"A voice soft and musical I pray for thee,
And a tongue loving and mild:
Two things good for daughter and for son,
For husband and for wife.
The joy of God be in thy face,
Joy to all who see thee."
~Carmina Gadelica

My last few days have been steeped in the final details for an event that has been a year and half in the planning. We are about to welcome Celtic theologian and author J. Philip Newell to our community. Newell has been a voice of wisdom for me since I first heard him speak three years ago. He is a gifted thinker, poet and lover of the Holy. And, for me, he has given voice to what I have known deep within me for perhaps my whole life. He articulates a way of knowing God that is planted in the soil of Creation. He reminds us that we carry within us a spark of the Sacred that cannot be denied not even by the church or those given power by the institution.He affirms the importance of community in helping us come to fullness. And he celebrates the eternal joy of being surrounded by the Presence. These are things I have known in some deep place but many times have not been able to speak.

I believe that we all have deep knowings. Many times it is impossible to find the words for this wisdom within and we wander about waiting to hear the words spoken by someone who wakes us up to what germinates at our core. I believe Jesus did this for this disciples, does this for his disciples. He gave them language that freed them. This is the work of prophets among us. And those prophets are still at work for all longing to hear the voice they long to discover.

Perhaps each of us is a prophet for someone and we may not know it. But just the thought can make me choose my words more carefully, with more love and care. This act, even if not prophetic, is certainly wise and if, in my speaking I can help someone connect with their own deep knowing, then there is undoubtedly a double blessing in that.

As you go about your weekend, there is the invitation to breath fully and listen to what you know deep within. The world needs your voice, your wisdom. Now is not the time to hold back.

"The love and affection of the angels be to you,
The love and affection of the saints be to you,
The love and affection of heaven be to you,
To guard you and to cherish you."
~Carmina Gadelica