Pause
Listen—
There is no difference between
healing your body and healing the Earth
or helping another to heal.
It is all the same Body.
There is no difference between
healing Earth’s body and healing your own
or helping another to heal.
We are all the One Body.
Begin anywhere.
Begin with one tree,
or a bird.
Begin with your own heart
or skin, clean out your liver,
clear your mind.
Begin with the growth of a child,
your family’s good.
Then continue to include
one small part at the time.
You will be healing the Whole.
From This Is My Body: Praying for Earth, Prayers from the Heart
by Alla Renée Bozarth
The beauty that emerges from woundedness is a beauty infused with feeling; a beauty different from the beauty of landscape and the cold beauty of perfect form. This is a beauty that has suffered its way through the ache of desolation until the words or music emerged to equal the hunger and desperation at its heart. It must also be said that not all woundedness succeeds in finding its way through to beauty of form. Most woundedness remains hidden, lost inside forgotten silence. Indeed, in every life there is some wound that continues to weep secretly, even after years of attempted healing. Where woundedness can be refined into beauty a wonderful transfiguration takes place.
- Excerpt from Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O'Donohue
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
- Matthew 4:23-25
Compassionate God,
Shed the light of your healing love on all who are sick in body, mind, or spirit, that they may find new wholeness illumined by your grace.
Knit together in your love all whose relationships have frayed, that they may find reconciliation and new beginnings.
Bless all who work to improve the health of others, that they may bring hope, care, wisdom, and skill to all they serve.
Hold in the palm of your hand all who are near death and all who care for them, that they may know the peace that passes all understanding.
Adapted from “A Litany for Healing” by Rev. Adam Thomas
Comfortable
Help me be comfortable in you
God, Creator, Father, Mother
Help me with new cues and
Clues as to your love and support
Help so that now and forever
We will be comfortable with one another
Tap me on the shoulder
Kiss my cheek
Embrace me with an everlasting
Silent hold
Let me be comfortable – finally
Not anxious
Let all of us be comfortable
No dis-ease
Just safe and comfortable
With one another
by Al Lemieux
I think it's a deep consolation to know that spiders dream, that monkeys tease predators, that dolphins have accents, that lions can be scared silly by a lone mongoose, that otters hold hands, and ants bury their dead. That there isn't their life and our life. Nor your life and my life. That it's just one teetering and endless thread and all of us, all of us, are entangled with it as deep as entanglement goes.
– Author unknown
This article appeared in the Autumn 2024 issue of Living Peace.