Seeing God's Handiwork

    One of the favorite poems by Gerard Manly Hopkins from my youth is about seeing.   

“The world is charged with the grandeur of God,                                                                                      but only he who sees takes off his shoes.                                                                                                  the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.” 

      If only we could see as God sees!

      A few yards from our Guest House front porch is a huge oak tree. Despite its age, the tree still continues to produce a multitude of acorns. Recently I was working in the flower bed in front of the porch when something hit the top of my head - an acorn  Within a minute a twig with leaves and then a second acorn hit!  I had to laugh!  A gentle nudge? 

    This dear old tree with its diminishing branches, will not last many more years, I fear, but its beauty, its shade, its “dwelling space” and, yes, even its bothersome seeds, have become a part of me and will live in my memory.  I am grateful.

     Let us seek your face, O God, let our hearts be open to embrace all creation, especially our brothers and sisters, made in your image and likeness.  Open our eyes that we may see as you see, with a  new vision  for our Earth, with compassionate and thankful hearts.  As we age, may the seeds you have planted in us bear fruit for the next generation.  Amen.

                   

       That in all things God may be glorified!  

                         Sr. Sharon Portwood, OSB

Visio Divina

     “Visio Divina” or Divine Seeing, or Seeing the Word - is much like the prayer form, “Lectio Divina” or Divine Reading, or Praying the Word.  Only here I pay attention to what I see, how God is revealing God’s self to me through the sights, things, art works, people around me.  These are some examples that come to mind:

     Right now the fall foliage is breathtakingly beautiful. How can we help seeing God’s beauty, and stand or sit in awe and wonder at what God has done and does seasonally in this climate.  Praise God! Take time to notice, allow it to fill you, feel the love and warmth of God’s unconditional live.  Such a variety of trees; Ginko, Maple, Oak, Sycamore, Sweet Gum, Moses Bushes displaying their leaves in all shades of yellows, oranges, rusts, reds, browns and even blacks, all shades of the flames of Spirit fire, consuming the leaves as they ready for the death of winter, and anticipate the resurrection of spring.  This is a symbol of the Paschal Mystery.  Every tree, every leaf is special, as we are each unique and special to God.

     One of our Oblates just shared with me another experience of “Visio Divina” using the illuminations from the new St. John’s Bible.  Each of the three sessions of the workshop she is attending is centering around one of the illuminations.  The first was from the Creation Story from the Book of Genesis that the artist, Donald Jackson, depicted so creatively.  The group listened to the scripture text and allowed the word to dwell within them.  Then gazing on the Creation illumination in seven panels asked God to open the eyes of their hearts and enable them to see what God wanted them to see.  Finally they prayed for inner transformation for themselves and each other.  Laura was amazed and moved by this prayerful experience, and called me to share.  She was eagerly waiting the next two sessions.

     This brought to mind our community retreat a few years ago, when Sr. Irene Nowell, OSB, used many of the illuminations from the St. John’s Bible in much the same way, projecting them on the chapel way, where we were overwhelmed by their beauty and power.  I was profoundly moved by this experience, and realized that this is what the committee behind the Bible did to come up with these powerful illuminations of the Word of God. It was truly “Divine Seeing”.

     I believe that Julian of Norwich must have prayed in this way as she allowed the hazel nut in her hand to speak to her of the God who made it, who loves it, and who preserves it.  From her “Revelations” she shared that she saw in it that “God is the creator and the protector and the lover.  And that we are not fully at ease because we seek rest in things that are so little.  We must come to recognize our God, who is all powerful, all wise, all good - who is our true rest.”

     Let us open our eyes and as well as our hearts to what God has set before us in so many ways night and day. Sr. Mary Tewes, OSB