Reflection
To be is to be related, for relationship is the essence of existence. In the very
first instant when the primitive particles rushed forth, every one of them was connected to every other one of them in the entire universe. At no time in the future of the universe would they arrive at a point of disconnection. Alienation for a particle is a theoretical impossibility. ..Nothing is itself without everything else…The universe is a communion of subjects rather than a collection of objects.
Thomas Berry
Prayer
That all may be one.
Action
Reflect on the TV news. Consider the conditions being borne by humankind and otherkind. Where can I widen my circle of relationship and what does that require of me?
Suggested Reading
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd
Matthew 9:36
Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
1 John 3:18
As an integral ecology emphasizes, human beings are deeply connected with all of creation.
Pope Francis
A human being is part of the whole…the universe. We experience thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. The delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Albert Einstein
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.
Mother Teresa
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
John Muir
Unity is inclusive. It frees us from the divisiveness of prejudice. We see our commonality without devaluing our differences. A sense of unity can transcend our fear of each other. In unity, the joy of one is the joy of all, and the hurt of one is the hurt of all; the honor of one is the honor of all.
Wisdom Commons
Look out into the universe and contemplate the glory of God. Observe the stars, millions of them, twinkling in the night sky, all with a message of unity, part of the very nature of God.
Sai Baba
Rise above sectional interests and private ambitions… Pass from matter to spirit. Matter is diversity; spirit is light, life and unity.
Muhammad Iqbal
Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is.
Hans Urs von Balthasar
It’s only in our minds that we are separate from the rest of the world.
Gay Luce