Category: Uncategorized

Beauty to look at, listen to

Melody and Hue
Pass thru my Will
Unsaid and Unwritten

“Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air, amply spread around everywhere, question the beauty of the sky, question the serried ranks of the stars, question the sun making the day glorious with its bright beams, question the moon tempering the darkness of the following night with its shining rays, question the animals that move in the waters, that amble about on dry land, that fly in the air; their souls hidden, their bodies evident; the visible bodies needing to be controlled, the invisible souls controlling them; question all these things. They all answer you, ‘Here we are, look; we’re beautiful.”

Their beauty is their confession.

St. Augustine, Sermon 241, 411 A.D.

WATER

To which I am, and to which I yearn.

Its many shapes and passion-like qualities.

Thou keeps life.

FIRE

To arise and transform,

into itself, everything it touches,

welling into eternity.

AIR

Far as breath may enter,

Its parts are whole.

Returned as a gift.

EARTH

Of itself brings forth fruit.

Not reward but charity.

Extended to the irrational.

Reflection:

A deeply red sun, with glorious flares of color setting on the horizon. A gentle breeze sifting through the leaves of a tree, showering musical undertones.  Sometimes we participate, but mostly all happens in each moment without our control and participation.

Yet, we seldom contemplate the truth it reveals.

Who made and shares these beautiful things by which man’s greatest achievements cannot compare? Did it happen by chance?

Are we so complacent or deceived by the way natural things appear, or does this reveal a deeper truth?

Give an example of “rapture” from your own experience.

Campfires of the Soul

Embers like lava
Ignite flaming arrows

Dangling remnants signal

Its need for ashes
To become soul soil
For new plants to grow

The hardest part of being wounded by the actions of another person is never to hear the words “I am sorry,” along with never the attempt to reconcile or repair the harm. It blocks total forgiveness.  

Over a lifetime, these embers stack; keeping flesh burns from fully healing.

I easily accept and forgive in thought, but its embers, do not automatically extinguish. As time passes, I can distance myself from its heat, but embers and smoke remain in my soul, keeping me bound in the past.

Jesus said, forgive seventy times seven. He also said:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Luke 23:34

Jesus on the cross did not say, “I forgive them,” or ask God to help him to forgive. He directly asked God – to forgive them. Maybe the moment was too much for his humanity. I see this within myself and I can do the same.

I can turn to God’s mercy rather than hold myself to an unrealistic standard of 100% forgiveness.

And may many others find it within their will to be the same for me.

Ps. Your comments are welcomed.

Verified by MonsterInsights