ICUU Global Chalice Lighting

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in English and Spanish by the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is to be used during May 2011.


We speak different languages. We live on different continents. And yet we share a common love, a common faith, and a common destiny. We share a commitment to create a world where compassion guides us, where all are cherished, where all are free.

We light this chalice in recognition of our enduring connections, in honor of our shared legacy, and in anticipation of the future we shall create together.

Hablamos idiomas diferentes y vivimos en continentes distintos, pero compartimos un amor común, una fe común y un destino común. Compartimos el compromiso de crear un mundo en el que nos guíe la compasión, donde todos seamos amados, donde todos seamos libres.

Encendemos este cáliz en reconocimiento de nuestras relaciones duraderas, en honor de nuestro legado compartido y en la expectativa del futuro que crearemos juntos.

Peter Morales
Unitarian Universalist Association

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in French and English by the Eglise Unitarienne Francophone as homage to Norbert Čapek. It is to be used during June 2011.


Chaque fois que je vois une fleur, je pense à toi,
Chaque fois que je vois une fleur, je pense à nous,
Car nous assemblons les fleurs, n’est-ce pas ?
Pour qu’elles forment un éventail arc-en-ciel
Pour qu’elles fassent bouquets
Pour qu’elles fassent Eglise.
On dit que, dans ta Bohème natale,
Elles sont si nombreuses au printemps
tant belles et mutines
Qu’elles courent et dansent dans les prés
Célébrant la vie en farandole de liberté.

Each time I see a flower, I think of you.
Each time I see a flower, I think of us.
For we gather flowers, do we not?
So that they may bloom into a fan-shaped rainbow
and make up lovely bouquets,
making up the Church.
They say there are so many of them
in your native Bohemia,
so beautiful and lively,
that they run and dance in the fields
celebrating life in a frolic of freedom.

Jean-Claude Barbier
Eglise Unitarienne Francophone

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in Kirundi, French, and English by the Assemblée des Chrétiens Unitariens du Burundi. It is to be used during July 2011.


Guhura kw’abantu kugurura imiryango myiinshi
Kwinjira mu mico y’abandi no kugurikira uburyo bundi bwo gutahura no gukora ibintu.
Kwitaho abandi bica birakura muri twebwe umutima wokwitanga uturoresha kubandi mu kubitangira atakwikunda kugiyemwo.
Uno musi, muri aka gatondo, nitwatse iri tara ryo kugurukira abandi, yo gutangarira bishasha biduteza imbere eka mbere no gukorera hamwe gukomeye.

La rencontre entre les peoples renferme des possibilités inattendues
Expériences culturelles et ouverture  à de nouvelles façons de comprendre et de faire les choses.
L’attention à l’autre se développe et un esprit de détachement nous tourne vers l’autre dans un service désintéressé.
Aujourd’hui, ce matin, allumons une flamme d’ouverture à l’autre,  de curiosité enrichissante et de coopération active.

When people meet, endless possibilities emerge--
New cultural experiences and openness to new ways of understanding and doing things.
A special attention to the other and a sense of service beyond self develop.
Today, this morning, let us light the chalice for openness, willingness to grow, enriching curiosity, and active cooperation.

Fulgence Ndagijimana
Assemblée des Chrétiens Unitariens du Burundi
http://afcu.over-blog.org/categorie-10343130.html

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in German and English by the Deutsche Unitarier Religionsgemeinschaft. It is to be used during August 2011.


Manchmal ist unsere Vision
von Mitgefühl und Gemeinschaft
größer als unser Herz.
 
Unsere Hoffnung auf eine gerechte Gesellschaft,
die sowohl frei als auch verantwortlich ist,
geht oft hinaus über das, was wir gerade selbst dazu beitragen.
 
Dennoch - mögen wir uns niemals durch Fehlschläge oder Misserfolge
davon abhalten lassen, tatkräftig zuzupacken,
und immer und immer wieder zu versuchen
die Hoffnungen und Träume unserer Gemeinschaft zu leben.
 
Möge das Licht dieser Flamme uns den Mut für die Reise geben.

Sometimes, the vision we share
for compassion and community
is bigger than our actual hearts.

Often, our hopes for a just society
that is both free and responsible
exceeds what we actually do to create it.

But may we never let our failing and floundering
keep us from seeking, again and again,
to live out in concrete deeds
the hopes and dreams of our collective heart.

May the light of this flame give us courage for the journey.

Eric Hausman
Deutsche Unitarier Religionsgemeinschaft
http://unitarier.de

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted by the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is to be used during September 2011.


Somewhere in Berkeley and in Boston and in Bujimbara,
someone lights a chalice, and its light shines on freedom;
Somewhere in Kansas City and in Koloszvar and in Kampala,
Someone lights a chalice, and its light illumines truth;
Somewhere in Tierra del Fuego, and in Tulsa, and in Honolulu and in Havana,
and in Nashville and in Nantucket and in Nairobi,
Someone lights a chalice, and love is made visible.
Today, we light this chalice and hold in memory,
the many chalices whose steady flames hold us.

