The moment of prayer is an invitation to be calm in the midst of the tumult of the world and our over-busy lives, to bring together thought and feeling, mind and spirit, and to find some center -- some still point -- of perspective and peace.

Here in this sanctuary which has been the home for so many secret thoughts and hopes, fears and desires, may we feel free to look at ourselves with true honesty. May we be unafraid to face the decisions we have been trying to avoid, the doubts and questions it has been easier to ignore, the things we have tried to keep hidden not only from others but even from ourselves.

May we come to discover that there are resources within ourselves and beyond us that are as hidden but as real as our secret doubts and fears. New dimensions of the spirit within and without will be revealed to us as we confront ourselves honestly and come to understand that we are not isolated from the community of life and spirit, but that our soul's suffering connects us with the hidden suffering of others. May we come to see that in our deepest loneliness we are not alone, and may we be emboldened by this vision to reach out to others in their need and so finally to discover that to give is not only more blessed than to receive, but that to give to others is to receive what we most need for ourselves. Amen.