Greetings, people of the Diocese of Olympia,
Today is the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In these last 12 months unspeakable atrocities have been inflicted on the Ukrainian people, leading to a humanitarian crisis that will be with them, with the Russian people, and with all of us for years to come.
Poet William Stafford, Poet Laureate of Oregon from 1975-1990, is my favorite poet, mostly for the blunt yet humble utterances he has left us that speak of our connection to nature and of the mystery of life, itself. Stafford was a pacifist. He gives us these words from his poem “A Memorial” as he remembers another war:
In Nagasaki they built a little room
dark and soundproof where you can
go in all alone and close the door and cry.
Many of us have needed such a room over this last year and need it today as we remember this war and the many wars that we, our family members, and our siblings in Christ across the world have endured.
Please join me today in praying this prayer that I learned while using the Prayer Book used by the Anglican Church of Canada during my time there. It is a prayer for peace within the many dimensions of our lives:
O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and the sorrows, and give peace to your Church, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessings to you this day,
+Melissa
Learn more about Episcopal Relief and Development’s humanitarian response in Ukraine and support their work by following the link below.
EPISCOPAL RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT
