I was really struck by this today, heart-broken a bit, truth-be-told. Sharon posted it over on her blog, Clarity Daily. It is a reminder to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, of Bethlehem, of Nazareth, of the entire land that Jews, Christians, and Muslims revere as holy. The place where the King of kings, the Prince of peace, made his earthly dwelling.
Psalm 122, verses 6 thru 9.
"For the peace of Jerusalem pray: 'May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your ramparts, prosperity within your towers.'
For family and friends I say, 'May peace be yours.'
For the house of the LORD, our God, I pray, 'May blessings be yours.'"
May peace be within your ramparts, prosperity within your towers.'
For family and friends I say, 'May peace be yours.'
For the house of the LORD, our God, I pray, 'May blessings be yours.'"
While I am on the subject of Clarity Daily, there are three other posts from this excellent blog to which I want to draw attention. The first two are on-topic and are respectivley entitled Bethelem Today and Christmas in Kurdistan, a place dear to my heart.
The final, unrelated, post is entitled The Person and the Cause, which was prompted by the rather unfortunate series of events that occurred at Princeton University recently. I also give a diaconal bow to Sharon for providing a link to a post on the blog The Bride and the Dragon, which is an article written by Dorothy Day entitled Room for Christ.
My seven year-old daughter said this morning: "I bet they're having a great time in heaven today. I hope Grandma T. is having fun with Granny Stark!" Ah, Christmas and the communion of the saints from the mouth of a babe!
Midnight Mass, Iraq 2005
To continue this stream-of-consciousness posting, I want to remember a woman I never had the privilege of meeting, but whose son is a good friend, a former boss, a mentor, and person I admire very much, Betty Lou Funk. She died last Thursday suddenly, but peacefully in North Carolina. She was the wife of a U.S. Army SpecOps NCO, the mother of two sons, both of whom attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and who went on to become pilots. Following in the footsteps of their father, both now serve their country executing and supporting the U.S. military's most dangerous, but important missions across the world and in two specific theaters of operation. Obviously, she served and sacrificed for this great country of ours throughout and with her whole life, willing to give what was most precious to her for a greater cause. May her memory be eternal.
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