Finding the Sacred in All of Life
In her book A Tree Full of Angels: Seeing the Holy in the Ordinary, Macrina Wiederkehr says: “You live in a world of theophanies. Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary. There are burning bushes all around you. Every tree is full of angels. Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb. Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels, but this can happen only if you are willing to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure.”
Padraig O Tuama says (from the book Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World):
I once spoke to a group in London called COJAM: Community of Jews and Muslims. We had a full day together and everybody had brought food to share. At lunch a few of the members arranged the meal. While they were doing that, others moved to a corner of the room next to the windows, faced Mecca and began their prayer. There was the smell of food, and the sound of whispers from the cooks. There was the rustle of fabric against fabric as people embodied their devotion. There was the sound of prayers recited just under the breath. If I try, I can remember that ten minutes in my body. I return to that memory like a favorite cathedral.
You are invited into a practice of remembrance...
Recall a time - or times - when you experienced sanctuary in a non-church setting.
What details can you recall about that time?
What feelings were awakened in you then?
What do you feel/experience as you recall it now?
Are there bodily sensations you can identify in connection with that moment?
Offer gratitude for these times in which we can experience holy presence - in the usual movements of life.
Amen.
Reflection by Glynden Bode, Spiritual Director, Retreat Leader, HOF Board Vice-President, and Retired UM deacon.
This reflection represents the view of the author.