In the tender compassion of our God,
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.
This ancient prayer from the Gospel of Luke is chanted by monks all over the world,
Every day at morning prayer.
It serves as a daily reminder,
As the light of the sun illuminates each new morning,
That the divine compassion is always shining down upon us,
Reminding us of God's infinite love,
Calling us to embrace it and to share it with the world.
Just as in the welcoming prayer,
Begin our practice by feeling and sinking into what you are experiencing this moment within your body.
Begin by pausing to take three slow,
Deep breaths.
Focus especially on emptying all the way out on your exhale,
So that your body is naturally compelled to take that next breath in.
And as you conclude these breaths,
Allow your awareness to drop down from your head into your heart center,
Expanding out from your heart center to your entire body.
Next,
Welcome the tender compassion of the God of your understanding into your body and your being as an opportunity to consent to the divine indwelling.
Imagine infinite divine compassion filling your entire body,
Your entire mind,
Your entire being.
Understanding what you are feeling and where you are feeling it without resistance,
Without judgment,
Without any need to change or to fix anything.
Once you have welcomed this divine compassion into your being this morning,
Begin to form an intention to guide your day.
What is one positive desire or goal that you have for your day?
Perhaps it is a quality or a virtue that you would like to cultivate and to share with the world.
Try to state your intention in a short,
Positive,
Declarative statement,
Such as,
God,
Thank you for creating me a good,
Adequate,
And creative human being.
May I honor the divine presence in all whom I encounter today.
Remember there is no wrong way to do this.
You are always in the presence of a loving God.
I will repeat our group intention three times,
Allowing you to repeat it silently to yourself,
Followed by a space for you to repeat your own intention three times.
God,
Thank you for creating me a good,
Adequate,
And creative human being.
May I honor the divine presence in all whom I encounter today.
God,
Thank you for creating me a good,
Adequate,
And creative human being.
May I honor the divine presence in all whom I encounter today.
God,
Thank you for creating me a good,
Adequate,
And creative human being.
May I honor the divine presence in all whom I encounter today.
Now repeat your own intention in the silence of your own heart and mind three times,
Stating it each time with courage and conviction.
As you move into your day,
Hold this intention in the solitude of your heart.
You may find your intention arising into awareness in various moments throughout your day.
These can be an opportunity to pause,
To breathe,
To welcome the tender compassion of God,
Perhaps to practice the welcoming prayer,
And to restate your intention with courage and conviction.
I will conclude with words from the poet Rumi.
Today,
Like every other day,
We wake up empty and frightened.
Don't open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
