Lord … Number us, we beseech Thee, in the ranks of those who went forth … longing only for those things for which Thee dost make us long, men for whom the complexity of issues only serves to renew their zeal to deal with them, men who alleviated pain by sharing it, and men who are always willing to risk something big for something good — so may we leave in the world a little more truth, a little more justice, and a little more beauty than would have been there had we not loved the world enough to quarrel with it for what it is not — but still could be.

Oh God, take our minds and think through them, take our lips and speak through them, and take our hearts and set them on fire.

Amen.

The words are those of William Sloane Coffin, Jr. (1924 -2006). I will write more about him in a future post, but this is enough for today. Check out Coffin on Wikipedia if you’d like to know more now.

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The first painting is Chimera by Gustave Moreau from 1884. The last is Blueberry Eyes by Franz Kline, 1960. Chimera is sourced from Wikimedia Commons, while Blueberry Eyes comes from Wikiart.org.