Startled By Blessings

At the end of a recent Sunday service at church, the part where we hear the blessings that send us out into a new week, I suddenly perked up.  I like the services.  It's not that I sleep through them.  Traditional words and prayers are meaningful for me.  Our priest does a great job with his sermons.    Our church is known for its wonderful music.  But I do sometimes find by the blessing that my mind is heading to the next thing - gathering the grandchildren, who has to go where, etc.  But this time, instead of hearing something familiar, like "Let us go forth into the world rejoicing in the power of the spirit." , there were new words, startling words.

     May God bless you
                 with discomfort at easy answers,
                 half-truths, and superficial relationships,
                 so that we may live deep within our hearts.   Amen

     May God bless you
                 with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation,
                 so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.   Amen

     May God bless you
                  with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain,
                  rejection, starvation, and war,
                  so that we may reach out our hand to comfort,
                  and turn pain into joy.     Amen

     May God bless you
                 with enough foolishness to believe
                 that we can make a difference in the world
                 so that we may do what others claim cannot be done.  Amen

I believe it's really important that whatever our faith path is, it should lead us to mindfulness and compassion.  There is enough work in the world to keep us all busy for the rest of our lives!  I thought these blessings were well written charges.

They were found in a program for the Integrity Eucharist, tweaked a bit by  FatherBlake Rider for the Christ Episcopal Church bulletin in Poughkeepsie, NY.