|
Wisdom Quote
Our duty, as men and women, is to proceed as if limits to our ability did not exist. We are collaborators in creation.
*Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), Catholic Priest and Scientist
Wisdom Story
About one thousand years ago, a sage felt drawn to a construction site. He watched from the edge of a clearing in the forest, while workers bent over their individual tasks.
Curiosity urged the sage to approach one worker, whom he asked, "What are you doing, my good man?" The worker looked up briefly and went back to his work, saying curtly, "I'm working."
The sage was not satisfied with the answer. He approached a second worker. He asked the same question, "What are you doing, my good man?" "You can see I'm breaking stones," replied the man.
The sage was a man of determination; he was not leaving without an answer that felt right to him. He walked over to a third worker, and he posed the same question, "What are you doing, my good man?" "I'm building a temple," spoke this man smilingly.
The incident opened the eyes of the sage, for all three of the workers were breaking boulders into smaller stones and for the same edifice. But they were not doing the same job, for the vision of the temple was only in the heart and mind of one of the workers. The third worker was working for a cause much larger than himself and it showed in his attitude toward his work.
|
|
Comments
To sacralize our daily lives, we have shaped within us a vision of our lives as a sacred edifice under construction. We, expressing the creativity of God, are constructing this temple by our daily tasks, our relationships, our worship, our thoughts, our words, and our attitudes. Indeed, the stuff of everyday life, including the sometimes arduous task of personal development of our inner selves, is the material that becomes this holy sanctuary.
There are two kinds of persons in this world: one kind is set apart from all others in his or her life, for that species of person is imbued with a vision of life as the gift to build a sacredness into the processes of creation, while this creation moves, by choices and acts, toward consummation in Christ: the Porousia.
Suggested Reflection
How might you better experience your life as the sacred project of constructing a "temple" in the world? What are the "materials" God has given you for this construction?
Brian is available to respond to requests pertaining to seeking a Spiritual Mentor, his speaking, leading classes, workshops, or retreats. See any major on-line bookseller for his book An Ache for Union.
For submission of replies and biographical information, see next page:
Continued... |
