rod =: aah -: SAS . es" : : as e. . s- , za am* Js 3 M. = tee ’ . . . i Ys o > & ta? « : ae AS ; . : , . » . ; a &- ; anoene 2 *%. ‘eo oi*@, . : < »* Be b “ss Bihy : v.> ae |.oe Sane; “ase ie At rr? Cael st me ate 5 » sw: — 5 oo id 3 > - A wate : e. .: . RgHt ., ey . 7% Oo week , i aySS Fonte . ne Yee “a oe a a o plete ip *S 4 . W45.; ¢ 44 t455 ra0 rie p. Paited 2 Taree ~ -— + ay s €: :. P THE VESSEL I ask God for a special kind of body and get the one I have right now. What thoughts and feelings do I have about this body? We hear of saints who hated or were neutral to their bodies. What attitude is mine? Where did I get it? In the blueprint I have drawn up for my life how does my body help or hinder? If it could speak, what would my body say about the blueprint? My relationship with my body powerfully affects my life for good or evil. The finest way to heal, or deepen, the relationship is dialogue. My body must be frank in expressing its resentments— and its fears—of me. I must be just as frank. We keep at it till we are reconciled and understand and love each other better. We must then state explicitly our expectations of each other. Before we end the dialogue I ask my body for a word of wisdom. Scripture reveals my body’s spirituality. It says my body is God’s temple, the spirit’s dwelling place. What does that mean? It further says our bodies are not ours but Christ’s 4 so he can say of me, “This is my body.” Again | wonder at the meaning of those words. I see myself go through the actions of the day (eating, washing, playing, sleeping) with the consciousness that my body is the home of the divine. Or caring for it as for the body of my beloved. Finally I speak to God about my body. And listen as he speaks to me. I am energized by Jove. So I recapture and relive the times when I felt loved, cared for, and treasured. And I see myself going out in love to friends, to those who are in need, and to every living creature. I get peace and healing from my roots in nature. I recall what happens when I[ am in harmony with earth and sky, with mountains, rivers, oceans, and nature’s many moods and nature’s seasons. I find everything in prayer, which is for me fragrance and food a home, a shield, a tonic. s I recall the seasons of my prayer: the moments I cry out in despair, the days of glad thanksgiving, the times of stillness, presence, adoration. First I pray for people whom I love. Over each of them I say a blessing: “May you be safe from harm and evil,” imagining that my words create a protective shield of grace around them. Then I move on to people I dislike and people who dislike me. Over each of them I say this prayer: “May you and I be friends some day,” imagining some future scene where this comes to pass. I think of anxious people whom I know, people who are depressed. To each of them I say: “May you find peace and joy,” | imagining that my wish for them becomes reality. I think of people who are handicapped, people who are in pain, and say: “May you find strength and courage,” imagining that my words unleash resources within each of them. I think of lonely people: people lacking love or separated from their loved ones, and to each of them I say: “May God’s abiding company be yours.” I think of older people who, with the passing of each day, must face the reality of approaching death, and to each of them I say: “May you find the grace to joyfully let go of life.” I think of the young and recite this prayer: “May the promise of your youth be met and your life be fruitful.” Finally I say to each of the people I live with: “May my contact with you be a grace for both of us.” I come back to my heart now to rest awhile in the silence that I find there and in the loving feeling that has come alive in me as a consequence of my prayer for others. MU ATG Spe C | Ps al Cc = a. ted in U.S.A.