A Kayamanan ng Lahi Prayer

Just wanted to quickly share a prayer I’ve been composing for my Philippine folk arts group, Kayamanan ng Lahi, as we prepare for our show, Agos, for the Sounds of LA series at the Getty Center:

Eternal, Loving Father,

Out of your divine and infinite Love you created us, and You, who thought of us even before you began the work of creation, who knew us before you knit us in our mothers’ wombs, saw fit to bless us with the wondrous treasure of Filipino culture, beautiful beyond human imagination, a heritage so vast and diverse that to explore the depths of it would be an adventure beyond this lifetime, beyond time and space: indeed, a journey that connects us to our ancestors, to our future descendants, and to each other.

Receive, O Lord, our performance as an oblation of thanks and praise for the many great gifts and blessings you have granted us, especially the opportunity to share this adventure we are on with our families, friends, and neighbors.

Send forth your Spirit upon us, we pray, that we may fully share with our audience the passion and effort that brought us to this very moment, so that this performance may be a product of our bodies, hearts, minds, and souls; of the wholeness of our being. And grant us, we pray, that in sharing the beauty and grace with which you have blessed us, we may humbly reflect the beauty and grace of your Divine light, so that we may inspire our audience through this performance as we have been inspired, that we may all draw closer to you, our God and Heavenly Father, who are the source of all truth, beauty, and goodness. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen!