A Blessing for Wrestling with Angels*
You have known
the long nights of wrestling
with mysterious beings,
your breath hard and fast,
your heart pounding
like furious wings.
The dark seems to stretch forever
and you wonder how long
you will be in the grip
of this powerful stranger,
how long you will have to hold on.
Then slowly the black pool above you
gives way to violet, fuchsia, tangerine
and you feel your hip wounded,
throbbing, pulsing with pain,
know you will be limping
for many years to come,
but before letting go
you make your demand:
Bless me, your voice thunders
and the being erupts into golden light
so glad that you had finally asked.
A new name sings out through the ether
like the most exquisite melody,
a chant for the new season ahead,
a name which reminds you of the long night
and how you would not relent,
how courage and hope and stubbornness
carried you through.
May you find endurance
when you are lost and disoriented,
may your wounds be reminders
of your willingness to struggle,
may you demand a blessing
as light begins its breaking,
and may your new name
call forth the gifts already inside you,
an offering of love to others
still wrestling in the dark.
Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims,
Today we continue our release of the video podcasts of our Love of Thousands Prayer Cycle. The theme for our Day 2 morning prayer is wrestling with angels and for evening prayer is we are all called to be saints. Here is one of the prayers of concern for morning written by our Program Coordinator and Wisdom Council member Melinda Thomas:
Godde of Outcasts, you call us to love all who live on the margins, just as Jesus did. Open our minds and our hearts to the stories, struggles, and triumphs of those we call “other” and recognize them as beloved by You. We know this work of facing our wounded and wounding places is like wrestling with angels – those beings who know our full capacity for love. Strike open our hearts so we may stand with people of all colors and creeds, amplifying the voices of those who have been silenced and ignored. Give us the grace to live in love.
On Friday, November 1st I’ll be joined by Simon de Voil, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, and Nóirín Ní Riain for a mini-retreat on Honoring the Love of Thousands at Samhain. We will celebrate the feast of All Saints and the Celtic feast of Samhain to pause together and honor our beloved ancestors and all the wise and well ones who have passed through the veil. Join us!
With great and growing love,
Christine
Christine Valters Paintner, OblSB, PhD, REACE
PS – I am delighted to be in good company for the upcoming online Contemplative Summit hosted by Spiritual Wanderlust (October 24-27) including teachers Carmen Acevedo Butcher, Omid Safi, Tia Norman, Kaira Jewel Lingo, Randy and Edith Woodley, James Finley, James Martin, and many more! Learn more here.
*Blessing by Christine Valters Paintner from The Love of Thousands: How Angels, Saints, and Ancestors Walk with Us Toward Holiness
