Marisol Chirosa rscj  |
Listen to the Prophets…
Isaiah 2:2-4
“In days to come the mountains of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it …for out of Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their spears into plough shears and their swords into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
Thomas Merton: from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
“It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, though it is a race dedicated to many absurdities and one which makes terrible mistakes; yet, with all that, God himself gloried in becoming a member of the human race… There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun… These are no strangers!... If we could only see each other as we really are all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed … I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other … The gate of heaven is everywhere.
The Dalai Lama: from A Policy of Kindness
“It is very important to recognize the basic nature of humanity and the value of human qualities. Whether one is educated or uneducated, rich or poor, or belongs to this nation or that nation, this religion or that religion, this ideology or that ideology, is secondary and doesn’t matter. When we return to this basis, all people are the same. Then we can truly say the words, brother, sister, and they are not just nice words,they have some meaning. That kind of motivation automatically builds the practice of kindness. This gives us inner strength.
Listen to the story-teller…
The First Sunrise
(The Dawn of Time: Australian Aborignial Myths. A Korents & C Mountford)
The Australian Aborigines are deeply interested in the universe around them, - the stars, the sky and, in particular, the earth itself. Out of the timeless interest has grown a rich heritage of myths and beliefs; the earth floats in the middle of a boundless ocean. It is a disc of limited size, moving in the sky just below the stars. And over the horizon is the land of the dead; a land of streams of running water, shady trees, ample food and perpetual fine weather.
One ancient story describes how the sky was so close to the earth that it not only shut out all light, but forced every one to crawl around in the darkness, collecting with their bare hands, whatever they could find to eat. But the magpies, one of the more intelligent birds, decided that, if they all worked together, they could raise the sky to make more room in which to move about. Slowly with long sticks, the birds lifted the sky, resting it first on the higher boulders until everyone could stand upright.
As the magpies were struggling to lift the sky even higher above their camp, it suddenly split open, revealing the beauty of their first sunrise. Overjoyed with the light and warmth, the magpies burst into melodious call and, as they sang, they saw the blanket of darkness break into fragments and drift away as clouds. From those remote times until now, the magpies have always greeted the sunrise with their warbling song of incomparable beauty.
Listen to your heart……
Imagine the Spirit
deep within the bowels of space and time.
Imagine the movement of this Spirit
spinning round and round, and each movement
evolving into something more
as each small spark imagines
and gives life to the next stage.
Imagine that moment when flowers appear,
galaxies stretch out across the skies,
animals of all kinds walk the earth,
birds of different size
whose shape and colour grace the air.
Imagine that moment when humans evolve
and with their special giftedness,
reflect consciously, the wonder, beauty,
miracle of the Spirit.
They stand in awe of the Spirit and its work.
In our ever expanding universe
the Spirit invites us to continue the story
and imagine.
Loving God,
open our hearts so that we may feel
the breath and play of your Spirit.
Unclench our hands
so that we may reach out to one another
and touch and be healed.
Open our lips
that we may taste the wonder of life.
Open our eyes so that we may see
Christ in friend and stranger.
Breathe your Spirit within us
and touch our lives with the life of Christ.
Amen
