Sister Eileen's blessing

Some years ago I briefly belonged to an East Sussex group of women called The Servants With Jesus, begun by Sister Eva and Sister Eileen some decades ago.

Sister Eileen used to speak about responding in prayer to difficult situations, or times when things were stuck and hard to move.

She taught us this small blessing, to say over and over again:

I bless you with the love of the Lord.

In any circumstance of life where transformation is needed, it can be prayed as a kind of mantra to bring about renewal, softening, healing and change. It can be prayed into people or situations. 

Just now, the lives of many will have been turned upside down. There will be people sick, grieving, frightened, worried about money — people whose lives will never be the same again. 

There are also our political leaders, some doing their best for us and some merely opportunistic or out of their depth. And there are the key workers, especially hospital staff and people associated with deliveries and grocery supplies, and other essential services, like refuse collection.

As each person, or category of people, or aspect of our present circumstances, comes before our minds, we can say quietly in our hearts:

I bless you with the love of the Lord.

Blessing averts curse, seeds healing, and opens the way to renewal.