Sacred Words

 

Some Questions You Might Ask by Mary Oliver

The Sunflowers by Mary Oliver

“The universe doesn’t want us to grow complacent in its beauty.” ~ Alyson Richman

“The flowers of this field fulfill their lives in the abundance of their beauty. It is the pleasure of the flowers to give more than simple need requires. They adorn the earth and perfume the air, and they clearly say without the gift of speech that life is good and sweet, and though sometimes tangled in thorns, it is crowned with loveliness.” – Old Turtle, Questions of the Heart.

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” – Stanley Horowitz

GENTLE
A gentler world begins
in the way you touch your heart.
Be soft with the light inside you.
Caress your body with this breath.
God is nothing else
but the place where the sun comes up in your chest.
You are the glimmering destination.
You are the golden honey daubed
on the bread of the ordinary.
Whatever is perfect,
whatever is heavenly,
begins here. ~ Fred LaMotte

A WINTER SOLSTICE PRAYER BY EDWARD HAYS
The dark shadow of space leans over us…
We are mindful that the darkness of greed, exploitation, and hatred
also lengthens its shadow over our small planet Earth.
As our ancestors feared death and evil and all the dark powers of winter,
we fear that the darkness of war, discrimination, and selfishness
may doom us and our planet to an eternal winter.
May we find hope in the lights we have kindled on this sacred night,
hope in one another and in all who form the web-work of peace and justice
that spans the world.
In the heart of every person on this Earth
burns the spark of luminous goodness;
in no heart is there total darkness.
May we who have celebrated this winter solstice,
by our lives and service, by our prayers and love,
call forth from one another the light and the love
that is hidden in every heart.
Amen.