In April our Native American communities held their final Pow Wow here in New Mexico. This was traditionally named the annual “Gathering of Nations.” After 43 years this gathering has come to a close.
Native American spirituality is a diverse, land-based approach to the sacred, emphasizing interconnectedness, balance, and reverence for all living things rather than dogma. It holds a foundational belief that all things—human, animal, plant, mineral, and spirit—are related and interdependent. The primary spiritual goal is maintaining balance between the physical and spiritual worlds, community members, and nature. The earth is seen as Mother Earth, a living entity that is sacred and cannot be owned, rather than a commodity to be exploited.
Lakota Mitakuye Oyasin
"Reflections on the Unknowable"
In his teachings, Father Thomas Keating emphasized that our interconnectedness makes us profoundly accountable to one another and to the planet. He wrote extensively on how humanity shares a "great cosmic heart" where even the smallest inner actions reverberate and create powerful change. Keating, a Trappist monk and founder of Centering Prayer, taught that contemplative practice is the primary tool to experience this interconnectedness. Through silence and letting go of the ego-driven "false self," practitioners can move beyond isolated consciousness and experience the divine unity of all creation.
A Prayer for our time and for the earth
Creator of the earth, this sacred home we share; Give us new eyes to see beauty all around
Give us new arms to embrace the stranger among us
Give us new ears to hear and understand those who live off the land
Give us new hearts to heal the brokenness in our communities and recognize the wounds we may have inflicted
Give us new hands to serve the earth and her people
You are the one who seeks the lost, binds our wounds and sets us free.
It is in the name of the Holy One that we pray.
Adapted from Bishop Carol Gallagher, member of the Cherokee Nation and regional Canon of the Diocese of Massachusetts.
Visit our “events” page and our “prayer groups page to see what is new.
We meet each Wednesday at 5 p.m. MT over zoom
