Prayers and Poems

Violence never again

War never again!

Terrorism never again!

In God's name,

may all religions bring upon earth

justice and peace,

forgiveness, life and love!

~His Holiness Pope John Paul II- 01.24.2002~

Lord, take me where You want me to go;

Let me meet who You want me to meet;

Tell me what You want me to say; and

Keep me out of your way.
~Father Mychal Judge - FDNY - died 9/11/01~

0 our Father, the Sky, hear us

and make us strong.

0 our Mother, the Earth, hear us

and give us support.

0 Spirit of the East,

send us your Wisdom.

0 Spirit of the South,

may we tread your path.

0 Spirit of the West,

may we always be ready for the long journey.

0 Spirit of the North, purify us

with your cleansing winds.~American Indian - Sioux~

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

~Mahatma Gandhi - early 20th century~

Today, like every other day,
we wake up empty and frightened.
Don't open the door to the study and
begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and
kiss the ground.
~Sufi mystic - Jelaluddin Rumi - 13th century~

I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill-health.
There is no way to escape having ill-health.
I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love
are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from
them.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground on which I stand.
~Buddha~

May I become at all times, both now and
forever,
A protector for those without protection
A guide for those who have lost their way
A ship for those with oceans to cross
A bridge for those with rivers to cross
A sanctuary for those in danger
A lamp for those without light
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
And a servant to all in need.
~Buddhist - prayer of peace~

May I be a protector to those without
protection,
A leader for those who journey,
And a boat, a bridge, a passage
For those desiring the further shore.
May the pain of every living creature
Be completely cleared away.
May I be the doctor and the medicine
And may I be the nurse
For all sick beings in the world
Until everyone is healed.
Just like space
And the great elements such as earth,
May I always support the life
Of all the boundless creatures.
And until they pass away from pain
May I also be the source of life
For all the realms of varied beings
That reach unto the ends of space.
~a guide to the Bodhisattva's way of life - Shantideva~

newimage1.gif (652226 bytes)
Painting by late Canadian artist, Tom Thomson

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Do not seek too much fame,
but do not seek obscurity.
Be proud.
But do not remind the world of your
deeds.
Excel when you must,
but do not excel the world.
Many heroes are not yet born, many
have already died.
To be alive to hear this song is a victory
~West African Song~

Have patience with everything
unresolved in your heart
and try to love the questions themselves.
Don't search for the answers,
which could not be given to you now,
because you would not be able to live them.
And the point is, to live everything.
Live the questions now.
Perhaps then, someday far in the future,
you will gradually, without even noticing it,
live your way into the answer.
~Rainer Maria Rilke~

Move beyond any attachment to
names.
Every war and every conflict between
human beings
has happened because of some
disagreement about names.
It's such an unnecessary foolishness,
because just beyond the arguing
there's a long table of companionship,
set and waiting for us to sit down.
What is praised is one, so the praise is
one too,
many jugs being poured into a huge
basin.
All religions, all this singing, one song.
The differences are just illusion and
vanity.
Sunlight looks slightly different on this
wall than it does on that wall.
and a lot different on this other one,
but it is still one light.
We have borrowed these clothes,
these time-and-space personalities,
from a light,
and when we praise,
we pour them back in.
~Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi - 13th century~

Peace, if it ever exists, will not be based
on the fear of war,
but on the love of peace.
It will not be the abstaining
from an act,
but the coming of a state of mind.
~Herman Wouk- Winds of War~
Peace.
Peace She says to me.
Peace to your soul.
I am the beauty in the leaf.
I am the echo in a baby's laugh.
I am your Mother.
I am the joy in the heart that beats.
I am the free woman.
I am the one who breaks the shackles of
oppression.
You are my hands and feet.
~Gaien prayer- Jason Clark~

As the rain hides the stars,
as the autumn mist
hides the hills,
as the clouds veil
the blue of the sky, so
the dark happenings of my lot
hide the shining of thy face from me.
Yet, if I may hold thy hand in the darkness,
it is enough, since I know,
that though I may stumble in my going,
Thou dost not fall.
~traditional - Scottish Gaelic~

Benedict, when the storm rages
around me,
and I can hold on no more,
when the waves of fear engulf me
and I am weary,
battered and sore,
take me then and steer me
storm-tossed, broken and afraid,
into the arms of your safe harbour
safely home.
~prayer to St. benedict - Fr. Dennis Ward O.S.B.~