It can be heartbreaking to part ways with the community of faith which has been your spiritual home, but sometimes it is the kindest and most honest thing to do. Here are words of compassion for those who have experienced this kind of loss.
Oh glorious unity, oh shining plurality
We pray for our siblings who have been hurt by religious institutions
We know your heart is for them
We intercede for them, before you
Because right now, they need to feel you close
They who have struck out on a new road, who feel very alone, who feel they are the only ones on the path they walk
They who have had parts of their self denied or questioned or abused
May you overwhelm them with love and acceptance and worthiness
May they know that the truth is neither further nor nearer from them than it ever was
For we can never be sundered from our truest self
We can never be separated from our human divineness
Nor our beautiful, embodied aliveness
To the beloved one: we honour your truth and your courage
We see you in your fullness
If it feels like the gravity that held you to the earth has disappeared, may you rely on the wisdom of your feet, which trust their whole being to each step
And know that the whole blessed earth is now your home
The world your family
The universe may have just got a lot bigger
But your place in it is assured
Even if you cannot see it yet
Our hearts extend to yours with love.
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