In the heart of a patron Saont

Azariah 52-59

          I once wrote on these electronic pages of a life changing spiritual experience I had while on retreat in the Canadian Rockies.   The fact of the matter is, my mere presence in the hallowed halls of God's creation is a spiritual experience for me.  I suspect it was true also for John Muir who we celebrate today as a kind of saint. He was someone who recognized the beauty of God's creation and sought to save and preserve it for us all. To place yourself in God's landscape as a speck, emptying yourself of all the concerns and doubts that the world seems muster is a deeply emotional and liberating experience.

          It may seem zen like or some Buddhist exercise, but it is a truly meaningful and a grand exercise to let your souls be still and experience nature. It can be watching a preying mantis, watching a waterfall, scanning the hilltops, listening to the birds sing in the early morning hours or watching a deer gently nibbling at the grass along the roadside.

          Just as exhilarating is simply being still inside and listening to the breath of your newborn grandson as he sleeps gently in your arms. What could be more beautiful than the expressions of God's love and creation?  In our concrete jungles all this can be missed. I suppose it's one of the reasons I love to bicycle or go for long walks in the woods with my husband.

          No matter who we are, it is creation and all it's myriad wonders and expressions that lead us to a deeper appreciation of God and clues to who we are. It gives clues to who we all are. It shows us the majesty God wishes us all to know that we have as his magnificent creations. Like nature we are ever growing, ever changing, going to a rhythm only God knows in it's totality. We are witnesses. We are  graced with the ability to see it and be a part of it. We are caretakers and protectors.

           In witnessing the beauty and majesty of creation, we see the beauty and majesty withing each one of us.

          

‘Let the earth bless the Lord;
   let it sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, all that grows in the ground;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, seas and rivers;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, you springs;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, you whales and all that swim in the waters;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, all birds of the air;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, all wild animals and cattle;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.