O Lord, the Author and Persuador of peace, love and goodwill, soften hearts that are hard and steely ... warm hearts frozen by fear, that we may wish well to one another, and may be true followers of the Way of Love. And give us grace even now to show forth that heavenly life, wherein fear does not abide -- but peace and love on all hands, one toward another. Amen.
For a full day and two nights I have been alone. I lay on the beach under the stars at night alone.... Beauty of earth and sear and air meant more to me. I was in harmony it, melted into the universe, lost in it, as one is lost in a canticle of praise, swelling from an unknown crowd in a cathedral. I felt closer to humankind, too, even in my solitude. For it is not physical solitude that separate us from others, not physical isolation, but spiritual isolation.
~ from A GIFT FROM THE SEA by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
I grew up in this forest and I knew These giant trees when they were nothing more than Than slender saplings swaying in the wind; Sought solitude, delighted in the lore Of nature, who became my teacher first; Walked down trails where sun and shadow meet, Through silence softly tucked about the days; Traced the twists and turns of every creek. Stepping lightly through the after-glow, Amid the falling flakes of silver white, Belonging to the moment and the mood, Another little creature of the night, With quickened breath, ears attuned, who stood ... Sensing God within this winter wood!
Only solitude can provide the depth for universal friendship. Those who can be solitary have withdrawn their projections and are innately nonviolent. They have broken with the crowd, and their communities do not become rival crowds in their turn. Solitude gives us the transformational insight that all things are held together in the boundless, open community of God. To be friends with one another is only seeing what we are in God together. This insight is the criterion of all genuine holiness.
Holiness demands courage. The courage born of holiness.
If we want to live like a feather on the Wind, we must strive at least once a day to taste the peace of paradise that dwells within us. We need to find some time each day to sit quietly in peace, in stillness, savoring the mystery of God within us. Such silent sitting will not only prepare us to find "eternal rest" at the time of our death; it will help us find infinite peace in the midst of the problems of life.
'Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"
Peace be within you, dear friends! How do we learn to experience a true, lasting peace without an opposite? Listening in the Silence and heeding the Indwelling Word of Peace through love, not fear, seems a blessed beginning. Pass PEACE on ...
Peace always begins within each of us. Our ability to create in the world depends on our ability, first, to work to create peace in our own lives. It's much easier to advocate peace on Earth than it is to be able to bring peace your own home. Or your own heart.
O, Great Peacemaker You make your Home in our hearts, as Loving Companion Presence. In the Silence, we come to know You; With unreserved, radical trust, our path is made sure. Bonded in Love, we become empowered to serve with mercy and justice: One with You One with All. Blessed are You, O Life of our Lives! Hear our grateful prayer, O, Blessed Peacemaker!
Mattie Stepanik is a personal friend and one of the most remarkable young people I have known. He wanted to be a peacemaker and through his poems and own courageous example, he proves that finding peace within one's self can lead to harmony among families, communities, and nations. With wisdom and uncomplicated vision Mattie reminds us how easy it is to forgive others, to find something amazing even in the most trivial things, and to celebrate the little gifts of each day.
~ President Jimmy Carter in JOURNEY THROUGH HEARTSONGS by Mattie Stepanik (age 10)
