A Thanksgiving Prayer

O God, You who are source and center of all life,

We thank you for Yourself, for without You we would not be.

We thank you for the elements which sustain our lives, for air, water, earth and sun

--awaken us to their precious livingness;

We thank you for the beauty of the earth, for rocks and soil, plants and trees,

--awaken us to the aliveness of all earthly life.

We thank you for the rich variety of human persons, for black, brown, red, yellow, gay,
trans, poly, straight, for all the many ways we humans seek to express ourselves,

--awaken us to your ineffable love which delights in diversity 

--deepen Your love within us, that love which fills every human heart in a unique way.

We thank You for the darkness of our age, for without darkness, we would not seek light;

We thank You for the struggles of our age, for without struggle, we would not seek to move
beyond our partial selves.

We thank You for our differences, for without the tensions between us we would not strive for unity. 

In all things, You are, and in us, You are coming to be. Help us to trust in Your presence,
to have faith in this world and in one another, for we are becoming something more together,
in You and with You, which no words can express,

for You are simply breathless beauty and peace.  

–Ilia Delio, OSF