Song of SummerJuly 17, 2018

Deep into Summer we journey, savoring the earth and the dynamics of her movement toward Omega. As we see with the eyes of a mystic we sit with the heartbeat of Christ at the core, the essence of living earth. We breath the life giving breath of the Divine Mystery, of Spirit. We feel the movement of the dying and rising, the paschal mystery actively present as the pattern of evolution. Maybe the earth is the sacred host of Eucharist?

What is the sacred blood but the suffering of each, the continuation of the passion of Christ?

We notice the pattern of living flowers, they grow, push forward from seed to bud to unfolding openness and beauty. At the edge their petals are separate but in the core, the essence is one. Maybe it is the same with earth, if we but look deeper into essence. It is all one.

Would that we could let our lives unfold each day.

What does the earth reveal of the deeper, lasting divine life?

We see delicacy in all the little manifestations of glory and we see great strength in the huge mountains and trees. We see activity in the movement of lava from volcanos and we see quiet in the silence of the wind. We see light in longer days and we see dark that reveals stars, both good and glorious. We see softness in the leaf of a flower and we see hardness in the rock. The living earth reveals the living Mystery of Love as paradox. Would that we can accept paradox, the Divine, in our lives and be comfortable in the unsolved, un resolved things.

So walk through the forest and you walk through your own essence.

There are big and little trees all around. So you have big goals and little goals. Some die, as do trees. Some live. You discover little flowers, violets close to the ground, and big weeds reaching up. So are your desires, sometimes just weeds, sometimes little violets. Step lightly lest you crush the little ones. You find old stagnant water, things in your life that persist, ugly patterns. Look for fresh rain water in little puddles. Those are the new, fresh things in your life – treasures. There are always deer tracts. So Unite with the four legged and learn.

Before the Summer ends, take time to savor the wind, the breath of the Spirit, the essence of earth, the heart of God, the Paschal Mystery going on in earth, the cosmic Christ.

Sister Mary Joan Grisez