- “And is it true? and is it true?
The most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window’s hue,
A Baby in an ox’s stall?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me?
“And is it true? For if it is,
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things,
Bath salts and inexpensive scent
And hideous tie so kindly meant.
“No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was Man in Palestine
And lives to-day in Bread and Wine.”
- “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the people, for from you shall come one who is to shepherd God’s people.
- Micah 2 and Gospel According to Matthew 2:6
- “To look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is to me impossible.
We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves.”
- John Herschel Glenn Jr., astronaut, aviator, engineer, United States
Senator from Ohio (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016)
- “O come, O come, Emmanuel … bind all peoples in one heart and mind; Make envy, strife, and quarrels cease; fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.”
- from Advent Vespers, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
- “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, God will answer them. God will not forsake them.”
- The prophet Isaiah 41:17
- “Whether it is in our worship, prayer, faith in action, standing up, speaking out, work and play for peace and justice, let all that we do, be in love. May God’s light shine on, within and through you.”
- The Reverend Angela Ying
- “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly.”
- Isaiah 40:1
- “When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.”
- Vietnamese proverb
- “A thankful person is thankful under all circumstances. A complaining soul complains even if he lives in paradise.”
- Baha’u’llah, founder of the Baha’i faith
- “God gave you a gift of 84,600 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?”
- William Arthur Ward
- “You’re not alone
I’m with you, I’m lonely too
What's that song
Can’t be sung by two?
A broken home, a broken heart
Isolated and afraid
Open up this is a raid
I wanna get it through to you
You’re not alone
You’re not alone, every night
I stand in your place
Every tear on every face
Tastes the same”
- Jesus said, 'Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.'
- Gospel According to Matthew 17:20
- “Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth,
From despair to hope, from fear to trust.
Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace;
Let peace fill our hearts, let peace fill our world, let peace fill our universe.”
- “I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.”
- Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of Cape Town and bishop of
the Church of the Province of Southern Africa,
speaking on NBC’s Today Show, January 9, 1985.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984,
and the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007.
- “When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself for those who are hungry, for those who have no schools, for those who are deprived, we are not departing from God’s promise.”
- Oscar A. Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador
from “The Violence of Love” (2004)
- “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the people of God … we know the whole creation has been groaning … likewise, God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”
- Romans 8:19, 22, 26
- “People see God every day, they just don’t recognize God.”
- Pearl Bailey, U.S. singer, humorist (1918-1990)
- “Open my eyes, that I may see, Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key, That shall unclasp and set me free.”
- Clara H. Scott (1841-1897), from her song:
“Open My Eyes That I May See” (1895)
Sometimes attributed as co-written with Elisha A. Hoffman
For full lyrics and a MIDI sound file, click on: Music for the Church of God
- “We know all things work together for good for those who love God.”
- Romans 8:28
- “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
- Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall
Institute, and a U.N. Messenger of Peace
A widely reprinted quote; no citation ever given.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you — for better or for worse. What you do makes a difference.”
Variation quote published in Jane Goodall’s article,
“Technology Can Help Save Environment” in USA Today, March 31, 2014
- “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.”
- Psalm 96:11-12
- “All I can do is be me, whoever that is.”
- Bob Dylan, interviewed by Paul Jay Robbins
published by In-Beat Magazine, May 1965
- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, (1803 - 1882) American Essayist and Poet
Quote is likely from an essay.
- “You are the light of the world …”
- Gospel According to Matthew 5:14
- “You have many habits that weaken you. The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
- Dan Millman, from his 1984 book, “Way of the Peaceful Warrior”
The quotation is spoken by the gas-station attendant named “Socrates.”
- “As water reflects a face, so a human’s heart reflects the human.”
- Proverbs 27:19
- “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
Original citation unknown. This quote is trademarked by
Sevanne Kassarjian, New York. Used with permission.
|
|
- “We must all make peace so that we can all live in peace.”
- Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Original citation unknown.
- “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when beloved dwell together in unity.”
- Psalm 133:1
- “Sometimes people ask me, ‘What is the greatest achievement you have reached in your lifetime or that you will reach in the future?’ So I reply that there was a great painter named Mordecai Ardon, who was asked which picture was the most beautiful he had ever painted. Ardon replied, ‘The picture I will paint tomorrow.’ That is also my answer.”
