Thursday, December 3, 2015

We Must Pray and We Must Do: A Prayer for Lighting Candles



We give thanks for the ones who offer prayers.
We give thanks for the ones who take action.
We cannot heal the world without both,
We must pray AND we must do.

When so many people
Have vanished into the darkness
We light these candles 
And say the blessings
And pray for those who have been injured or killed or raped.
And pray for those who are worried and homeless and hungry.
And pray for those who are lost to themselves.
May we all be joined in yearning holy conversation
And pray when prayer is needed.
We must pray AND we must do.

When so many people
Have vanished into the darkness
We light these candles
And bless those who are working so hard to make things better.
May we join with the stubborn 
Of all places and religions and races and gender and sexual orientations,
Who, when times are hard,
Refuse to disappear,
Those who fight so hard for their communities
With food and advice and shelter and organizing and work and love and insistence and resistence.
May we all be joined in holy struggle
And act when action is needed. 
We must pray AND we must do.

We give thanks for the ones who offer prayers.
We give thanks for the ones who take action.
We cannot heal the world without both,
Blessed is the Source of Light!
We are holy with the obligation to speak goodness and do good
As we light these Shabbat/Mourning/Hanukkah candles
We will pray and we will do.

Amen

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