My Grown-Up Christmas List

For the world:

• More Love – Less Hate                                              
• More Grace – Less Revenge                          
• More Compassion – Less Apathy
• More Hope – Less Anxiety
• More Understanding – Less Ignorance
• More Joy — Less Despair                              
• More Laughter – Less Sadness
• More Courage – Less Fear
• More Unity – Less Divisiveness

And last but not least: An awareness that each of these can begin with me.

Prayer for Peace by St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred…let me sow love

Where there is injury…pardon

Where there is doubt…faith

Where there is despair…hope

Where there is darkness…light

Where there is sadness…joy

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled…as to console

To be understood…as to understand

To be loved…as to love

For

It is in giving…that we receive

It is in pardoning…that we are pardoned

It is in dying…that we are born to eternal life.

Reflect and Respond

What does HOPE mean to you?

Which line from St. Francis's prayer stands out to you and why?

Pick an item from Cori's list and find a way to act on it today.