Come here to see a reflection shared by one of our chaplains every morning on our morning report!
blessed are you by jan richardson - shared by chaplain director john oliver
Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.
Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes—
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith,
in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.
© Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons
litany for the earth - jan pratt - shared by chaplain intern lauren jacobi
Here is the text of the first half of Psalm 24 (NLT).
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.
Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.
They will receive the Lord’s blessing
and have a right relationship with God their savior.
Such people may seek you
and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.
- Psalm 24:1-6
God, we lament the destruction that has been done
That we have permitted to be done
By our silence and inaction
And by our direct action
To the Earth - Your creation. *
Forgive us, Oh God.
Even now we realize that our home
Is suffering
Its inhabitants are suffering
From lack of clean water and air
Lack of life-giving nourishment
Lack of safe habitat.
Help us to become aware
Of the needs of humanity,
Of the needs of generations to come,
Of the needs of soil and creatures.
We acknowledge that we have a chance:
To choose peace over profit
To choose activity over complacency
To choose a Greater Good over today’s convenience.
Arouse in us a new compassion,
A new willingness to change,
A new excitement to foster community,
A new faith in the abundance of your Kingdom.
A new zeal for establishing the Peace and Justice of God,
A new desire to set the Earth to rights
A new understanding of the connectedness of all things,
A new appreciation of the gift of Earth.
Amen
Cleansing Rain (a Nature Meditation by Kenya Jackson-Saulters, MS, reiki master) - Shared by chaplain intern aaron shirley
Find a place to sit quietly for a few minutes. Close your eyes and imagine a rainstorm rolling in. Feel the experience of the storm surrounding you. Hear the loud claps of thunder. See the bright flashes of lighting. Listen for the pitter-patter of raindrops on the trees, the ground, the rocks. Now imagine that this rain has come to cleanse you. Think of something that's causing you stress, and allow the raindrops to wash over you, taking your troubles along with them as they run into the ground.
A Prayer by st anselm of canterbury - shared by chaplain intern tanner hendricks
O my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You,
where and how to find You.
You are my God and You are my all and I have never seen You.
You have made me and remade me,
You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,
Still I do not know You.
I have not yet done that for which I was made.
Teach me to seek You.
I cannot seek You unless You teach me
or find You unless You show Yourself to me.
Let me seek You in my desire,
let me desire You in my seeking.
Let me find You by loving You,
let me love You when I find You.
Amen
A Blessing for Healers (Prayer by the Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative at Duke) - Shared by Chaplain Intern Aaron Shirley
Bless the patients we each touch that all who care for them would recognize them as creatures who need rest and bread. As wonderers who need beauty and delight. As companions who need relationship, friendship, and communion with you.
Give us eyes to see what you would have us see. Give us ears to hear what you would have us hear. Give us discernment and humility as we engage what may be unfamiliar to us, testing all things according to your Word, holding fast to what is good.
May you be revealed in our breaking of bread. May we recognize your beauty, may we find that we belong to you, and leave this world changed and charged to heal anew.
Amen.