I am surrounded by a beauty that can never belong
to me. But this generates within me an unspeakable reverence for the holiness
of created things, for they are pure and perfect and belong to God and are
mirrors of his beauty. He is mirrored in it all…
~~Thomas Merton
Years ago when I was
music director at a Bible camp, we sang a folk song called “Have You Seen Jesus, My Lord?” Written by John Fischer around 1970,
it was sung long into the 80’s in churches, too, was even a well-loved song
used in many Christian renewal movements such as Cursillo and Lay Witness
Mission. The song makes the point that we see the very face of Christ when we
can finally learn to recognize him in another person. That is not dissimilar to
concepts Jesus taught, after all. And in the very same way, we see the ‘face’
of God in what God has created, and the old song spoke of that as well.
Thomas Merton
(1915-1968) was a Trappist monk. Trappists are known for their commitment to
silence in daily practice, a habit difficult to understand in our wordy
culture. (They're also known for their beer!) Yet Merton’s choice to speak through his writing was not a violation
of his vows, but one encouraged by his superiors. An activist and prolific
writer, he was also a thoughtful observer of nature, finding sustained solace
in the forest environs of his home, the Abbey of our Lady of Gethsemani in
Bardstown, Kentucky. As a result, he often wove contemplation on the natural
world into his writing, speaking and teaching. If I recall correctly, I got
this quote from a collection of his nature writings called When the Trees Say Nothing.
Indeed, God is mirrored
in all God has made. Most profound of all, we are made in God’s very image –
able also to love beauty, and be creative, loving, resourceful, powerful and
wise.
In the Bible translation
known as The Message, Romans 1:20
states it this way:
The basic reality of God is plain enough: open
your eyes, and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God
has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such cannot
see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of God’s divine being…
So whether it’s the
songwriter, the Bible or Thomas Merton, there is no doubt in my mind: they all get
it correctly.
~~RGM, May 15, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment