 63, 64
He was speaking in 1978, yet his words are sadly relevant today. This is, sadly, also a description of the actions of the administration here in the US.
If we are to be peacemakers, it is essential that we take on what I would like to call a mentality of abundance and put away from us the mentality of scarcity. This sense of scarcity makes us desperate, and we turn to competition, hoarding, and a kind of parody of self-preservation. This greed extends not only to material goods but also to knowledge, friendships, and ideas. We worry that everything we possess is threatened. This is especially true in a society that grows more affluent, experiences more opportunities for hoarding and more fears of losing what has been stored, and in the process creates enemies and war. — The Road to Peace
Reflection Question: Do you feel more energized by a mentality of abundance or a mentality of scarcity?
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. – Deuteronomy 8: 3
Verse of the day
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other, but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.
-Ecclesiastes 4:9–10
Voice of the day
We need one another when we strive to accomplish some great purpose, and realize we cannot do it alone.
-George Odell
Prayer of the day
God, remind us that we are not meant to walk through life alone. Help us to recognize when others need support and to be willing to offer our own strength, care, and presence when they do. Amen.
“In the context of sabbath, we turn ahimsa inward as the commitment to do no harm to ourselves and embrace a life of love and peace in recognition that we all need rest.”
—Melinda Emily Thomas, Sacred Balance: Aligning Body and Spirit Through Yoga and the Benedictine Way
What might it be like to practice sabbath as an act of non-violence?
Sign up for a self-study bundle of Contemplative Yoga with Melinda.
Verse of the day
Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
–Psalm 82:3–4
Voice of the day
Young people say, “What can one person do? What is the sense of our small effort?” They cannot see that we can only lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time; we can be responsible only for the one action of the present moment.
–Dorothy Day
Prayer of the day
God, give us courage to stand with those who are vulnerable and to speak up when others are denied justice. Help us turn our concern into action, one step at a time. Amen.
Verse of the day
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
–Hebrews 13:16
Voice of the day
We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.
–Dorothy Day
Prayer of the day
God of love, teach us to make our faith visible through generosity, service, and care for others. Open our hearts to share what we have and remind us that no act of love is too small. Amen.
Verse of the day
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all.
-Galatians 6:9-10
Voice of the day
Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits put together that overwhelm the world.
–Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Prayer of the day
God, give us strength when doing good feels small or unnoticed. Help us remain faithful in the work of love, trusting that every act of goodness can become part of something greater. Amen.
“In that act of hospitality, I will walk in solidarity with those who are shrouded in pain. I will gradually understand the necessity of kindness, and I will discover moments of wonder.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
How has your hospitality grown over the course of your spiritual journey?
Join our 12-week self-study companion retreat to the book with additional resources and guidance here. Use code MONKANDARTIST20 for 20% off through October 31st.
“In a world of noise, confusion and conflict it is necessary that there be places of silence, inner discipline and peace: not the peace of mere relaxation but the peace of inner clarity and love based on ascetic renunciation.” —Thomas Merton
from “Come to the Mountain: New Ways and Living Traditions in the Monastic Life” — St. Benedict’s Cistercian Monastery, Snowmass, Colorado (1964)
