Hands facing upward against black background

This spiritual practice comes from Jane Vennard in Embracing the World: Praying for Justice and Peace.

Wordless prayers are a way to pray for your enemies. You can simply lift the person or the people up to God. To do this, imagine you are holding in your hands the one with whom you are out of step. Using your body, raise your arms and hands as high as you can reach, as if you were lifting the person into the presence of God. Hold him or her there for a moment, then open your hands and let the person go into God's loving care. As you allow your hands to return to your sides, feel the experience of release. When resentment, bitterness, and anger return, you can pray this prayer again—holding, lifting, and releasing—until your heart softens and your prayers are transformed.

In partnership with our friends at Spirituality & Practice, we are sharing practices to help us all “practice democracy” from the inside out. Visit Spirituality & Practice's The Practicing Democracy Project for more practices and a wide array of resources.

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Spirituality & Practice (S&P) is a multi-faith website devoted to resources for spiritual journeys. While respecting differences among traditions, S&P celebrates what they share in common.