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Dominican Preaching through Word and Image
Greeting the Morning with Gratitude
As has been my custom in these blog posts, all of the posts focus on gratitude, for as the Dominican mystic Meister Eckhart once said, “If the only prayer you ever say it ‘Thank you,’ that will be enough.
First thing in the morning, before you meet or greet anyone, remember to greet all of nature, all visible and invisible creatures. Say to them: “I am grateful for your work, I love you and want to be in harmony with you!” At this very moment, in response to your greeting, all of nature will open to you and send you energy for the entire day.
– Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov, Prosveta Publishing
Wednesday of Hope – Pessimist? Optimist? Realist?
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.
– William A. Ward
Why the Sun Shines
As the Sun shines upon my heart, so may my heart shine upon others!
– The Upanishads
Wednesday of Hope – Where Hope Lives
Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act.
– Rebecca Solnit
The Eye of the Beholder
People often say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.
– Salma Hayek
Wednesday of Hope – Think the World is Over?
Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly.
– Barbara Haines Howett
What Does the World Need?
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go out and do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
– Howard Thurman
Wednesday of Hope – Trust Life
Deep trust in life is not a feeling but a stance that you deliberately take. It is the attitude we call courage.
– David Steindl-Rast
Secrets at Dawn
The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.
– Jalaluddin Rumi
Wednesday of Hope – Not Giving Up to Despair
I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.
– Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
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