- Shimon Peres, May 2011, from the Maariv (newspaper)
Quoted by The New York Times, September 27, 2016
- “ ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
- Gospel According to Matthew 22:36-40
- Unless we work assiduously so that all of God’s children, our brothers and sisters, members of our one human family, all will enjoy basic human rights, the right to a fulfilled life, the right of movement, of work, the freedom to be fully human, with a humanity measured by nothing less than the humanity of Jesus Christ Himself, then we are on the road inexorably to self-destruction, we are not far from global suicide; and yet it could be so different.
- Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize
from his December 11, 1984 Nobel Lecture
- In my distress I called upon God; to my God I cried for help.
From God’s house, God heard my voice, and my cry to God reached God’s ears.
- Psalms 18:6
- “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.”
“Al final del día, podemos aguantar mucho más de lo que pensamos que podemos.”
- Frida Kahlo
- “But those who hope in God will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
- Isaiah 40:31
- “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
- Biblical prophets Isaiah and Micah
- “Canada, the most affluent of countries, operates on a depletion economy which leaves destruction in its wake. Your people are driven by a terrible sense of deficiency. When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.”
- Alanis Obomsawin
Quoted in “Conversations with North American Indians” by Ted Poole in
“Who is the Chairman of This Meeting?: A Collection of Essays” (1972)
Alanis, who is of Abenaki descent, produced and directed many National
Film Board of Canada documentaries on First Nations culture and history.
- “As-salamu Alaikum”
- Universal Islamic greeting in Arabic, which means “Peace be unto you”
__________________________________________________________
Prayer of the Farm Workers’ Struggle
Show me the suffering of the most miserable; So I will know my people’s plight.
Free me to pray for others; For you are present in every person.
Help me to take responsibility for my own life; So that I can be free at last.
Grant me courage to serve others; For in service there is true life.
Give me honesty and patience; So that I can work with other workers.
Bring forth song and celebration; So that the spirit will be alive among us.
Let the spirit flourish and grow; So we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice; For they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us; So we can change the world.
- César E. Chávez, UFW Founder
|
Oración del Campesino en la Lucha
Enséñame el sufrimiento de los más desafortunados; Así conoceré el dolor de mi pueblo.
Líbrame a orar por los demás; Porque estás presente en cada persona.
Ayúdame a tomar responsabilidad de mi propia vida; Sólo así seré libre al fin.
Concédeme valentía para servir al prójimo; Porque en la entrega hay vida verdadera.
Concédeme honoradez y paciencia; Para que yo pueda trabajar junto con otros trabajadores.
Alúmbranos con el canto y la celebración; Para que levanten el Espíritu entre nosotros.
Que el Espíritu florezca y crezca; Para que no nos cansemos entre la lucha.
Nos acordamos de los que han caído por la justicia; Porque a nosotros han entregado la vida.
Ayúdanos a amar aún a los que nos odian; Así podremos cambiar el mundo.
- César E. Chávez, Fundador de la UFW
|
__________________________________________________________
- “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
- Apostle Paul, Letter to the Romans 8:28
- “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”
- John Wesley
- “I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.”
- Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians 4:13
- “My (God’s) grace is sufficient for you.”
- Second Corinthians 12:9
- “My father would say to me, ‘Any organization which works for peace, I will join. If you want to resolve a dispute or come out from conflict, the very first thing is to speak the truth. If you have a headache and tell the doctor you have a stomachache, how can the doctor help? You must speak the truth. The truth will abolish fear.”
- Malala Yousefzai, from her book “I Am Malala”
- “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because God first loved us … the commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”
- First John 4:18, 19, 21
- “It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. He gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on earth. It is an awesome opportunity.”
- Cesar Chavez, “Regaining the Strength,” June 4, 1972,
following the success of the Delano Grape Boycot
- “Hate has no place in the house of God. No one should be excluded from our love, our compassion or our concern because of race or gender, faith or ethnicity — or because of their sexual orientation.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate,
from an OpEd in the Washington Post, March 12, 2010
- “O give thanks to God, for God is good. God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
- Psalm 118
|
