Sunlight cutting through pines, Gunnison National Forest, CO USA
Jesus, give light to my heart so that I may love others as you love me.
Jesus, give light to my mind so that I might see you in the integrity of science and nature.
Jesus, give light to my soul so that I might grow in the virtues of patience, generosity, kindness, fortitude, self-control, prudence and humility.
Amen
God provides us with aids that point us toward heaven. The Old Faithful geyser is one such aid.
Old Faithful geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA
Trumpeter Swan, Spokane, WA USA
Turtles, McClane Creek Nature Trail, WA USA
Simon was a good fisherman. He and his brother, Andrew, had a nice comfortable business arrangement with their friends, John, and John’s brother, James. John had connections in Jerusalem, with the chief priests, for the sale of their catch, and at a good price. Simon hated being under Roman rule, but despite that, things were going well.
Simon was born in Bethsadia. Bethsadia had a strong greek and roman cultural influence. Once Simon’s business began to thrive, and he had enough money, he moved his family to Capernaum, a city of his own people, a Jewish City.
Then came Jesus and everything changed….
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)
Simon left his boat, his business, and everything he knew, he left everything behind and followed Jesus. Simon even left his name behind, to be called the name Jesus gave him, Rock, or Peter.
The furthest Simon had ever traveled was Jerusalem but soon Jesus would take Peter to Syria and finally to Rome. Pagan cities, full of pagan people that Peter began to love.
Peter, became the leader of the church, the group of followers of Jesus whose membership was rapidly growing across the Roman Empire. The church not only included jews but pagans from a variety of cultures. All this without a single spear being thrown or army being raised. Peter lead the Council of Jerusalem to keep Church unity as the Church grew in the midst of conflicting jewish and pagan cultures. This was quite a change from his being a small town fisherman. Peter did things he never dreamed of, and over time, slowly at first and not perfectly, he started to become the person Jesus wanted him to be.
Jesus may not be asking you to lead his church, or to travel to foreign cities, but he does have a plan for you, a great God-given adventure, if only you take that one first step, and then follow it with another, and then another.
Turtles, McClane Creek Nature Trail, WA USA
Deception Pass Bridge, WA USA
Journeying through life with Jesus is such a blessing. We still have hills and valleys, deserts and storms, happiness and sadness, but we have Jesus, and that makes all the difference. For through trust in him we know that all our trials and joys have meaning and purpose, even when we don’t yet completely understand the reason behind each event. And we know that by journeying with him we will someday arrive at his Heavenly Kingdom. Simply put, journeying with Jesus brings peace. Shalom.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
- Matthew 11:28-30
American Goldfinch, Deception Pass State Park, WA USA
During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus implored his disciples to glorify God by their good deeds. Throughout history many disciples of Jesus have done just that. One such disciple was Mother Teressa of Calcutta. By her simple devotion to Jesus and in helping the poorest of the poor, Mother Teressa impacted the entire world.
Today the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, have over 750 houses serving the poor in over 120 countries. In addition, Mother Teressa’s spiritual devotion to prayer and of seeing Jesus in everyone she met, particularly the poor, continues to impact countless lives throughout the world.
“We will be the happiest people in the world if we belong to God, if we place ourselves at His disposal, if we let Him use us as He pleases.” ~ Mother Teresa
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” ~ Mother Teresa
Additional insights on the Sermon on the Mount and letting your light shine are available at https://www.anaturewalkwithgod.com/reflections (Reflection # 6).
Let us give glory to God through our actions of love for each other.
Liberty Point, Pueblo West, CO USA
Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22: 37-40
Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay, BC Canada
The first holy garden where both man and God dwelt was Eden, our new holy garden is in our hearts.
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” - Matthew 5:8
So how do we cultivate our garden so that it is a beautiful place for God to dwell?
Black-tailed deer with Olympic Mountains in background, Hurricane Ridge, WA USA
I will extol you, my God and king;
I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you;
I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise,
whose grandeur is beyond understanding.
Psalms 145: 1-3
Canadian Goose with Mallard hen and ducklings, Olympia, WA USA
Can a goose point us toward the good, the true and the beautiful?
Several weeks ago I noticed this goose hanging around a bunch of ducklings. Over the next several weeks I noticed the goose accompanying the mallard hen, having “adopted” the ducklings as her or his own.
I did a bit of research and found out that Canadian geese mate for life and both the male and the female love parenting, often adopting ducks and other geese that are not their own.
Adoption is beautiful as it is an act of love and reflects the characteristics of God. God loves us and has adopted us as sons and daughters.
I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Cor 6:18
A special thanks to all of you that have adopted children, you truly reflect God’s love by your actions.
