Involved In Mankind

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."


This is an excerpt from John Donne (1572-1631), Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII: Nunc Lento Sonitu Dicunt, Morieris.


Oh, to be so involved in Life and in living, that we are deeply occupied with mankind. Each one a unique creation, each one loved by his Creator. To look into the eyes of a stranger and see God's hand. To draw true Life out of and into the soul of a young person. To look beyond the walls, constructed so carefully and fearfully. To love our neighbor as ourself. 


Oh Lord, give us the enabling Grace to embrace to lives of others, for your sake.


Amen