Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Contemplation and Creativity

The lakes hidden among the hills are saints, and the sea too is a saint who praises God without interruption in her majestic dance. The great, gashed, half-naked mountain is another of God's saints. . . For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self. Trees and animals have no problem. God makes them what they are without consulting them, and they are perfectly satisfied. With us it is different. God leaves us free to be whatever we like. We can be ourselves or not, as we please. We are at liberty to be real, or to be unreal. We may be true or false, the choice is ours.

—Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
 
 
 

All is Sacred

 
 
 


                                             Sacred Trees Illuminated Night
                                                                 by Joy Hellman




For Hildegard all life was sacred: human, animal, plant…all of creation speaks of the wonder that is God. All life from insect to person deserved to be respected and celebrated. These sentiments can be sources of inspiration today. —for all those efforts that seek justice and harmony with the earth and all that is in it. Hildegard believed that all creation sings, shouts, and speaks of divine revelation, inspiration, and consolation. Through creation—be it a sunrise, a butterfly, a child’s laughter, a lover’s serenade—God reminds us of God’s presence to comfort us, hold us, and help us get up again when life knocks us down. Creation in its vastness and diversity reminds us that we are never alone. -





 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013