“Nonviolence is a necessary part of the mere foundation for the demanding, scared task of building the Beloved Community. Surely we would admit that our high-tech bombs and missiles are made of our fears, racism, sexism, and overwhelming greed. Are we not called to a thorough re-arranging of our lives for lasting non-cooperation with violence?”—Leonard Desroches, Allow the Water
| Verse of the day Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. – Proverbs 10:12 (NIV) |
| Voice of the day I firmly believe that hatred, like anger, works on the physical glandular system as well as on the moral fiber of our nation, and in doing so, can bring no positive good. – Margaret Walker, How I Wrote Jubilee and Other Essays on Life and Literature (1990) |
| Prayer of the day Lord, give us tender hearts that refuse to be hardened by hate. May your Spirit show us how to love others with mercy and grace. Let our words and actions reflect your most holy nature. |
What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it all the rest are not only useless but disastrous. — Thomas Merton (Wisdom of the Desert Fathers)
Food for thought … I would add the abyss we have created between each other.,,
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long day of study and writing
It has been a day of prayer and reflection
These words from Thomas Merton’s poem “Fire Watch” echo in my heart
The night, O My Lord, is a time of freedom.
I sit in darkness. I sit in human silence. I begin to hear the eloquent night.
In the darkness may we find rest
In the darkness may we find refreshment
In the darkness may we be surrounded by your loving presence
In the darkness may we finally be still
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…
These prayers begin with Thomas Merton’s words from his prose poem “Hagia Sophia” and his poem “Evening Prayer” from The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton. Following his words are my own… the picture of the Azalea bush comes from our front garden.
Dawn – The Hour of Lauds
I am awakened, I am born again at the voice of this,
my Sister, sent to me from the depths of the divine
fecundity. — Thomas Merton (from Hagia Sophia)
The light gently peeks through the shutters
I roll over for just a wee bit more sleep
She is patient with me
A non-morning person
As I awaken I say to my beloved
This is the day the Lord has made
My beloved responds
Let us rejoice and be glad in it
The day begins
It is filled with possibilities
The coffee or tea brews
The morning ritual has begun
Day – High Morning – The Hour of Tierce
The Sun burns in the sky like the Face of God, but
we do not know his countenance as terrible. His light
is diffused in the air and the light of God is diffused
by Hagia Sophia. — Thomas Merton (from Hagia Sophia)
Work begins
Emails to reply to
Bulletins to be prepared
The sun is making its way across the sky
Sunlight spills in through the office windows
Too often I get caught up in the tasks of the day
A squirrel scampers and jumps from limb to limb
A robin chirps and sits on a branch
Spirit, Spirit of Wisdom, Hagia Sophia
You call me gently to simply be still
Dusk – Sunset – The Hour of Compline – Salve Regina
The shadows fall. The stars appear. The birds begin to sleep.
Night embraces the silent half of the earth. A vagrant, a destitute
wanderer with dusty feet, finds his way down a new road. A
homeless God, lost in the night, without papers, without
identifications, without even a number, a frail expendable exile
lies down in desolation under the sweet stars of the world and
entrusts Himself to sleep. — Thomas Merton (from Hagia Sophia)
We unwind on the couch
Denise, Pixie, Me
Relaxing after supper
Taking time to process the day
Writing, reflecting, contemplating
My prayer begins
The sun has set and the Vesper lights flicker and glow
Again She calls me to simply be still
Dark
Rising from my heart
Full of Care
I lift up my hands
In evening sacrifice
Lord, receive my prayer. — Thomas Merton (“Evening Prayer” from The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton)
Now, settling into bed for the night
We share one last prayer together
Thom Shuman’s Evening Prayer recording
Northumbria Community’s Compline
The lights are turned off
The day is done, gone the sun
Safely drifting off in the arms of Hagia Sophia, Lady Wisdom
A beautiful reflection from Jake ❣️❣️
Aside from playing catch and riding in the car, our dog Gracie enjoys taking walks more than anything. She loves the exercise, the sights, the smells. Especially the smells. But what she likes best of all is that we’re doing it together.
A Long, Uneven Walk
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at the goal.”—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Verse of the day For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. – James 2:26
Voice of the day
It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem. – Coretta Scott King
Prayer of the day
Lord, keep us free from fear and selfish preoccupations that we may walk as you walked among those whom the world routinely neglects. – Adapted from Common Prayer
“For me, activism is about a spiritual practice as a way of life. I realized I didn’t climb the tree because I was angry at the corporations and the government; I climbed the tree because when I fell in love with the redwoods, I fell in love with the world. So it is my feeling of ‘connection’ that drives me, instead of my anger and feelings of being disconnected.”
—Julia Butterfly Hill
| Verse of the day Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8 |
| Voice of the day Those who build walls are their own prisoners. I’m going to go fulfill my proper function in the social organism. I’m going to go unbuild walls. We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. – Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed (1974) |
| Prayer of the day Lord, may we always seek to build community. Let us walk humbly in grace and love as we walk beside one another. |