Rosemary Bray McNatt
Unitarian Universalist Association

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in Czech and English by the Religious Society of Czech Unitarians. It is to be used during October 2011.


Scházíme se v tomto místě, které je pro tuto chvíli naším duchovním domovem.  Je to místo nás všech, pro každého z nás.  Jsme lidé různého původu, s různými životními příběhy; každý z nás je originálem.  Jdeme mnoha různými cestami.

Zatímco cesta každého z nás je odlišná, máme společný cíl: prohlubovat naše spojení s Duchem Života; činit duchovní dílo v našich srdcích; a vztahovat se k druhým.

Zapalme tento kalich, abychom posílili své uvědomění pospolitosti.  Toto je skutečně jedno místo, mnoho cest; mnoho cest, jeden cíl.  Nechť světlo tohoto kalicha nám tuto pravdu připomíná.

We gather in this place which is our spiritual home at this hour.  It is one place for us all.  We are people of different origins, with different life stories; each of us is unique.  We walk on many diverse paths.  

While the path of each of us is quite different, we have a common goal: to deeper our connection with the Spirit of Life; to do the spiritual work in our hearts; and to reach out to the others.  

Let us light the chalice to strengthen our awareness of togetherness.  This is truly one place, many paths; many paths, one goal.  May the light of this chalice remind us of that.

Petr Samojsky
http://www.unitaria.cz 

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted by the Australian and New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association. It is to be used during November 2011:
 

May this flame remind us of our own inward light,
the centre of our being,
that connects us to all Being and
gives us strength and comfort in a troubled world.

Jan Tendys
Australian and New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association
http://anzuua.org

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted by the Unitarian Union of North East India. It is to be used during December 2011:


We kindle the chalice flame,
symbol of our gathered community,
across faiths,
across cultures,
beyond borders.

May it lead us
from the shadows into the light,
from ignorance to wisdom,
from untruth to truth,
from exclusiveness to inclusiveness
from mortality to immortality.

May the flame be a symbol of warmth, kinship, wisdom, truth and liberty.

Khublei.

Derrick Pariat
Unitarian Union of North East India
http://unitarianchurchnortheastindia.blogspot.com

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 101st in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during January 2012. It is submitted by the Australian and New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association.


A golden thread binds us to all that has been and will ever be.
Here the tender soul yearns.
Here the greatest dreams are sighted.
Here the sacred flame burns.

Mark Allstrom
Australian and New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association www.anzuua.org

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 102nd in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during February 2012. It is submitted in Italian and English by the Italian Unitarian Communion.

 
Possa questo calice rappresentare noi davanti a te, o Vita infinita.

Possa il gambo essere la fermezza della nostra fede, la coppa essere la nostra anima che ti accoglie, e la candela che brucia l'impegno delle nostre vite.

Possa la fiamma che stiamo accendendo essere la scintilla del Divino nel nostro spirito, l'unità dei nostri cuori con il suo calore, la nostra ricerca di una vera fratellanza di tutti gli esseri umani con il suo ascendere, la testimonianza della nostra ostinata speranza con il suo splendore.

Fai che il gambo non vacilli nelle difficoltà. che la coppa non si riempia di illusioni, che la candela non si esaurisca in tentazioni, fai che la fiamma non si estingua nella rinuncia ma che sia sempre il faro della nostra ricerca spirituale.

Amen

 
May this chalice we light represent us in front of you, oh Infinite Life.

May its stem be the steadiness of our faith, its cup our soul receiving you and its candle which burns the engagement of our life.

May the flame we are lighting be the spark of Divinity inside our spirit,

the unity of our hearts its warmth, our search for a true brotherhood of all human beings its ascension, the testimony of our obstinate hope its brightness.

Let the stem not wobble in difficulties, the cup not get filled with illusions, the candle not be exhausted by temptations. Let the flame never extinguish in renunciation but may it always be our lighthouse in our spiritual quest.

Amen
 

Alessandro Falasca and Lawrence Sudbury
Comunione Unitariana Italiana
www.comunioneunitariana.it

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 103rd in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during March 2012. It is submitted in German and English by Deutsche Unitarier Religionsgemeinschaft.

Lorella Thomas Hess
editor, The Global Chalice
ICUU newsletter
www.icuu.net


Ein Licht, das in mir wirket still,  
lässt mich die ganze Welt erkennen.  
Ich weiß nicht, was es ist und will,
in Ehrfurcht will ich’s göttlich nennen.

A light that silently works in me,
Allows me to know the world in its entirety.
I don’t know what it is or what it wants;
With awe I’ll call it divine.

