Monday October 28
On September 26 one year & one month ago, Dave Nantais, Director of University Ministry sent this blessing on the list. It’s taken from the health care tradition of the Sisters of Mercy. Dave introduced it as follows: “Our September reflection comes from the College of Health Professions. Faculty, staff and students from the college created the “Blessing of Hands” that we prayed during Celebrate Spirit. ”
When I browsed the folder of poems and blessings this morning it caught my attention. Felt like a good opener for this week.
john sj
Today’s Word: Blessing of Hands
Hold up your hands and look at them
See your hands as God sees them.
Recognize the source of their power.
Imagine your life in and beyond the classroom. See the work of your hands in kitchens and corridors, on tennis and basketball courts, in dorms and dining rooms, at planning tables and parties and in gatherings of every kind. Choose to use your hands this year for good. Trust that your hands will know the right thing to do even when you do not; and know that, in every act, small or large, the work of your hands makes a difference.
Bless the work of our hands.
Bless the hands that build lasting things.
– hands of architects, engineers and chemists;
– of stone masons and day laborers;
– of writers and printers; of inventors and computer programmers;.
– of teachers and parents, negotiators and peacemakers, poets and musicians.
Bless the hands that build, we pray.
Bless the hands that heal.
– hands that skillfully clean and mend and comfort those in pain;.
– that create beauty in art and song, in homes, parks and gardens;
– that touch with strength, with compassion and tenderness, with healing power.
– that are lifted up in prayer asking for the transformation of difficult situations.
Bless the hands that heal, we pray.
Bless the hands that reach into the future
– hands that open with invitation and hope,
– that reach out to new possibilities
– that hold strong to what is just,
– that extend their passion for doing good toward a world in need.
Bless the hands that reach into the future, we pray.