An Interfaith Prayer for World Pulse and for The Listening Campaign
by Sarah Whitten-G... | August 13, 2012 at 7:43 AM
dsc_1627.JPGThis prayer is for each of you. It is my favorite morning prayer, which I say at the ocean's edge with my dogs. The divinity or power to whom the prayer is addressed can be whatever God, Gods and Goddesses you celebrate. The prayer has been attributed to more than one author, so it's safe to say that the author is unknown. - Rev. Sarah
Wash from us all that we think we are,
Our struggles, our stands, our cherished opinions,
Leave us only your purity and your grace.
Wipe away the mask of judgement we have placed on your children
And show us the faces made in your image,
That we may see our own as well.
Brush aside all shrines to the future, all altars to the past,
Replace them with love.
Give us your golden present; a home in you, immovable and eternal.
Still all voice within us, fill us with the hush of your peace.
Now you are our thoughts, our purpose, and our way.
All we need and all we are is you.
Comments
This is beautiful. Thanks for
This is beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
You're Welcome!
You're welcome, Kim! Isn't it lovely? The first time I heard it -- my first day at Interfaith Seminary -- I loved it and asked about it.
Comfort & Joy,
- Sarah
A treasure!
What a beautiful and heart-warming prayer... a prayer that speaks to much of my heartache. Every day I pray that we can be, as a human family, more tolerant and compassionate, less judgmental and critical. Here are a couple quotes I have come upon in the last few weeks.
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other." ~Mother Teresa
By respecting every person I meet I worship God, and in loving every soul on earth I feel my devotion for Him. ~Hazrat Inayat Khan
And what a perfect prayer to hear at your first day of Interfaith Seminary. Just beautiful!
Thank You!
Thank you, Khan!
And thank you for that beautiful quote from Mother Theresa. So true!
Khan, if the spirit moves you, go look at The Listening Campaign on my Facebook page. It is an invitation to a day of really, truly Listening to each other, to the planet, to those who often go unheard, to the beloved members of our animal kingdom : http://www.facebook.com/TheListeningCampaign
All the best to you, and keep in touch.
Comfort & Joy,
Rev. Sarah, Interfaith
Apologies!
Dear Kara-Amena,
I thought I'd responded to your lovely email, but I don't see my comment here, so now I will answer, just in case. Perhaps I wrote a reply and forgot to send it.
Yes, that prayer seems to express everything that needs to be expressed. I say it at the ocean's edge when I am there with my dogs in the morning, imagining the waters washing over me and granting me a new beginning.
I left out a crucial line in the first verse as follows:
Wash from us all that we think we are,
Our struggles, our stands, our cherished opinions,
OUR SOARING DREAMS AND DEADENING FEARS.
Leave us only your purity and your grace.
We all have "soaring dreams and deadening fears," and as you so eloquently express, only through understanding this about each other can we become a human family.
Comfort and Joy to You, and keep in touch as the spirit moves you,
- Sarah
Distractions!
Well, Kara- Amena!
Now I know what happened with my communication to you; I was shamefully distracted (in the middle of a move from one home to another, actually), I read your lovely email in haste the first time, and responded, calling you by the wrong name! ('Khan,' the person you quoted.) Please forgive me; I am usually more careful.
All the best ,
- Sarah
No worries!
I'm sorry I couldn't reply earlier - I would have saved you all this confusion. Thanks for giving me the missing line to the prayer. And thanks for clarifying your first response - I wondered if Khan was some sort of term of endearment that you used for people :)
Keep up your great work.
Peace and blessings,
~Kara
Comfort & Joy
Thank you, Kara!
Comfort & Joy to you, and let us keep in touch.
- Sarah
Beautiful
Sarah with an h
As usual you have filled my spirit. This is beautiful
Ubuntu,
Wendy Stebbins
Wendy Stebbins
Founder/CEO
I AM ONE IN A MILLION Non-Profit Organization focused on helping street orphans and vulnerable children in Livingstone, Zambia Africa.
Thank you!
Wendy, I'm so glad! I send you comfort and joy!
- Sarah
PRAYER
Dear Sarah with an h,
Your morning prayer was so heartfelt that I wanted to share with you, the prayer that, until he moved, my security guard in Livingstone Zambia and I used to read aloud together each morning when I came outside:
"May I be a guard for those who are protectorless,
A guide for those who journey on the road,
For those who wish to go across the water,
May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.
May I be an isle for those who yearn for landfall,
And a lamp for those who long for light,
For those who need a resting place, a bed,
For all who need a servant, may I be their helper.
May I be the wishing jewel, the vase of plenty,
A word of power and the supreme healing,
May I be the tree of miracles,
And for every being the abundant cow.
And the prayer the Dalai lama says every morning is:
And now as time endures
As long as their are beings to be found
May I continue likewise to remain
To drive away the sorrows of the world
Ubuntu,
Wendy
P.S. Both are from The Way of the Bodhisattva
Wendy Stebbins
Founder/CEO
I AM ONE IN A MILLION Non-Profit Organization focused on helping street orphans and vulnerable children in Livingstone, Zambia Africa.