This earth is under a curse. Recent symptoms of this curse have given all of us cause for fear and sadness. However, I suspect they have also brought many of you something else. Do you feel a new focus? Beyond the disaster on our doorsteps, are you seeing the promise on the horizon? For those who remember the eternal blessings that will someday swallow up the curse, the winds of chaos cause you to look up.

So, in the midst of this curse, I offer the antithesis—a brief benediction:

Where there is fear beyond comprehension, let there be peace beyond understanding.
Where the ground is torn up, let there be seed.
Where old answers end, let new questions begin.
Where there are oceans of tears, let there be fishers of men.
Where there is human weakness, let there be divine power.
Where there is earthly power, let there be heavenly wisdom.
Where there is heavenly wisdom, let there be earthly charity.
Where there is complacency, let there be shaking.
Where there is impure gold, let there be refining fire.
Where grain and chaff are mixed, let there be a winnowing wind.
Where there are leaves, let there be fruit.
Where there is hearing, let there be doing.
Where there is death, let there be new life.
Where there is life, let there be life more abundantly!

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