To discover the universe is a big step toward knowing ourselves.
As humans we are born of the Earth, nourished by the Earth, healed by
the Earth. The natural world tells us: I will feed you, I will clothe
you, I will shelter you, I will heal you. Only do not so devour me or
use me that you destroy my capacity to mediate the divine and the human.
For I offer you a communication with the divine. In the vastness
of the sea, in the snow-covered mountains, in the rivers flowing through
the valleys, in the serenity of the landscape, and in the foreboding of
the great storms that sweep over the land — I offer you inspiration
for your music, your art, your dance. All these benefits the Earth
gives to us: individually, communally, and throughout the entire Earth.
~ Thomas Berry in MAKING PEACE ed. by McConnell and van Gelder
Lord, am I such a pain in the neck? I see you everywhere, yet turn from your presence in the faces of my wife and children. I look for your face everywhere and then spit in your face -- in the faces of those you give me to love ... and in whom you offered your love for me again and again in a million imperfect ways every day. I turn from them if they aren't just so -- just perfect. Nevertheless, your quiet is finally growing in me ... I want to calm my restless feelings, Lord, and look deeply into the faces of my family and see you face to face as we talk during our meal.
~ from BECOMING AN EVERYDAY MYSTIC by James W. Warnke
