O Thou whose power we see in the stars and whose presence we experience as love, we would today be sustained by that power and open to that love.

Help us to remember that "as we sow, so shall we reap"—that whatever we project out from ourselves also comes back to us. Help us then to give our love, that we may also receive love, for we acknowledge that all of us need it—not out of selfishness, but out of necessity -- no matter how independent and self-sufficient we may appear to be .

Help us to understand that even when we feel empty of love—when we feel that we have none to give (and sometimes we all feel this way)—that we can still receive love if we are but open to it. And then, having received it, help us to recognize that we do, again, have something to give.

And now, in the sacrament of shared silence, may we "think on these things"—think of those opportunities that may be ours—opportunities for openness, for giving, for receiving—when, where—to whom, from whom. Amen.