Sunday, August 29, 2010

Thoughts from the trail: the icon of creation...

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My wife and I recently returned from six days on the trail. We hiked the Cape Scott and North Coast Trails. Thus far, we've only done two multi-day hikes (the West Coast Trail and the North Coast Trail). There is something about being 'out there' and away from the daily routine that tends to draw one's thoughts towards a deeper contemplation. This is not to say that one cannot find time and space within the framework of his/her 'normal life' - indeed one can and must. Instead, this is to say that on the trail, out in the wilds, there is a context which seems easily conducive to contemplation.

It seemed to me, while out on the trail, that nature - that is to say, creation - is itself an icon of the divine. At home I tend to use icons as aids to prayer. The use of icons in prayer is a holy and ancient practice of the Christian church. Icons are understood to act as 'windows' into the divine, as signposts pointing our thoughts to God. Christian teaching has also long held that creation itself is an icon of He who created it. The wonder of creation points to the creator - it sings of his majesty.

As I sat on the beach, or hiked on the trail, I often found my thoughts ascending heavenward. I heard the words of the liturgy sung by creation - the trees, the waves, the clouds, the eagles soaring above - I heard them sing as we sing each Sunday:
Holy, holy, holy Lord

God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest.
Out there on the trail I felt the divine call to praise and wonder. In church each Sunday we sing these words; out their I listened as creation sang them.

My favourite of the six days out there began with a hasty packing up of our camp as the rain poured down on us. It was a day of off-and-on-again rain. But after we had reached our destination where we were going to camp for the night, the sun decided to begin to peek out from among the clouds. I strolled out towards the crashing waves and stood on the beach trying to get a glimpse of the sun. Suddenly it broke free from the clouds and a beacon of light burst out and showered me with its brilliant radiance. I couldn't have kept the smile from my face if I had tried. I was overcome with joy and stood there with my arms wide-spread soaking in the rays. It really felt good to be alive. My heart sung a silent song of praise and gratitude for the gift.

Indeed, I hope that my eyes and my heart will be able to look out with each new day towards the icon of creation that God has provided us with as an aid to prayer. I hope my ears will learn to continually hear that divine liturgy, that song of praise, that creation sings out in honour of His majesty.

Gloria In Excelsis Deo!!

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Sunday, August 15, 2010

Inter-generationality: Enjoying the beauty...

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A couple of days ago my wife and I stopped by my mother's place for a visit. She was babysitting my niece, whom we hadn't seen in several weeks and with whom we were hoping to spend some time. We pulled into the yard and immediately noticed a shaking apple tree with apples being projected outwards. And there was my cute little five-year-old niece running around with a bag gathering all the apples. To my surprise, my sister climbed out of the tree. I guess all the good apples were difficult to get at so she had decided to climb up to them. When they had procured all the apples they could for the moment, my niece ran inside the house with the apples. Once inside she proceeded to show the apples to my mother (her grandmother). It seems they were preparing to make apple sauce and apple pie. I sat down and watched my mother and my little niece interact and I thought to myself, "yes, this is what we were created for". There truly is something beautiful about inter-generational relationships. I sat and smiled, enjoying the moment.

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Wonder and the Healing Power of Awe...

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I've been musing of late over the idea of wonder. It seems to me that it is often not given it's due place in our society. The more I reflect on life, the more I realize how mysterious it really is. Do any of us truly understand it? Sure, on a day-to-day basis we know how to function and we understand in a rudimentary sense how the world around typically operates, but life in its grand sense, in its more full sense, tends to reject any strict definition we try to give to it. This being said: I think wonder is a completely sensible response to the world which we inhabit. Sometimes it seems the only appropriate response.

I don't think science has stolen the magic from the stars (as some claim). I think it's still there if we're willing to recognize it. And I'm beginning to think that it's very important that we learn to recognize it (not just in the stars but in all of life and the world around). When I stand in awe of a sunrise, when the sight and sound of hundreds of bees at work in a field of flowers cause me to marvel, when the radiant beauty of creation lifts my soul to soar amongst the clouds, the effect is that (even if just for a fleeting moment) I am drawn outside of myself. Like love, the awe felt in the presence of something greater than me, which this wide world in all its glory certainly is, re-orients my very being. As a Christian I would argue that this re-orientation is towards the God who created, and is reflected in, this world of ours. But whatever one might think of the divine, this re-orientation is perhaps one of the healthiest things we can do (or have done?) for ourselves. It seems to me that when we are drawn outside of ourselves we are given a reprieve from all that might weigh us down. We are given an opportunity to let go of our fears, to step back from the pain, and to release our burdens. Perhaps awe is the respite given for the struggles of life.

I personally have found the experience of awe to have a healing effect. I have found in those brief but magical moments when I am drawn out of myself, those moments when my soul is lifted from its daily burdens and allowed to sing, I have found in those moments the chance for healing, the much needed rest, and the strength and inspiration to move forward in life.

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