May God bless you...

My friend, Eleanor, buried her mother this week. Elsie was 93, and she was an amazing lady from all accounts. So it was only fitting that her funeral involved several touching eulogies with stories from her life. It also ended with a wonderful, thought-provoking Four-fold Benedictine Blessing that I just learned was written by Sr. Ruth Fox. I share it today, and pray that we all find enough foolishness in our lives to attempt the impossible. As last week's scripture said, "with God, all things are possible," and as St. Teresa of Avila was fond of pointing out, Christ has no hands or feet but ours... Happy Sunday!

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,
Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour,
and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide,
be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore.

AMEN