We are praying for miracles...

Today for morning meditation, we meditated on a poem by Ann Weems called "I No Longer Pray for Peace".

It begins, 

"I no longer pray for peace: I pray for miracles. 

I pray that stone hearts will turn to tenderheartedness, and evil intentions will turn to mercifulness,...

This last line really struck a chord for me. In the face of our feelings of helplessness and despair as we watch our media feeds of the Israeli-Palestinian war, how is our faith "standing up"? Are we throwing our hands up saying no amount of faith or prayers will change the situation? Or do we truly believe that real change is possible if we "stand up" with our faith communities and pray for miracles, for changes of heart, for our God to move mountains?

I pray that all the "God talk" will take bones, and stand up and shed its cloak of faithlessness, and walk again in its powerful truth..."

The last part of the poem speaks my truth,

"Some say there is no hope, but then I've always applauded the holy fools who never seem to give up on the scandalousness of our faith: that we are loved by God ... that we can truly love one another."

I believe now more than ever, we are called to be "holy fools", to be bearers of the light of our faith, of our belief in miracles, of our belief in the power of our faith, and most especially, in the strength of our communities as we "stand up" and walk in our truth.