What a Wonderful World
Wednesday in Holy Week:
AM Psalm 55 • PM Psalm 74
Jer. 17:5-10, 14-17 • Phil. 4:1-13 • John 12:27-36
Paul says in Philippians 4:5: "Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near." I have often thought about the word "gentleness" ...it pops up so many times in the Bible that it is hard to gloss over. In some translations of the Bible, the Greek word that Paul uses is interpreted not as gentleness, but as moderation, considerateness, graciousness, forbearance. They are all qualities of Christ. I think that "be known to everyone" does not mean some kind of ostentatious display to impress, but a humble, mindful way of being in the world. The word "everyone" must surely imply all of God's creation, not just human beings.
My thoughts about being gentle have led me to see that when we choose to live consciously and mindfully in relationship with our earth home, we are making our gentleness known. Recognizing our earth as a living creature and becoming aware of our symbiotic relationship with her is key. Activities such as taking a meditative walk in the woods, looking microscopically into a flower, watching a sunset over the mountains can ignite the feeling of awe. Scientists have studied the experience of awe and have discovered that it puts people into a self-transcendent state which results in a person being less self-focused and feeling more of a part of a larger whole. Awe experiences lead to feelings of connectedness with all of creation. Consider the vast multitude of miraculous, living creatures that God created! Rocks, birds, coral reefs, dragonflies, seahorses, rain forests, elephants, mycelia, humans and on and on. ..we all share this planet. The sheer complexity and creativity is mind boggling when we stop to really think about our beautiful world. How could we not want to be gentle, moderate, considerate?
Paul says that when we are gentle, we can feel the nearness of the Lord. Gentleness is one of the Fruits of the Spirit. Father Thomas Keating said that 'the Fruits of the Spirit are indications of God's presence at work in us and are a direct result of being rooted in the Spirit'. Recent climate reports have revealed the urgency of becoming aware of our how behavior affects our world. Examining the different ways we can reduce our carbon footprints and putting those actions into practice, as our Lenten Carbon Fast has invited us to do, is a way to let our gentleness be known. To walk gently upon our earth is to show deep respect to God and His wonderful, marvelous, beautiful creation.