Embodied prayer By Rev. Delle McCormick

By Rev. Delle McCormick The following prayer was taught to me by a nun from the Philippines. I have used it in Chiapas, Mexico, where I served as a Common Global Missionary, and in many local parish settings in the US. Invite people to stand, but reassure them that they can also stay seated for the movements and even imagine them if they wish to do so. 1. Hands together in prayer position, touching the heart. In the Mayan dialect Tzotzil, the word for peace is jun (pronounced Hoon) o’ntonal, which literally means “one heart.” Let us begin by touching our heart, knowing that as we do, we are also touching God’s heart, the heart of the sky and earth. Let us remember that we are part of the One Great Heart. 2. Place hands back to back. Let us put our hands back to back in a gesture symbolic of remembering and honoring our past, our histories and her stories, all that has brought us to this particular time and place, as individuals, as families, as a community of faith . . . We give thanks for the dangerous memory of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We give thanks for our past. 3. Hands back to back still but turned inward with finger tips touching sternum. We give thanks for this precious gift that God gave to the world, our authentic selves with the mask. We give thanks for all our feeling that we each brought here this day, feelings that may not feel appropriate here. We give thanks for our authentic selves. 4. Hands reaching out, arms extended: We give thanks for our longing to connect, with our desire to know God in the world. We look around and see that in reaching out we make a net, a net that holds us, challenges us, and sends us forth in the world. We remember that we are not alone, that we are part of a world wide movement for peace and justice. 5. Hands reach up. We give thanks for the sky, trees, the roof that keeps us dry and warm, the sun and moon and stars. We give thanks for the mystery, for all that we can never grasp or understand. 6. Hands touching earth. We give thanks for the earth, this living organism that supports and sustains us. We pray for the earth’s healing and for all the people who depend on the earth. 7. Hands together, thumbs touching center between eyes. As we touch what some would call the third eye, we give thanks for our imaginations. We ask to be prophets, to imagine a way out of no way, a better world amidst the pain and suffering of this world. We pray for vision that leads us to a peace beyond our wildest imagination. We ask to be prophets, to be aware of what is happening here and now and to always keep the vision of where we are going, the “new Jerusalem, the “kingdom” of God here on earth. 8. Hands back to heart. We look around and give thanks for each person here. We remember that we are not alone, that we are part of a movement for peace. We remember that we are one heart. Everything that I do affects you. What you do affects me. We are all interconnected. One heart. Jun O’ntonal. Amen

By Rev. Delle McCormick

The following prayer was taught to me by a nun from the Philippines. I have used it in Chiapas, Mexico, where I served as a Common Global Missionary, and in many local parish settings in the US.

Invite people to stand, but reassure them that they can also stay seated for the movements and even imagine them if they wish to do so.

1. Hands together in prayer position, touching the heart. In the Mayan dialect Tzotzil, the word for peace is jun (pronounced Hoon) o’ntonal, which literally means “one heart.” Let us begin by touching our heart, knowing that as we do, we are also touching God’s heart, the heart of the sky and earth. Let us remember that we are part of the One Great Heart.

2. Place hands back to back. Let us put our hands back to back in a gesture symbolic of remembering and honoring our past, our histories and her stories, all that has brought us to this particular time and place, as individuals, as families, as a community of faith . . . We give thanks for the dangerous memory of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We give thanks for our past.

3. Hands back to back still but turned inward with finger tips touching sternum. We give thanks for this precious gift that God gave to the world, our authentic selves with the mask. We give thanks for all our feeling that we each brought here this day, feelings that may not feel appropriate here. We give thanks for our authentic selves.

4. Hands reaching out, arms extended: We give thanks for our longing to connect, with our desire to know God in the world. We look around and see that in reaching out we make a net, a net that holds us, challenges us, and sends us forth in the world. We remember that we are not alone, that we are part of a world wide movement for peace and justice.

5. Hands reach up. We give thanks for the sky, trees, the roof that keeps us dry and warm, the sun and moon and stars. We give thanks for the mystery, for all that we can never grasp or understand.

6. Hands touching earth. We give thanks for the earth, this living organism that supports and sustains us. We pray for the earth’s healing and for all the people who depend on the earth.

7. Hands together, thumbs touching center between eyes. As we touch what some would call the third eye, we give thanks for our imaginations. We ask to be prophets, to imagine a way out of no way, a better world amidst the pain and suffering of this world. We pray for vision that leads us to a peace beyond our wildest imagination. We ask to be prophets, to be aware of what is happening here and now and to always keep the vision of where we are going, the “new Jerusalem, the “kingdom” of God here on earth.

8. Hands back to heart. We look around and give thanks for each person here. We remember that we are not alone, that we are part of a movement for peace. We remember that we are one heart. Everything that I do affects you. What you do affects me. We are all interconnected. One heart. Jun O’ntonal.

Amen