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Out for an easy 5km recovery run this warm evening, along the Welland canal trail, and thinking some thoughts about a sermon to be preached Sunday, I recalled something I had read and liked
a few years ago. It was from Wayne Muller's book "Sabbath" and he writes to show us how to
create a special time of rest, delight, and renewal, a refuge for our souls - a sabbath.
a few years ago. It was from Wayne Muller's book "Sabbath" and he writes to show us how to
create a special time of rest, delight, and renewal, a refuge for our souls - a sabbath.
"There is a story of a south American tribe that went for a long march, day after day, when all of a sudden they would stop walking, sit down to rest for a while and then make camp for a couple of days before going any further. They explained they needed the time to let their souls catch up."
As I ran a relaxed and easy pace, after last evening\s speed and hill workout, "Yes," I thought, "tonight is an easy night, give my soul a chance to catch up." The I saw the daisies.
As I ran, all along the canal, on both sides of the trail, the daisies were still blooming, so I got to thinking about some things Irish poet, philosopher, and writer on Celtic wisdom and spirituality, John O'Donohue wrote in his wonderful book, "Beauty - The Invisible Embrace" of how each colour evokes its own world of feeling and association and how "white" is associated with purity and innocence.
O'Donohue goes on to use that four letter word "snow" (that makes me shudder on this warm evening in June) to describe how it turns the earth "white in a wondrous transformation, doing what night does, absolving the world of colour". It's amazing how many white flowers there are.
John O'Donohue then goes on to describe how in Native American tradition "A whole new era
of transfiguration is initiated by the birth of the sacred white buffalo." He then describes how
"Within Christian tradition, the new time was to begin with the lamb: 'and behold the lion shall
lie down with the lamb .... And there shall be no more hurt or pain on all my holy mountain."
"One of the most exhilarating epiphanies in the New Testament," O'Donohue continues,
"is the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor. In this moment, the poet-carpenter
'let his glory be seen'. This is an event of the most radiant, blinding whiteness."
"It is also interesting," O'Donohue notes, "that the Spirit of Inspiration, renewal and
transfiguration, the Holy Spirit, is symbolized by a white dove. peace and serenity
too are symbilized by the dove. White is also the colour of surrender."
As Wayne Muller reflects, "In today's world, with its relentless emphasis on success a
nd productivity, we have lost the necessary rhythm of life, the balance between work and rest.
Constantly striving, we feel exhausted and deprived in the midst of great abundance.
We long for time with friends and family, we long for a moment to ourselves."
We need not even schedule an entire day each week. Sabbath time can be a Sabbath afternoon,
a Sabbath hour, a Sabbath walk. With wonderful stories, poems, and suggestions for practice,
Wayne Muller teaches us how we can use this time of sacred rest to refresh our bodies
and minds, restore our creativity, and regain our birthright of inner happiness.
Reflecting on "Sabbath" one of the controversies surrounding Jesus concerned the religious observance of the Jewish Sabbath. In the Gospels, particularly Luke, Jesus is involved on five separate occasions in Sabbath controversies,where the religious leaders berated Jesus for breaking the Sabbath by healing people, sometimes in the Synagogue, others times at a prominent religious leader's house, and he was accused one day as he walked through a grain field and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain. The religious leaders said to Jesus, "Look why are they
doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" Apparently they were seen as harvesting the grain.
Jesus replied, "The Sabbath was made for man, not the Sabbath for man."
all photographs are the property of cathcart photos
John O'Donohue once wrote "Inspiration is always a surprising visitor." Having finished my easy recovery run, and enjoying the solitude of the Canal trail, protected for the hot sun by the shade offered by the tree lined trail, there was only one other person there, with roller blades, no ships traversing the canal, just the birds serenading me, it give time for my soul to indeed catch up.
Blessings! the running rev!
As I ran a relaxed and easy pace, after last evening\s speed and hill workout, "Yes," I thought, "tonight is an easy night, give my soul a chance to catch up." The I saw the daisies.
As I ran, all along the canal, on both sides of the trail, the daisies were still blooming, so I got to thinking about some things Irish poet, philosopher, and writer on Celtic wisdom and spirituality, John O'Donohue wrote in his wonderful book, "Beauty - The Invisible Embrace" of how each colour evokes its own world of feeling and association and how "white" is associated with purity and innocence.
O'Donohue goes on to use that four letter word "snow" (that makes me shudder on this warm evening in June) to describe how it turns the earth "white in a wondrous transformation, doing what night does, absolving the world of colour". It's amazing how many white flowers there are.
John O'Donohue then goes on to describe how in Native American tradition "A whole new era
of transfiguration is initiated by the birth of the sacred white buffalo." He then describes how
"Within Christian tradition, the new time was to begin with the lamb: 'and behold the lion shall
lie down with the lamb .... And there shall be no more hurt or pain on all my holy mountain."
"One of the most exhilarating epiphanies in the New Testament," O'Donohue continues,
"is the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor. In this moment, the poet-carpenter
'let his glory be seen'. This is an event of the most radiant, blinding whiteness."
"It is also interesting," O'Donohue notes, "that the Spirit of Inspiration, renewal and
transfiguration, the Holy Spirit, is symbolized by a white dove. peace and serenity
too are symbilized by the dove. White is also the colour of surrender."
As Wayne Muller reflects, "In today's world, with its relentless emphasis on success a
nd productivity, we have lost the necessary rhythm of life, the balance between work and rest.
Constantly striving, we feel exhausted and deprived in the midst of great abundance.
We long for time with friends and family, we long for a moment to ourselves."
We need not even schedule an entire day each week. Sabbath time can be a Sabbath afternoon,
a Sabbath hour, a Sabbath walk. With wonderful stories, poems, and suggestions for practice,
Wayne Muller teaches us how we can use this time of sacred rest to refresh our bodies
and minds, restore our creativity, and regain our birthright of inner happiness.
Reflecting on "Sabbath" one of the controversies surrounding Jesus concerned the religious observance of the Jewish Sabbath. In the Gospels, particularly Luke, Jesus is involved on five separate occasions in Sabbath controversies,where the religious leaders berated Jesus for breaking the Sabbath by healing people, sometimes in the Synagogue, others times at a prominent religious leader's house, and he was accused one day as he walked through a grain field and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain. The religious leaders said to Jesus, "Look why are they
doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" Apparently they were seen as harvesting the grain.
Jesus replied, "The Sabbath was made for man, not the Sabbath for man."
John O'Donohue once wrote "Inspiration is always a surprising visitor." Having finished my easy recovery run, and enjoying the solitude of the Canal trail, protected for the hot sun by the shade offered by the tree lined trail, there was only one other person there, with roller blades, no ships traversing the canal, just the birds serenading me, it give time for my soul to indeed catch up.
Blessings! the running rev!
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