Flowers, Butchart Gardens, Victoria, B.C. Canada
The Christian has God dwelling within. Ponder that. What does this tell us about God? What does this tell us about us? What responsibilities does it place on us?
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
What glory does it foreshadow for those that listen to the Spirit and follow Christ?
House wren leaving nest, near Chatfield Reservoir, Colorado, USA
Christ’s ascension into heaven is is a good reminder that we are pilgrims on this journey, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20).
“A pilgrim awakens each day with a grateful heart and allows God to direct his or her way.” (Matthew Kelly)
Lizard, Joshua Tree National Park, CA USA
Awake! Look up! Your life is not just about you, but something much, much more.
What are we to awake from? In the early fifth century, way before the internet and modern conveniences, St. Augustine saw that people were preoccupied with themselves. He called this tendency “incurvatus in se” or a turning inward on oneself. Augustine knew we were made to be in relationship with God, and with each other, and when we turn in on ourselves, and seek only our own pleasure, we become less alive.
So let us arise and live the great adventure, the mission that Jesus rescued us for, to love God and each other with complete, selfless, self-giving love.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” - John 15:9,10-11
Make your joy complete. Love as Jesus loved.
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” - John 15: 12-13
Let us live in the light of God’s love and love as Jesus loved, laying our lives down for God and each other.
House Finch, Pueblo West, CO USA
God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work - 2 Corinthians 9:8
God’s grace surrounds us in ways we might not expect.
Have you ever been stuck in traffic, late for a meeting and felt your blood pressure rising? Instead of honking your horn, how about thanking the Lord for this opportunity to grow in patience? God’s grace surrounds us.
Have you ever wanted to win a game against an archrival, only to loose. Instead of getting upset, thank the Lord for the opportunity to grow in the virtues of self-restraint and humility. God’s grace surrounds us.
I have found that God’s grace surrounds us even in the most challenging of times. In the death of loved ones, with God’s grace, we have the hope of seeing our loved ones again in heaven. God’s grace surrounds us.
Even in pain and suffering, God’s grace abounds. Jesus turned the tremendous pain and suffering of the cross into love, resurrection and life. With God’s grace, and by uniting our suffering to the suffering of Jesus on the cross, our suffering can be the most powerful of prayers. Just look at how the suffering of the early Christian martyrs changed the course of history. God’s grace surrounds us.
From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace - John 1:16
Wood of a Jeffrey Pine and large boulder, near Tahquitz Peak, CA USA
All has changed.
The veil has been torn.
We can see our destiny.
We are free.
Free to live as we were created.
Free from the fear of loss.
Free from the control of selfish passions.
Free from the fear of death.
We now live as adventurers journeying toward our heavenly home.
Living with joy.
Seeing God’s beauty all around us.
Giving our lives away in our one true passion, love of God and love of neighbor.
All has changed.
“You changed my mourning into dancing;
you took off my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness.
So that my glory may praise you
and not be silent.
O LORD, my God,
forever will I give you thanks.”
- Psalm 30:12-13
Jeffrey Pine, Mount San Jacinto State Park, CA USA
“While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” - Parable of the Lost Son, Luke 15:20
Tulips, Skagit Valley, WA USA
Let us join voices with the angels and saints in heaven and sing, “Alleluia, He has Risen!”
“The Gospel of Easter is very clear: we need to go back there, to see Jesus risen and to become witnesses of his Resurrection. This is not to go back in time; it is not a kind of nostalgia. It is a returning to our first love, in order to receive the fire which Jesus has kindled in the world and to bring that fire to all people, to the very ends of the earth.”
- Pope Francis
Trail, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA USA
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
My Lord, Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love;
and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned You. But now I love You with all my heart;
and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended You.
Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me;
I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You.
My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.
- Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Western Hemlock trees silhouetted against backdrop of Mt. St. Helens, WA USA
The top of the mountain is so far away, yet he is near.
It is his path that we follow.
His way that we walk.
Though the days may be cold, he warms us.
Though the mountain may be steep, he comforts us.
Though we may fall, he helps us up.
So we walk on, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.
Knowing one day he will pick us up,
and on that day he will carry us home,
to the mountain top,
and we will dwell in the house of our Lord forever.
Amen
Poem, “Our Mountain Journey”, see John 14: 20-21, Hebrews 12:2 and Psalm 23
Trillium Flower, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA USA
I live at the foot of cedar, fir, hemlock and maple…. yet God sees me.
Each spring, as cherry trees and magnolias are covered with flowers, I sprout from the earth. Looking up to heaven, with my one tiny flower, I shout “I love you God.”
Then as the maple wake up covering the canopy with giant leaves, I fall to the ground, in peace, knowing I did God’s will.
I did my part of God’s plan to the full, that is enough for me. That is enough for God.
Poem of the Trillium, a little flower
