The presider at church today ended the service with a blessing "a little longer than usual":
MAY GOD BLESS YOU with discomfort,
at easy answers, half-truths,
and superficial relationships
so that you may live
deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for
justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears,
to shed for those who suffer pain,
rejection, hunger, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand
to comfort them and
to turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless you
with enough foolishness
to believe that you can
make a difference in the world,
so that you can do
what others claim cannot be done,
to bring justice and kindness
to all our children and the poor.
I've heard and been grateful for this benediction before. Often referred to as a Franciscan blessing, it was actually penned by a Benedictine nun in North Dakota named Ruth Marlene Fox in 1985, who called it "A non-traditional blessing." Thank you, Sister Ruth.
