Poems and Prayers of Comfort and for Peace
Feasting and Feeding: Meditation for Eastertide on the occasion of the
Boston Marathon bombings
In the quiet aftermath of bombings, shootings, and death,
Noises rattle our heads, stealing our breath.
Amid this loud internal strife,
We stretch our arms toward “normal life,”
But normal is very far away,
And churning seas are rough today.
Tossed on seas, with noise still ringing,
Hope arises, but not with singing
Hope appears in the form of a man
Cooking for friends – nothing grand,
But grandness is faintly glimpsed through the prism
Of the God-man, Jesus, who died and is risen –
Yet the man is preparing an ordinary breakfast
To nourish his friends with food and steadfastness.
His friends are distraught, burdened with cares,
Seeking their way through loss and despair.
They might hope to forget and run to the past
But today hope comes with breaking the fast –
The fragrant hope in food for the bones
Cooked by their friend who won’t leave them alone.
In these Boston days of tragic soundings
We cannot expect brilliant rebounding,
But hope comes boldly on the shore of a lake
In the common treasures that awake
Our senses to Life abounding –
In the sharing of food and laughter resounding.
The feast is large and very filling
And deep inside, it stirs our willing
For a new world freed from violence and hate
A world we glimpse as we stand at the gate … …
Watching and listening to the call that is beckoning
Asking all people to do hard reckoning –
But to pause on the shore with those who feed us,
Then feed God’s sheep – the ones who need us.
—Mary Elizabeth Moore
Based on John 21:1-19
April 26, 2013
“For all those we have harmed, knowingly or unknowingly,
We are truly sorry. Forgive us and set us free.
For all those who have harmed us,
Knowingly or unknowingly, we forgive them
And we set them free.
And for the harm we have done to ourselves,
knowingly or unknowingly,
We are truly sorry. We forgive ourselves
And we set ourselves free.
Peace in my heart brings peace to my family.
Peace in my family brings peace to my community.
Peace in my community brings peace to my nation.
Peace in my nation brings peace to my world.
Let there be peace on Earth,
And let it begin with me.”
(As Spoken at the Sacred Center- Manhattan, NY)
Blessings,
Alicia Wood
“Always here – the lake, the hills, the sky…
Sweet smell of pine cones, roasting in the sun…
Always here – the lone loon’s aching cry…
Twin stars, above, below, when day is done…
Always here – the peepers’ symphony,
The circling gulls, the eagles’ swooping flight…
Always here – the lilies’ mystery,
Up from black mud come blooms of purest white…
When far away amid the city’s din,
With suffering, sin, and sorrow ever near,
I shall be glad, remembering again,
The lake, the hills, the sky are always here.”
Always Here
by Dr. Clarine Coffin Grenfell
Long Pond, Maine, 1937
“Through this tragedy of great loss, I ask the universe for the strenght, kinship and love of humanity to only grow through education, empathy and kindness. Love is the answer, I pray we remember this lesson.”
Thank you for this opportunity to reach out to this blessed community.
All my best,
Simonne Ronk