(John 17:11b-19)

The sacred name is arms around you,
A soft blanket of choice:
"You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you."

"I guarded them."

I keep you safe.
I blow on the poisonous clouds of evil that threaten you,
And clear the horizon, until the sky is blue.

When you think you are alone, you are mistaken.
When you think you have lost sight of me, you are wrong.
When you think your mind is empty of me
And your heart has lost the shape of mine,
Remember,
It is not you who have chosen me,
But I who have chosen you.

And I will not abandon the children of my choice.

I am the mountain on which you rest.
I am the river that never ceases to rise from its source,
That never ceases to throw itself down into the valley.

I am everything stable and unyielding and fair.

To be chosen is to be embraced by the eternal arms,
Rocked and held and sheltered.

To be guarded is to be safe.

Do not be afraid.
You are mine.

You are cherished and valued and desired.
You will never slip out of my hands.

Mother Miriam Pollard
Abbess of Santa Rita Abbey, Arizona