Verse of the day
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
– Luke 12:27
Voice of the day
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
– Rachel Carson
Prayer of the day
Wondrous God, fuel our appetite to learn about the natural glories of this world to resist the attempts at its ruination.
“There’s the legend that St. Brigid and her community kept a perpetual flame going for hundreds of years. What does it mean to be a keeper of the flame of our own process, of our own journey? And it takes actually a community to keep that fire alight.”
–Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Sacred Rhythms of Sky, Sun, Sea & Stone: A Creative, Online, Self-Study Retreat with the Elements
What is the flame you keep alight? Who is your community with whom you keep watch?
Verse of the day
But as for you, return to your God; hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.
– Hosea 12:6
Voice of the day
One cannot live with sighted eyes and feeling heart and not know or react to the miseries which afflict this world.
– Lorraine Hansberry
Prayer of the day
Holy One, don’t let our awareness ebb. Keep our eyes fixed and our hearts ready to do your will of love.
Verse of the day
I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
– Psalm 121:1-2
Voice of the day
The higher we go, the better we shall hear the voice of Christ.
– Pier Giorgio Frassati
Prayer of the day
God Most High, if the world is caught in ruinous lows, beckon us to heights of proactive discipleship.
Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation. They can be achieved only on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family of today and tomorrow. — Against War: Building A Culture of Peace, p. 41
International relations cannot be held captive to military force, mutual intimidation, and the parading of stockpiles of arms. Weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, create nothing but a false sense of security. They cannot constitute the basis for peaceful coexistence between members of the human family, which must rather be inspired by an ethics of solidarity. Essential in this regard is the witness given by the Hibakusha, the survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, together with other victims of nuclear arms testing. May their prophetic voice serve as a warning, above all for coming generations! — Against War: Building A Culture Of Peace, p. 38
Verse of the day
When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, but dismay to evildoers.
– Proverbs 21:15
Voice of the day
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Do the work, but also make sure you intentionally bring joy into your life because our job is to look at the worst things people do to each other, the ugliness–what I call the vomit of humanity.
– Loretta J. Ross
Prayer of the day
When we are overrun by the horrors of human acts, bring us beyond the threshold of inequity. Show us the beauty that can emerge from brokenness.
Verse of the day
Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him.
– Acts 10:34-35
Voice of the day
Equality is the heart and essence of democracy, freedom, and justice, equality of opportunity in industry, in labor unions, schools and colleges, government, politics, and before the law. There must be no dual standards of justice, no dual rights, privileges, duties, or responsibilities of citizenship. No dual forms of freedom.
– A. Philip Randolph
Prayer of the day
God who inherently treasures every person, hold us in our fight against societal barriers. Remind us that blindly benefitting from an unfair system betrays your desires.
“Rest is an act of trust. Trusting that we don’t have to earn our place here. Trusting that we are enough, even when we are still.”
–Kat Armas, Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World our Lift Every Voice Book Club selection for March and April
What are the ways you try to earn your place on earth? How can you commit to rest?
Read or view our conversation with the author here.
“Wildness says you do not need to fit into the narrowly defined image others think is acceptable. . . The creatures of this earth never think, I will make this journey of the heart once I lose twenty pounds. Birds, fish, and animals live from their bodily nature and instinct and remind us we have that same wisdom available to us.”
–Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, The Wisdom of the Body: A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women
What narrow image of yourself can you shed today?
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