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It's a great
miracle--the miracle of the birth of a human body. What started as the
smallest seed of hope bursts into the flesh and sinew of potential and
possibility. In the movement of that seed of hope into an enfleshed human
being we see the full circle of life in all its splendor. It seems easy
to greet a newborn infant with joy and delight and at the same time hold
within ourselves a belief that holiness and wholeness of the infant will
occur only over the course of time. While it is true that the child will
grow more and more into the fullness of their humanity and spirituality
as their body matures, it is also true that the body at its birth is
already a whole and holy human being. Isn't that really the miracle,
after all? Not just that birth happens, but that the enfleshed body,
so full of newness and freshness, is holy not because of what it does
or does not do, but simply because it is created in the image of God?
It might
be helpful to use this blessing prayer when next you encounter the birth
of an infant. Or, imagine being present as a bystander at your own
birth. Place your hand on your head or your heart, and pray the blessing
prayer for the infant you once were.
O
God, bless this body that you have created in the divine image.
As
this body greets
the created world, bless its newness and potentiality.
Bless
it with the power of your unconditional and eternal love.
Bless
the organs, the mind, the heart, the muscles and bones with the
warmth of your
touch.
Bless
it in stillness and activity, in fear and in security,
in
pain and joy, in life and in death.
And
in the soul in which this body
resides, let your holiness and wholeness dwell. I ask this
in the
name of
God. Amen.
Copyright
©2003 Renée
Miller |
