Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple.
—Luke 14.26-27
Loving Christ,
give me the grace to join you on the cross
of the suffering of the world.
Borne by your love,
empowered by your Spirit in me,
raised from death by your grace,
held gently in your tenderness,
I walk through the refugee’s desert of hope,
the patient’s waiting room of despair,
the war victim’s ruins.
Give me courage to cease reserving my love
for my family alone:
for the poor, the outcast, the oppressed,
those who suffer are also my flesh and blood.
Give me grace to die to my separateness,
and be raised in oneness with you
and all who suffer and are raised.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net