For higher purpose

May the God who gives life to all creatures
give to us a vision of a sanctified world
beyond the conflicts of this present time.
Help us to remember
that the divine purposes are not served by human wrath,
and that wickedness expresses itself, as does virtue,
in the intentions and acts of all people.
To the end of our days, O Lord, preserve us in the hope of a world
filled with your goodness and illuminated by your mercy.

Edward Norman