by Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB
Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace
The renewal of baptismal promises is a high point at the Easter liturgies we just celebrated. “Do you believe in…” the celebrant asks over and over and the congregation responds, “I do” to the tenets of the faith.
Well, the church creed is one thing, but how about a personal creed. What do I believe, really? To find out I wrote the words “I believe” ten times on a sheet of paper and finished the sentence. Here’s what I came up with:
I believe that God is love and the measure of my belief is how kind I am to others.
I believe spending time with children is a good spiritual practice
I believe that writing –alone or with others—is my path to wholeness
I believe with Dostoyevsky that “beauty will save the world” and try to add a purple splash here a poem there
I believe that good friends and laughter are life’s greatest gifts
I believe in greeting the sun with, “This is the day our God has made, let us rejoice and be glad.”
I believe in nonviolence and speaking truth to power–out loud.
I believe in surrounding myself with art on the walls and inspiring words on the shelves
I believe what’s best for my soul is solitude and New Year’s Eve in Times Square
I believe in spiritual teachers and find the most enlightened eat at our soup kitchen…