Laying on of hands

A story I read recently in a wonderful book by Judy Cannato called The Field of Compassion, How the New Cosmology is Transforming Spiritual Life, shows us one way to think about our Praying for the Prisons project.  The jest of the story is that a man name Nate Sears was out on the Cape Cod beach checking the piers for storm damage when he spotted three pilot whales coming to shore. Realizing that they were intent upon beaching themselves, Nate sent someone off for help and waded out to the first whale.  Instinctively Nate placed his hands on the whale and quietly held them there.  The thrashing stopped and the whale became still.  Nate was able to turn it around and point it back out to sea.  Nate used his hands to calm and turn the second whale as well.  As Nate was calming the third whale help arrived.  The whales returned to their natural habitat without further incident.  Nate’s willingness to simple hold them in their travail made the difference.  Nate’s actions were intuitive, spontaneous and significant.

Our Prison system is thrashing about in its self destructive process of answering “bad with bad.”  May our prayers be the quiet and steady hands that will bring calm to the agitation and turn the self-destructive process around.  May we realize that what must happen first and foremost is to bring love’s power to bear.  From Love, the natural process of healing will flow forth.

Let us also pray that it become intuitive and spontaneous for us to pray for all those who get swept in our criminal justice system and are making their living inside of it.  That would be a turn around of major significance!