GOD AS LIFE

The new season for the First Editions Book Club commenced last month.  I hosted the study of a book by Father Richard Rohr, titled "Falling Upwards".  As I told the group gathered in the upstairs lounge, I came to that book in a roundabout way, led to it by previously-read books by Rohr and other writers who challenge and encourage me to wonder about faith and spirituality.

I had five pages of notes prepared for the book club discussion and used few of them - time was too limited to go deeply.  But, one phrase from the middle of the book stayed with me.  The phrase was, "God comes to you disguised as your life." 

The words were spoken by a woman named Paula D'Arcy, who is a well-known and widely travelled author, speaker, playwright and a former psychotherapist.  In 1975, while three months pregnant, she survived the loss of her husband and young daughter in an accident.  Six months later, she gave birth to another daughter and became a prominent female voice for peace and healing.  From that brief bio of her, I can't claim to know Ms. D'Arcy, but I have a glimmer of understanding of why she would see God in life and life in God.

I spend most of my waking hours busy with work of one sort or another: paid work, volunteer work, fun work, unpleasant work...all types of busy-ness.  I usually feel that my work is rewarding.  There are times though, that I realize that being busy feeds a part of me that is always hungry.  I could call it ego, or pride or self-esteem - it really doesn't matter what I name it.  It isn't the best of me and it isn't what my life should be about.

During the rare and fleeting moments when I am fully awake to the world around me, when my head is not filled with busy-ness, I have a deeper appreciation for what is divine and sacred in my life.  Life is not about deadlines, to-do lists, goals and objectives.  It's about how I treat others, how I relate to creation, and where I find my Way in daily living. 

I wish I could stay in closer, more continuous touch with that sense of sacredness and to know more of God in life, in everyday life.  Now that would be worthwhile work.

May the Lord bless us and keep us, be gracious to us and give us peace.

 Pat

Quote for the Week

"The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort

to acknowledge that all I am and have,

is given to me as a gift of love,

a gift to be celebrated with joy."

~ Henri J.M. Nouwen ~

A Week's Worth of Gratitude

Saturday ~ hockey game with Philip

Sunday ~ membership, communion and celebration

Monday ~ Larry Henry

Tuesday ~ golden forests

Wednesday ~ mercy

Thursday ~ music and song

Friday ~ Larry Henry