Mystery of the Universe –
You who some think of not as a being among other beings,
But as the very Ground of Being Itself –
Thank you for this day,
For another sunrise,
Another chance for us to witness the wonder of Creation.

We know that yours is a Creation that is truly double-edged –
A “yin-yang” Universe –
For it is indeed one in which the life giving flame can also burn.
But it is also one in which the dark, cold, misting rain
Gives re-birth to spring.
And it is one in which, paradoxically, our acquaintance with pain and sorrow can help us better appreciate pleasure and joy.

Help us, then, to have the courage and strength to embrace it All,
To embrace what is.

Help us – we, who are similarly double-edged,
Whose love for those closest to us
Can so easily provoke our own tribal instincts and prejudices;
Whose own pain, rather than fostering empathy and compassion,
May turn us inward,
to dig moats, to build walls, rather than bridges.

So help us to embrace this double-edged, yin-yang Universe
with courage and strength,
But above all, help us to do so in a spirit of love and compassion –
For this, it seems, is our eternal challenge,
As it is also the wellspring of our eternal salvation.