Devotion for Wednesday, March 18
By Michael Gregory
We are called upon to be peace keepers
Reflection:
There are many references in the Bible about how we are called upon to be peace keepers. One of the most famous is Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” We all have ways in which we can be peace makers. Consider simply sending an email or picking up the telephone and reaching out to another by simply listening.
Listen actively by paraphrasing, summarizing, asking open ended and empathizing. One thing that helps me and may help you is the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I am suggesting that you take a moment and read this prayer out loud for yourself.
Prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life
It is my hope for you during these trying times that this brings some small comfort to you this day as you consider your situation and potentially reach out to others.
Bio: Mike Gregory is a qualified mediator with the Minnesota Supreme Court. He has mediated/negotiated over 2,500 times on issues between entities of up to one billion dollars and has regularly volunteered as a mediator with the Dispute Resolution Center in Ramsey County Housing and Conciliation Court, in neighborhood disputes, in public housing and after racially charged police shootings.
By Michael Gregory
We are called upon to be peace keepers
Reflection:
There are many references in the Bible about how we are called upon to be peace keepers. One of the most famous is Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” We all have ways in which we can be peace makers. Consider simply sending an email or picking up the telephone and reaching out to another by simply listening.
Listen actively by paraphrasing, summarizing, asking open ended and empathizing. One thing that helps me and may help you is the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I am suggesting that you take a moment and read this prayer out loud for yourself.
Prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life
It is my hope for you during these trying times that this brings some small comfort to you this day as you consider your situation and potentially reach out to others.
Bio: Mike Gregory is a qualified mediator with the Minnesota Supreme Court. He has mediated/negotiated over 2,500 times on issues between entities of up to one billion dollars and has regularly volunteered as a mediator with the Dispute Resolution Center in Ramsey County Housing and Conciliation Court, in neighborhood disputes, in public housing and after racially charged police shootings.
RSS Feed
