Dear Lord,

Mom and Dad and I call on YOU because you are our Keeper.  I love you mom and dad because you taught us the meaning of commitment, justice, respect and how to love each other when you did not understand what the words meant.  But you knew Jesus was in the midst of all that good feeling, all that coming together and caring for the people in the entire community not just family folks.

You taught us what it meant to be present, to show up if you are going to do Jesus’ work.  We had to be present, at Church and in the house.  There was no skipping out.  Everybody had to be there for the meal in order to rejoice in the outcome.  Celebration was for everybody in the house and beyond. Each one had to do her/his part.

John Dear, the author of “The Nonviolent Life,” tells us that the list is long when we remember the hurting, how we must stop that if we are going to take this child of peace as our guide.  Dear Jesus- help us oh Lord-  to remember and be conscientious of each other’s feelings.  I am concerned about people in our community, people on their jobs.  How, oh Lord, we must act out your “Sermon On the Mount.”  We must love each other, be merciful, so that we may love and respect all people.  Do our part at all times, dear Lord, so that we can do your work for all the people in the community and remember that someone did it for each one of us in order that we may give something back.  We pray this prayer in your Holy Name!

My thoughts after my prayer are what I have received from reading John Dear’s book, “The Nonviolent Life,” who said that we have to examine our own lives and ask ourselves: how do we cultivate violence within ourselves, how do we nurse ourselves, and what do we need to do to stop cooperating with our own violence and start cultivating interior and personal nonviolence.  The good news is that Jesus does not leave us in grief.  He calls us to rejoice!!!

He also said that for decades he lived in community and he learned that if people get along, give each other space, support each other’s work, pray together, and share a common spiritual vision, community life can be invigorating and rewarding.  Most important for me is how we support each other in our day to day “walk on that wonderful “path” of life while loving all people.

Finally, as Dr. King teaches and Birmingham demonstrates, with active nonviolence – and the God of peace – anything is possible.  Thank you Mr. Dear! We shall shout hallelujah!!!  That’s what I hold on to every day of my life!