Pause
Watercolor by Julie Codd, CSJP.
Mindful
Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for—
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world—
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
— Mary Oliver from Why I Wake Early: New Poems
The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face. The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things. Saint Bonaventure teaches us that “contemplation deepens the more we feel the working of God’s grace within our hearts, and the better we learn to encounter God in creatures outside ourselves”.
— Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 233.
Prayer of Gratitude
for the Earth
For the marvelous grace of your creation,
we pour out our thanks to you God.
For sun and moon and stars,
for rain and dew and winds,
for winter cold and summer heat.
We praise you God for mountains and hills,
for springs and valleys,
for rivers and seas.
We praise you God, for plants growing in earth and in water,
for life inhabiting lakes and seas, for life creeping in soils and land,
for creatures living in wetlands and waters,
for lifeline flying above earth and sea,
for beasts dwelling in woods and fields.
How many and how wonderful are your works, O Lord.
— Peace Prayer inspired by and based on Season of Creation 2021 Irish Bishops’ Conference
I’m Going to Plant a Heart in the Earth
I’m going to plant a heart in the earth
water it with love from a vein
I’m going to praise it with the push of muscle and care for it in the sound of all dimensions.
I’m going to leave a heart in the earth
so it may grow and flower
a heart that throbs with longing
that adores everything green
that will be strength and nourishment for birds
that will be the sap of plants and mountains.
— Rosario Murillo, from Volcán: Poems from Central America, translated by Barbara Paschke
One does not need to fast for days and meditate for hours at a time to experience the sense of sublime mystery which constantly envelops us. All one needs to do is notice intelligently, if even for a brief moment, a blossoming tree, a forest flooded with autumn colors, an infant smiling.
— Simon Greenberg from A Jewish Philosophy and Pattern of Life
Special thanks to Sister Carmel Little for her preparation of the weekly Peace Prayer, which can be found on the CSJP website under the Spirituality tab. And deep gratitude to Sister Julie Codd for the watercolors throughout this issue.
This article appeared in the Autumn 2023 issue of Living Peace.