Mayan Prayer

O, God, beauty of the day, heart of the heavens and of the earth;

giver of wealth, giver of daughters and sons.

Help us to feel within ourselves the need to search for you,

to invoke your name, to praise you along the roads,

in the valleys, in the ravines,

on the riverbanks and under the trees.

Protect us, that we may not be entangled in evil,

that we will not trip into shame and misfortune.

Help us not to slip and get hurt, that we may not fall along the way.

Protect us from obstacles that might pursue us or appear before us.

Give us only beautiful straight paths, beautiful good paths.

Grant that we might believe in you, be drawn to you

and that our existence might be happy.

O God, heart of the heavens and of the earth, hidden treasure.

You fill the heavens and earth at the four cardinal points.

Grant that there might be only peace and tranquility in the universe,

May it be so. Amen.

From the Popul Vuh, Mayan book of the Dawn of Life

Remember

Remember the sky that you were born under,

know each of the star’s stories.

Remember the moon, know who she is. I met her in a bar once in Iowa City.

Remember the sun’s birth, how your mother struggled to give you form and breath.

You are evidence of her life, and her mother’s, and hers.

Remember your father. He is your life, also.

Remember the earth whose skin you are: red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth, brown earth, we are earth.

Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes,

their families, their histories, too.

Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems.

Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the origin of this universe.

I heard her singing Kiowa war dance songs at the corner of Forth and Central once.

Remember that you are all people and that all people are you.

Remember that you are this universe and that this universe is you.

Remember that all is in motion, is growing, is you.

Remember that language comes from this.

Remember the dance that language is, that life is. Remember.

Joy Harjo, Muskogee Tribe, American Indian, Of Rolling Waters and Roaring Wind: A Celebration of the Woman Song . WCC Publications, Geneva: 2000.

Energy for Change

You, Holy Mystery, are the source of transforming energy among all creatures.

You initiate novelty, instigate change, transform what is dead into new bursts of life.

Fertility is intimately related to your re-creative power, as is the attractiveness of sex.

It is you who are ultimately playful, fascinating, pure and wise,

luring human beings into the depths of love.

It is you who move us all toward creativity and joy

in the struggle toward healing and liberation.

We give thanks for calling us into your vitality and strength.

Response: Holy Womb of All, empowering, freeing, in you we live and move and have our being.

William Cleary, USA, Prayers to She Who Is, Crossroad, New York: 1997

Nourish Us with Your Spirit

Abba Godde,* we come to You with heavy hearts, but trusting in You.

In Ruah, your Holy Spirit, In Sophia, your divine wisdom

In love, your universal language.

Help us love unconditionally — each other in our times of need,

And those we consider our enemies.

Help us see each other as You do,

You long to reconcile us.

Breathe into us new life

Lift us out of the depths of mourning

Calm the tumultuous sea of our thoughts and feelings

Quench our aching thirst and ravenous hunger for justice

Nourish us with your life-giving spirit

Intensify our passion to take steps toward Your reign.

Empower us to be like seeds that fall on good soil,

Developing deep roots, Growing in faith, Reaping a full harvest of

Your creation who live as one through Baptism in Christ

Learning from Mary Magdalene,

Who remained with Jesus as a leader in his ministry, at his crucifixion,

And at his tomb — Weeping, yet remaining.

Remaining long enough to see Jesus — RESURRECTED!

Help us remain, and be with us as we remain, In our weeping, In our despair, In our anger

That we may see the Risen Christ: The Resurrected Church!

Your church where all are welcome at the table and the altar,

More than welcome, Sought after, nourished and encouraged.

Help us step back and take a long view

Of your creation, and of You.

Blessed be. Amen.

Aisha Taylor, written during the papal transition of April 2005