Two weeks ago I posted a prayer here that I thought fitting given the senseless violence that was spreading throughout American cities. I had been familiar with versions of this prayer for many years but never knew the author. As I mentioned at the bottom of that post, there are many variations of this prayer including how people title it. Sometimes it was called “A Franciscan Blessing.” Sometimes it was called “Four-Fold Benedictine Blessing” and attributed to Sister Ruth Marlene Fox, OSB, 1985, of Sacred Heart Monastery in Richardton, ND.

As a writer attribution is important to me, as is accuracy when quoting someone or posting a poem online and correctly printing it with the original line breaks of the poet. So I did some investigation and traced the bread crumbs which indeed led me back to Sacred Heart Monastery in Richardton, North Dakota and Benedictine Sister Ruth Fox. Eureka! Alleluia!

Sister Fox kindly responded to me, sent me the original prayer (posted below), and relayed the circumstances in which it was written. Chaplain for the Catholic Students at Dickinson State College (now Dickinson State University) in the 1980’s, Sister Ruth was invited to offer a prayer at the Graduation Breakfast for the senior class. Not finding a prayer to her liking for the occasion, she set pen to paper, blessing not only a religiously diverse gathering of students some thirty years ago, but many since then with her prayer (and versions that her original prayer inspired). As she writes, “And the words of the prayer gradually came to me (given by the Holy Spirit).”

I’d like to share her prayer, her blessing, as it was originally co-written with her (holy) ghost-writer, titled, and offered aloud. We are grateful. It is a beautiful blessing.

A Non-traditional Blessing 

May God bless you with discontent with easy answers, half-truths, superficial relationships, so that you will live from deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, abuse, and exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, equality, and  peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you will reach out your hand to comfort  them and to change their pain to joy.

May God bless you with the foolishness to think you can make a difference in this world, so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done.

If you have the courage to accept these blessings, then God will also bless you with:

happiness—because you will know that you have made life better for others

inner peace—because you will have worked to secure an outer peace for others

laughter—because your heart will be light

faithful friends—because they will recognize your worth as a person.

These blessings are yours—not for the asking, but for the giving—from One who wants to be your companion, our God, who lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen.

Sister Ruth Fox, OSB