Lent Week 4, Day 1: Beauty's Entrance
- Donna
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
Always be in a state of expectancy,
and see that you leave room
for God to come in as [God] likes.
(Oswald Chambers)
In his book "Beauty: the Invisible Embrace," John O'Donohue writes that the imagination is where beauty originates: not just in our limited human imagination, but also within our connection with the Divine imagination. When we pay attention to the beauty of God's creation (in all its various forms), we can experience a deeper union with the Creator.
O'Donohue tells of a conversation he had with a gifted young sculptor, asking her who her favorite sculptor was. She replied: "the divine sculptor. The curvature of the mountains, the angular stillness of rocks, the variations on the seashore, the white graffiti of stars on a night's high black wall, all belong to God's masterpiece... "
O'Donohue urges us to trust and embrace Jesus' promise: "I have come that you may have life and have it to the full." Too often our culture prioritizes functioning and meeting the expectations of others. Many people experience deep dissatisfaction and a strong yearning for a more authentic life; a life that would reflect their deepest desires. O'Donohue writes that no one wants to be a "prisoner of an unlived life." Every heart longs to live an abundant life.
The poet Mary Oliver filled her days - and her poetry - with the simple and abundant beauty she encountered in the ordinary world around her. It was, of course, made extraordinary and sacred by the attention she gave to it. In her poem "The Summer Day," she shares, "I don't know exactly what a prayer is/I do know how to pay attention." And in her poem "The Swan" Mary Oliver ends by exquisitely describing a swan taking off in flight: an experience of beauty that could change a life:
And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds –
A white cross streaming across the sky, its feet
Like black leaves, its wings like the stretching light of the river?
And did you feel it, in your heart,
how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?
Even in this broken world, there are continually emerging instances of grace and beauty and love when God enters in. Let's pledge to be a witness of (and participant in) these moments.
"The traces of the divine imagination are everywhere.
The beauty of God becomes evident
in the beauty of the world,"
(John O'Donohue)
We can pray to see the world around us with God's vision:
Be Thou My Vision (Praise Adonai)
Lenten Spiritual Practice: When you feel yourself drawn to some object, person or animal, take time to notice the beauty of God reflected in the animal, person or thing. Let it touch your heart and imagination. When you are present to what is before you, it can be an invitation for the Holy to enter into the moment with you, to share and love these things together with God.
Prayer: May our eyes and our hearts be opened to the beauty of God. May we participate in God''s vision and love for all of creation -- including ourselves.
Resources:
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, New York, NY: Dodd Mead & Co., 1935.
John O'Donohue, Beauty, The Invisible Embrace. Harper Perennial, 2004.
Mary Oliver, Devotions, New York, NY: Penguin Random House, 2019.
Comments