This word:

Holy.

Human mouths
have twisted,
narrowed this word
into a descriptor
for some, not others.

Holy has become
a status to achieve,
unattainable perfection,
a word given to the
ones who lean toward
spiritual teachings.

What if holy isn’t a status for the committed
but the essence of all the living?

Right now,
wherever you find yourself

Breathe deep, fill your lungs with invisible air, receive
“I am holy made.”

Witness your bones, the structure that holds you up,
“I am holy made.”

Touch your hand upon your heart, giving thanks for the daily rhythm
“I am holy made.”

Peer at your fingers, those long spindles that create your livelihood,
“I am holy made.”

Honor the intuition you hold in the core of your being,
“I am holy made.”

Bring tenderness to the painful stories and aches you hold, still
“I am holy made.”

Let us release
status levels of holy,
deeds of goodness
or sinful actions that
make us feel higher
or lower than others

Truly, it is holiness
that tears down the separation
and embraces the profane.

In this,

let us open our hearts
to those who don’t
look like us —
speak like us —
worship like us —

and proclaim,
“You are holy made.”

Embracing all the living as holy made
is the light (and sight) we need in the world.

We are not separate. But one.

Amen.