Prayer - You Were Present

You humbly entered the spilling forth of the universe.

You divested yourself of divinity and slept quietly in the smallest particles of matter.

You moved creation to form each galaxy, each star, and each planet.

With infinite patience, you raised up life in its simplest form.

In time you drew together the life of each living thing.

You experienced delight in each plant, each animal, each fish, and each bird.

You were present as life spread around the earth.

You were present when the first humans, made in your image, became conscious of the vastness of creation, and began to sense your presence beyond and within all that exists.

You were present when humans first stood upon their feet and walked.

You took delight at how unique and beautiful was each person. 

You were there when they first learned to speak to each other.

You were present when they first touched and kissed and made love.

You were present when they first danced and sang together.

You were present when they brought sorrow into other’s lives.

You were present when they sat quietly in contemplative awe at the wonders of life and creation around them.

You were present at death as you tenderly broke apart their fibers of life, so they could move more deeply into your eternal heart.

You were present when people first began to live in tribes and communities.

You were present when the first great empires of the past came and went.

You were present when the first great religions formed expressing how to live rightly in the world.

You were present when people first learned wisdom and shared it with others.

You were present in sorrow when people first began to use and abuse one another – and continued to do so.

You were saddened by their selfishness and concern only for themselves.

You were present in sorrow when you experienced people at war destroying one another and your beautiful creation.

You were present when people first forgot that you were with them in love.

You were present in the people of Israel who saw themselves as your Chosen People.

You were present as you showed them your compassionate care.

You were present in the ancient prophets who warned them to return to the way of compassionate love lest harm enfold them.

You were present when they did not respond to your call, and when the harm you warned fell upon them.

You were present as you began to draw new life from their destruction.

You were present in Jesus of Nazareth who completely revealed your compassionate love, and once again called people to follow the way that led to life.

You were present when, after his death on a cross, you drew him into complete unity with you whom we call Father, Word, and Spirit.

You were present with the Christ in the community of his followers throughout the centuries.

You were present in the Church made a sign of humanity living justly and compassionatley for each other.

You were present when you inspired people to a contemplative life, especially in those early years of Christianity.

You were present when you inspired in people a greater desire for knowledge and enabled them to form schools and universities.

You were present when from those education centers emerged our scientific and rational age inspiring creativity in abundance.

You are with us today as you inspire us to harmonize our knowledge,  our creativity, our contemplation, and our compassionate love for all people, however diverse.

You are with us today as you inspire us to end all division and grow toward solidarity with all people,

You are present with us urging us to care for the earth from which we came. 

You are with us now, leading us into a distant future of greater unity, complexity, and creativity with all people and all creation.

Humble and Compassionate Love among us, when our moment upon earth is complete, we are confident we, in whom your Spirit now dwells, will be caught up with all creation into your eternal presence of humble and compassionate and creative love.