Passing from Insight to Action: Social Work Commencement Invocation, 2004

Invocation for Smith College for Social Work Commencement, August 20, 2004

Based on the poem “Now is the time” by Hafiz (12th century Persian)

The Upanishads of Hindu wisdom say, "That which makes the eye see but which cannot be seen by the eye, that alone is God."

Insight is a door opened. But it is awareness that leads to insight. And it is courage and hope which makes the passage from insight to action possible. You, our graduates, will be companions to others seeking courage, hope, and healing -- and this will change you. And, by grace, you welcome this challenge. What a gift. What a blessing.

Please let us join in a moment of mindfulness and gratitude together.

Mindful of those who have walked this path before us,
Thankful for those teachers whose lessons we have found difficult to learn,
Thankful for the learning which has changed us,
Mindful of the ancestors, scholars, prophets, and saints who uphold this gathering,
and the Spirit of Wisdom that inspires it,

Let us remember
That the possibility of love, of peace, of wholeness
is ever patient, ever present.

This is a time
For us to deeply comprehend the possibility
that there is only Grace.

That everything we will do today
in this place
is sacred;
Is Blessing and Blessed.

May it be so.