This Week's Prayer

Words of Howard Thurman:

"In the quietness of this place, surrounded by the all-pervading presence of the Holy, my heart whispers: Keep fresh before me the moments of my High Resolve, that in good times or in tempests, I may not forget that to which my life is committed. Keep fresh before me the moments of my high resolve." (SLT #498)

Dear All-Pervading Presence,

Let our high resolve be perfect love, that we may live what we see.

When we see sunrise, bright promise, the beauty of the day and the laughter of friends, may we fully connect and live what we see.

When we see the suffering of the world, the hungry, homeless, refugees, oppression, may we also fully connect with that, live what we see, bring it into our hearts and live it through compassionate response.

When we see courage, may we live what we see. In Syria, an underground newspaper, Enab Baladi, has become the most prominent independent publication in the midst of that void of order and information. It is staffed largely by women. Three of its editors have been killed, eight reporters detained and tortured, yet this this so-called “gang of girls” continues to provide the only in-depth coverage of how the war affects civilians, families, and day-to-day life for millions of Syrians.

We remember, too, the courage of the six marines and two Nepalese soldiers lost when their helicopter, on a relief flight helping victims of Nepal’s earthquake went down in the mountains east of Kathmandu.

When we see creative beauty that lifts spirits, may we live what we see -- and hear. The brilliant blues guitarist B.B. King, who died this week, lived in his music what he saw of life’s sadness and wrought a music of transcendent power that helped millions rise up from loneliness, despair, disrespect, and alienation.

When we see committed service in places of greatest need, may we, too, live what we see. The Ebola outbreak is coming under control, thanks to more than 10,000 health workers and volunteers from around the world that gradually taught people to avoid unnecessary physical contact, go to a clinic the moment they displayed symptoms, and to forgo the traditional ritual of washing corpses.

Let our high resolve be perfect love, that we may live what we see.

And keep fresh before us the moments of our high resolve.