Ruminations from the Rector
As we come to end of the Easter season which lasts fifty days and enter the Pentecost season which lasts six months, I want to reflect on ‘What’ has arisen this year and ‘How’ it has arisen. The ‘What’ is the process of creation, and the ‘How’ is the principle in, around, and through the creation. We call the ‘How’ Spirit, God, Essence, which is formless. We call the ‘What’ manifestation, creation, accomplishment which takes form. The ‘What’ can be informed by the ‘How’ or not, depending on our choices.
Meister Eckhart, a noted 14th century Dominican priest, teacher, and theologian, said, to paraphrase, that the seed of God is in us. Given an intelligent and hard-working farmer, this seed will thrive and grow up into God, whose seed it is; and accordingly, its fruits will be God-nature. Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God seeds grow into God. You will have peace to the extent that you have God, and the further you are away from the in-dwelling God seed, the less you will be at peace. Thus, you may measure your progress with God and the seed growing within you by measuring your peace or the lack of it.
Our life together and apart is a constant process of growing, changing, and rearranging. We either are co-creating with God, Spirit, Essence, or we are simply doing it through our own unconscious selfish self. What have you observed over the past few months as we’ve come through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter? How have you cultivated the God seed within you? Is your inner peace increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? Has your life opened up to more possibilities or closed down to what you are comfortable with and what you think you know? What’s blocking your spiritual growth within yourself? Are you still blaming others for your difficulties, or have you begun to surrender to God’s call to be in a more open transforming place of Being?
I could mention all the so called accomplishments and failures that we have made individually and collectively over the past six months, but that would change nothing. It’s only when we ‘see’ for ourselves within ourselves that the epiphanies and awakenings take place and deep change, transformation occurs.
So, my invitation to you as we move toward the celebration of the Holy and Live Giving Spirit’s Presence, is to cultivate your inner garden with simple silence, reflection, sacred service, and loving companion presence for yourself and others. Get out the pruning tools, and remove the weeds in your life - the attitudes, ideas, dogmas, and prejudices - that entangle you and choke the God seed. Rake the garden, and make way for the new growth that wants to come. Water the garden with deep prayer, study, sacred stewardship, and play. Open your heart to the Love and Wonder that is everywhere budding and manifesting. Take a hint from nature, from winter’s rest and spring’s action to co create new relationships with each day’s flowering. In a place of awakened meditation remember - - Mountains and rivers, the whole earth –
All manifest forth the Essence of Being. We are Thee!
