Blessing for the Senses JOD Blessing for Peace

Blessing for the Senses

May your body be blessed.

May you realize that your body is a faithful

and beautiful friend of your soul.

And may you be peaceful and joyful

and recognize that your senses

are sacred thresholds.

May you realize that holiness is

mindful, gazing, feeling, hearing, and touching.

May your senses gather you and bring you home.

May your senses always enable you to

celebrate the universe and the mystery

and possibilities in your presence here.

May the Eros of the Earth bless you.

~ John O’Donohue ~

A Blessing for Peace

As the fever of the day calms toward twilight
May all that is strained in us come to ease.

We pray for all who suffered violence today,
May an unexpected serenity surprise them.

For those who risk their lives
each day for peace,
May their hearts glimpse providence
at the heart of history.

That those who make riches
from violence and war
Might hear in their dreams
the cries of the lost.

That we might see through
our fear of each other
A new vision to heal
our fatal attraction to aggression.

That those who enjoy
the privilege of peace
Might not forget their
tormented brothers and sisters
That the wolf might lie down
With the lamb,
That our swords be beaten
Into plowshares

And no hurt or harm be done
Anywhere along the holy mountain.

~ John O'Donohue ~