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COMMENTARY
PRAYER for Our Time
October 2006 Prayer by Sheila Norris, VOTF Concerned
Catholics of Colorado
[Sheila wrote: Our affiliate in Denver (CCC-VOTF), Colorado
Concerned Catholics, embraced as one of our core values,
being in prayer together on a monthly basis in the hope
of transforming our own selves even as we work toward
the transformation of our Church.”]
The morning newspaper headline screamed “Unspeakable”,
describing a recent horror surrounding a nearby, close-knit,
mountain community that claimed a young, promising
life in their midst. Two weeks previous to this inexplicable
nightmare, ten Nobel Peace Prize Winners assembled
in our city to work with 3000 teens from around the
world. The mission of these heroic mentors was to inspire
the next generation to become activists in their own
respective communities, creating pockets of peace around
our fractured planet.
None of us remain innocent now, untouched by the blindness
of hatred and ignorance. There are no safe shores or
hideaways. Homeland Security measures will never be
able to eradicate the darkness hidden deep in the minds
and hearts of our citizenry. It is up to each one of
us to become the leaders we now need so desperately,
to look within our own souls and to name, confront
and integrate our individual shadows. We are powerless
to effect change in the erratic behavior of radical
religious fundamentalists or random killers. But each
of us is challenged to reflect upon our own internal
paradoxes and to find the courage to become wagers
of peace within ourselves, our families and our communities.
Perhaps seeking during the month of October the companionship
of one who inspires you will enable you to deepen your
prayers and plans for peace in your corner of the cosmos.
One such wisdom figure that patterned his peace movement
on Gospel values helped to create the modern democracy
of India. Gandhi is credited with the statement that “Happiness
occurs when what we believe, what we say and what we
do are all in harmony.” May harmony and compassion
make new inroads in our lives this autumn.
O Brother Francis, You, too, walked in the human
condition and knew well its play of light and shadow.
As we celebrate
your presence in the communion of saints this month
and honor your legacy of peacemaking, break us open.
Grant us the trust we will need as we lay bare
the discord, doubt, resentment, despair and hatred
in our
own hearts. Rather than projecting this darkness
on our enemies, teach us to claim these as our own,
just
as you embraced the leper.
May You, who calmed the wolf of Gubbio, relieve
us of the anxiety and fear that cause us to forget
our
Divine connection to one another and to all of
creation.
You asked to receive the pain that Jesus endured
in the crucifixion. Grant us hearts that are
eager to
receive and reach out to those in our midst who
suffer.
Show us, Brother Francis, how to help heal and
repair the brokenness within and around us.
Make us transparent
instruments of Divine peace whose lives correspond
with our deepest beliefs.
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