“Verily with hardship comes ease...” (Quran; 94:5–6)
Lighting this chalice may feel difficult today.
This symbol of justice, known to be a light of hope for the marginalized,
a message of sanctuary for the oppressed,
a flame that feels lost or diminished somehow.
How do we rekindle this fire of compassion?
How do we rekindle this fire of mercy?
A famous verse within the Qur’an tells us that
With hardship, comes ease
With hardship, comes ease
We welcome the ease, oh God of justice
We welcome the ease, oh Spirit of love
We welcome the ease and rekindle this flame
From our tears, our quiet suffering,
from our collective prayers for those who cry for freedom.
We welcome the ease and rekindle this flame
on behalf of those who feel abandoned and betrayed.
We welcome the ease and rekindle this flame
for all of the children who ask, why can we not live in peace as other children do?
May lighting this chalice today,
no matter how difficult it may feel,
help us to rekindle compassion and mercy within the deep crevices of our hearts
So that we can
Once again
Bring justice and hope to a world
struggling to find its humanity
Struggling to find its soul