-H. Thoma
Deutsche Unitarier Religionsgemeinschaft
http://unitarier.de

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 104th in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during April 2012. It is submitted by the Unitarian Church of South Africa.

 
     We kindle this light in the centre of our circle.
     May it symbolise the light and life and warmth
     In the centre of our beings.
     May it mirror the light of fellow Unitarians here
     And around the world.
 
-Patricia Oliver
Unitarian Church of South Africa
www.unitarian.co.za

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 105th in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during May 2012. It is submitted in English and Spanish by the Unitarian Universalist Society of Spain.


         We light this chalice to remember that life is born again every day.

          Encendemos este cáliz como recuerdo de que la vida nace de nuevo cada día.

submitted by la Sociedad Unitaria Universalista de España
http://uuespana.googlepages.com/home

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 106th in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during June 2012. It is submitted by the British General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.


We light our chalice of freedom, our Unitarian symbol,
In the spirit of faith, hope and love.
As we do so, we reflect for a moment, in this place of simple beauty,
On the meaning of these three things in our lives.
 
And we think of those not here, blessed in the knowledge
That the fond spirits of those whom we love well can never leave us,
But stay in our hearts forever.
 
(silence)
 
     And now come into this circle, this fellowship of holiness and health.
     Come and you shall know peace and joy.
 
-Judith Crompton
British General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
http://unitarian.org.uk

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 107th in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during July 2012. It is submitted in Danish and English by the Danish Unitarian Church.


Overvæld ingen med flotte gaver.Små ting får ofte megen ros.Med et brød til deling og en kop sendt rundt fandt jeg venskab.

Load no one with lavish gifts. Small presents often win great praise. With a loaf cut and a cup shared I found fellowship.  

from the Hávamál (Sayings of the Vikings)
submitted by the Danish Unitarian Church
http://www.unitarisme.dk 

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 108th in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during August 2012. It is submitted in Czech and English by the Religious Society of Czech Unitarians.


May this flame burn and remind us that each of us can offer goodness and love, and that each of us can be a blessing to the world.
 
Nechť hoří tento plamen a připomíná nám, že každý z nás může světu přinášet dobro a lásku, že každý z nás může být světu požehnáním.
 
Petr Samojsky
Religious Society of Czech Unitarians
http://www.unitaria.cz

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 109th in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during September 2012. It is submitted in English and Spanish by the Unitarian Universalist Association.


We light this chalice,
symbol of our free faith,
so that we may be reminded
to nurture and care for one another,
and to encourage the spiritual development of each person so we may
grow in strength and courage in order to transform the world through
justice and compassion.
May it be so. Blessed Be. Amen.

Encendemos este cáliz,
símbolo de nuestra fe libre,
para recordarnos a nutrir y criar cada persona,
y a incitar el espiritu de todos,
para crecer en fuerza y coraje,
transformando al mundo a través la justicia y compassion.
Que así sea. Bendecido sea. Amen.
 
-Arlene Bloom
submitted by the Unitarian Universalist Association
www.uua.org

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 110th in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during October 2012. It is submitted in English and Cebuano by the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines.
 
 
Like the burning flame that shines,
like the passionate feeling of love that glows,
we are together again;
to sing and to pray, to give and to receive
the burning passion that we've celebrated and shared
in our coming together as one.                                        
   
Sama sa kainit sa kalayo nga misidlak,
sama sa kainit sa gugma nga migilak
nia na usab kita;
aron sa pag-awit ug pag-ampo, aron sa paghatag ug pagdawat,
sa kainit sa gugma nga atong gisaluhan ug gipakig-ambit
sa atong panaghiusa.
 
-Susan Quisel
Submitted by the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines
www.uuphilippines.org

[Alex]

The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists announces the 111th in its monthly series of global chalice lighting readings. This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in Portuguese and English by the Brazilian Unitarian Association. It is to be used during November 2012.


O vida oculta que brilha em cada átomo
O luz oculta que brilha em cada criatura,
O amor oculto que tudo abrange na unidade,
Possa todo aquele que se sente um contigo
Saber que por isso mesmo é um com todos os outros.

O hidden life that vibrates in each atom,
O hidden light that shines in each creature,
O hidden love that embraces everything in unity,
May all who feel one with Thee
Know that for this very reason we are one with all the others.

- adapted from Annie Besant by Paulo Ereno
submitted by the Brazilian Unitarian Association
https://sites.google.com/site/cristianismoliberal/

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 112th in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during December 2012. It is submitted by the Unitarian Universalist Association.


This light originated in the brilliant spark
that created our universe 15 billion years ago.

Later, our ancestors treasured the light of their campfires --
even before we were fully human.

Today, may it illuminate our spirits as we gather
to share its warmth with our congregation.
 
-Candace Lindquist and Richard Sonnenfeld
Unitarian Universalist Association
www.uua.org