Rose... that song brought tears to my eyes! I literally could just write about the song and how beautiful it was. Thank you so much for sharing that... truly- It started my day off with peace and appreciation for His absolute "lovely" creation.
The term sacrament was very new to me when I started the LIM program in August. Although hearing it my whole life, I never knew what the term meant and to what application it had to my life. Just from my three classes thus far and studying this term, I also associated sacrament with the sacraments of the church. Needless to say, the meaning is so much greater... deeper... and as Rose said, "beautiful." Within the readings, the theme of sacraments is shown throughout God's relationship with human beings and His creation. I loved this quote from Vorgrimler. "When God's word and God' glory (shekinah) are present to human beings, they do not 'represent' an absent God; instead, they present the manner in which God is most intimately present within the human person" (7). To me, this says it all... "Sacraments are a particular part of the relationship" (Vorgrimler, 5). If you have an intimate relationship with God, His word and His glory are presented to us in a most intimate way, His creation and His love for us. Something as simple as walking my dog outside is where I can find the most intimate time with God. Nature, the sounds, the smells, the flowers, the animals walking everywhere... I feel God's love, I feel His sacraments, I feel God's very self there. Another term that has been applied to the sacraments is "symbols." "A genuine symbol does what it symbolizes" (Vorgrimler, 10). In conclusion of what "sacrament" means to me, Vorgrimler states, "The life that is given to us, the people we encounter, the beloved one, the companions who live in solidarity with us, our work and its products, those events in life that really touch and shake us (and above all, death itself), experiences of liberation, justice, and reconciliation, true works of art, God's CREATION that makes up the world with us and around us: ALL these can be so transparent to God that they reveal God's true presence. In this way, our whole life can be understood as the fundamental sacrament, to the extent that our understanding of life and our interpretations take account of this transparency and do not remain on the banal surface of things" (11). Truly summed it up for me and how beautifully said...
It is almost as if the term "sacrament" brings humbleness to me and a HOPE for the fulfillment of the promises of God that are still to come!
I am posting a picture of my 2 animals that I lost within 24 hours this past summer. I know this sounds cheesy and I'm sure you are wondering how this has anything to do with the term "sacrament." But for me, I find animals to bring so much love that a human cannot. How they are created, each so differently just amazes me. My bird, Phoebe, who is considered biblically (in the NT) to be a "helper," reminded me of the gentleness and intricateness of Christ. I adore nature and I adore all of God's creation... I find Him in ALL things. So, needless to say, I have an entire new perception and understanding of the Church as Sacrament!
(Having a problem uploading it, going to try and get it up as soon as I can!)
Hi Carly - I appreciate your reflections on creation and how creation invites a greater awareness of God. It is a basic principle of sacramentality that the stuff of creation is what invites us most fully into transcendence. This week we talk about Jesus Christ being the fullness of God's revelation. Christ did not come as an abstract thought or word but as a person. He took on the fullness of the human condition to reveal God most fully. This alone speaks to me about the iconic nature of the created world.
ReplyDeleteI can identify with your affinity for finding God in creation. I have three citrus trees in my yard, and enjoyed a harvest of satsumas for the first time this fall. I had a sacramental moment when pulling a fruit from one of the branches one day, kind of amazed that this living thing produced it. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and had a sense of God's greatness. Praise God.
Blessings, DZSJ