“A person who looks at the table and can see the universe is a person who can see the way. . . . People normally cut reality into compartments and so are unable to see the interdependence of all phenomena. To see one in all and all in one is to break through the great barrier which narrows one’s perception of reality.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
| Verse of the day Your mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear you. You have shown strength with your arm; you have scattered the proud in their conceit; you have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. – Luke 1:50-52 (The Inclusive Bible) |
| Voice of the day You fasten all the triggers / For the others to fire / Then you set back and watch / While the / death count gets higher / You hide in your mansion / While the young people’s blood / Flows / out of their bodies / And is buried in the mud. – Bob Dylan, “Master of War” |
| Prayer of the day Lord, today we lift up our friends, loved ones, and enemies to you. We look forward to a day where there will be war no more. |
Christian mercy must discover, in faith, in the Spirit, a power strong enough to initiate the transformation of the world into a realm of understanding, unity and relative peace, where mankind, nations and societies are willing to make the enormous sacrifices required if they are to communicate intelligibly with one another, understand one another, cooperate with one another in feeding the hungry millions and in building a world of peace.
— Love and Living, p 219
What sort of work is the church willing to do in order to be a part of this transformation? Are we willing to put in the hard, selfless work to be, in the words of “The Peace Prayer of St Francis, instruments of God’s Peace?
What sort of work are individuals inside the church and outside of the church willing to do? Are we willing to put aside mistrust and “old grievances” in order to be a part of something new?
These are the things that I am contemplating this Memorial Day weekend. These are the things that I am contemplating as I remember those who have died in warfare (military and civilian on all sides of any conflict).
“The goal of a knowledge arising from love is the reunification and reconstruction of broken selves and worlds. A knowledge born of compassion aims not at exploiting and manipulating creation, but at reconciling the world to itself.”—Parker J. Palmer
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A wonderful day with two of our three boys
A lovely hike in the Georgia mountains
Enjoying the wonder of Creation
Embracing a time for study
Embracing a time to Be Still
Preparing for another Lord’s day
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
In a world of noise, confusion and conflict it is necessary that there be places of silence, inner discipline and peace. In such places love can blossom. — Thomas Merton (Opening the Bible)
Sometimes an image and brief quote say it all… this is one of those times ❤️
The healthiest, holiest way to honor combatants killed, is to stop sending new combatants to take their place – to kill and be killed – again and again!—Tony Magliano
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a day for work and fellowship
It has been a time filled with opportunities to Be Still
It has also been a wonderful evening with family
A time of laughter and love
With the visit of the cardinals today
Our moms were watching over us
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“A first principle of nonviolence as a way of life is that we begin by examining and seeking to change our own hearts and actions. The first step, and one that must be taken each day, is a turning inward, a perusal of the soul to discover and lay open both the seeds and the wounds of violence deep within our own hearts.”—Robert McGlasson
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
In a time when life can be made so complicated
By division and discord
By fear and mistrust
By political and religious differences
At times like this we need your gentle reminder, Lord
Help us to see the divine light around us
Remind us through words such as were shared by Merton
Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. — Thomas Merton in his final as Novice Master at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
