Absolution

You don't need priests or politicians, you make peace on earth simply by being awake.

The kingdom is not a nation of laws and borders, a heavenly city descending from the sky, or a utopia designed by economists and college professors.

The kingdom is not invoked by shouting magic slogans in the streets, just as food is not created by banging pots.

Justice spills into the world from a blossom inside you, overflowing after the shower of grace, tasting blue, like the sky.

The kingdom comes a thousand times a day, when you nourish a thirsty stranger with your smile, when your mind is suddenly empty and your heart is filled with nectar.

Friend, don't wait for a prince. You are the royalty. Your palace is the present moment.

The throne is in your chest. Silence from a golden cup anoints you with astonishment.

The pulse of your blood commands the galaxies to shine. Your nakedness is the sun.

The gesture of your merest breath absolves all creatures from a colossal and primordial Sin that never happened.