We prayed this prayer at our last meeting and loved it so much that we wanted to share it with you. Joyce Rupp was kind enough to give us permission to reprint it. Her website is at the bottom of this post. Treat yourself by paying a visit to it.
Each new year extends an invitation to re-enter the process of transformation, for self and for our world. This valuable process involves both a deliberate letting go of the past and an intentional welcoming of what is possible for the future. We stand at the threshold, looking back and looking ahead. We will make choices and decisions in 2010 of how we create our reality. We live on a wounded planet. We share life in a world where there is great suffering of humanity. But we do not despair. The Holy One continues to awaken us. We have what we need to bring peace to our world. This is my prayer for each and all of us:
To let go of the idea that I am separate from the rest of creation.
To welcome the countless ways that unite me with all that exists.
To let go of whatever keeps me indifferent to the suffering of others.
To welcome and act on the compassion and kindness stored within me.
To let go of past woundedness and hurts that I carry.
To welcome my ability to forgive and be healed.
To let go of aversion and avoidance of the unwanted.
To welcome people and events disturbing my comfort zone.
To let go of my inattentiveness to the beauty dwelling in existence.
To welcome the little joys and great wonders that are always present.
To let go of the pull of consumerism on my desires.
To welcome simple living and the bounty to be shared.
To let go of being imprisoned by self-centeredness.
To welcome the ways that life draws my gifts outward.
To let go of what stalls my spiritual growth.
To welcome quiet times to be with the Beloved.
To let go of worry about that which I fret and stew.
To welcome a stronger trust that all shall be well.
To let go of the desire to have a perfect life.
To welcome the taken-for-granted life that I have.
To let go of those who have departed this sphere of life.
To welcome the love and good memories they leave behind.
To let go of the old year’s troubles and burdens.
To welcome the new year with its wide open hope.
© Joyce Rupp www.joycerupp.com
