May God bless you
with discomfort at easy answers,
half truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may live
deep within your heart.
May God bless you
with anger at injustice,
oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may work
for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you
with tears to shed for those who suffer
pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand
to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless you
with enough foolishness to believe
that you can make a difference in the world,
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done,
to bring justice and kindness
to all our children and to the poor.
Amen.
This is recognized as a Franciscan Blessing. While mostly likely not written by St. Francis himself, it is easy to see how it appeals to and fits into our Franciscan tradition. I pray you be richly blessed with discomfort, anger, tears, and foolishness - in the name of the Lord and in the spirit of Francis himself!
Pax et bonum!
