.
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

.

Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
he made their glowing colours,
he made their little wings.

The purpleheaded mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset and the morning,
that brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
he made them every one.

.

.

 .
The tall trees in the greenwood,
the meadows where we play,
the rushes by the water,
we gather every day.

The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset and the morning,
that brightens up the sky.

God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God our maker,
who has made all things well. 

All photos are the property of cathcart photos.
.

John O'Donohue, Irish poet, philosopher and theologian and author of Anam Cara - A Book of Celtic Wisdom, notes in his wonderful book that the sense of sight or vision enables us to see the beautiful world that is all around us, yet many choose to walk around with their eyes closed.

John O'Donohue writes "The eye, when it opens, is like the dawn breaking in the night."

In his essay that introduces the reader to think of "spirituality is the art of tranfiguration."

"Many of us," O'Donohue observes, "have made our world so familiar that we do not see it anymore."

Condensing O'Donohue's essay on the art of transfiguration, he cautions that we can choose to look at our world through fearful, judgemental, greedy, resentful, indifferent or inferior eyes.

As we work at developing a spirituality of transfiguration, we can choose to look at the world through loving eyes, seeing the world and the people in it through the eyes of Jesus.  "The loving eye," O'Donohue states "can even coax pain, hurt, and violence toward transfiguration and renewal."
.

The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinnedagainst heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your propertywith prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

May you look at the world through the eyes of Jesus.