This poem comes from Jan Phillips, The Living Kindness Foundation (858-571-1417), http://www.janphillips.com:

Instead

Instead of rosaries and litanies
I will make every small move
a mindful one
every exchange a kind one

Instead of lighting a candle
I will light the way for someone
stand with a friend facing the dark
hold my torch like an umbrella
over both our heads

Instead of dropping coins in a collection box
I will clean out my closets and
empty my cupboards
giving away all that I no longer need.

Instead of kneeling in a confessional
to admit wrongdoings
I stand and confess my unabashed love
for all my soul mates and family of friends
I confess to an unbearable joy
at the sounds of spring
the sight of a redwood
the feel of a kitten’s fur on my neck.

Instead of processing to the altar
to receive communion
I call this earth my altar
and my intimacy with her creatures
the bread and wine of my life.

Instead of saying “I am not worthy”
I say let me live up to the challenge
TO BE,
let me remember I am One with What Is,
I do not need redemption,
nothing is wrong.

Instead of calling for help from a faraway God,
I sit in silence and feel the roar
of creation churning in my cells.

Instead of waiting for a priest to come
anointing the passages of life and death
I don the vestments of service and love,
I stand with others in a circle of trust.
We raise the chalice in a toast to earth,
we make the water holy with our humble hands,
we baptize ourselves as redeemers of peace,
servants of unity.

Instead of waiting for the world to turn,
we become its revolution
we spin new webs, build new cogs
with our feet in today
and our minds on tomorrow.

Instead of the old,
we bow to the Now
and turning within,
we create the new.

Jan Phillips

This has so many worthwhile suggestions, I wanted to pass it on.

God’s blessings on your journey!