Catherine McAuley to the early Sisters of Mercy: This is our life, joys and sorrows mingled, one succeeding the other.
This past weekend in many parts of the world, people celebrated Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rat. With celebration comes joy, and joy is a sign of enlightenment. The Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh says: Enlightenment is always there. Small enlightenment will bring great enlightenment. If you breathe in and are aware that you are alive - that you can touch the miracle of being alive - then that is a kind of enlightenment.
Today we pray: God of sorrows, on this day of painful memories marking 75 years since the liberation of the Jewish survivors at Auschwitz: may we be enlightened enough to value all persons for their presence, their gifts, their contributions to the ongoing evolution of our civilizations. May we banish from our hearts fear, prejudice, arrogance, and all that would prevent us from appreciating the beauty of our lives, and the joy we can share in truly encountering one another. We ask this in Your name.—AMEN.