Mother's Day Prayer

Let us open ourselves widely to Life, and share a few moments of quiet attention… {silence} We call upon the Hopi Earth-Mother, Tuuwaqatsi, and Cybele, the Magna Mater; we think of Parvati, primal Hindu goddess, mother even of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; today, we honor the Green Man, and the Maiden and the Crone, and especially we celebrate the Mother; we call to mind the Venus of Willendorf, carved 25,000 years ago, and we celebrate the ancient and still-present human impulse to respect and honor the Mystery of Creation… we name our gratitude to be alive today, and as well as we are; we are grateful to be gathered among these good people; we llift up those joys & sorrows just mentioned, and those which remain in the silent sanctuaries of our hearts; we note the death of Maurice Sendak; we desire compassion for all those affected by his loss; with the Religious Institute, and its partners around the world, we observe a Rachel Sabbath: we note the hundreds of thousands of women and girls who die every year as a result of preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth; we desire better maternal healthcare and universal access to family planning; we desire an end to the “mommy wars” as we honor mothers who work outside of the home, and we honor mothers who stay with their children, and we honor those who do some of each; we desire less judgment of *all* people and more compassionate acceptance of who we are and how we live; We desire enough food, and shelter, and peace of mind for all beings this day; we pledge ourselves in pursuit of this goal. Praise for living. So may we be.