St. Bonaventure said: “The creator’s supreme power, wisdom, and benevolence shine forth through all created things.”
Although I believe that the bible, as holy and righteous as it is, is merely a blueprint for us to follow in our lives. There is no way that we can equate our lives to the lives of the ancient Israelites or the residents of Israel in the fist and second centuries, current era. That’s why I sometimes refer to the Bible as a metaphor for life. It is my inspiration for living; but I cannot take the Bible literally.
There was not a scribe or a cinematographer in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. The story of the birth comes to us through the ages written and rewritten by men, inspired by God, by merely mortal men. Saying this, and I know I have offended people, I do believe that we can take the words of St. Bonaventure literally. I do believe that God’s light shines in all of His creation. From the lowly slug in my garden, to the eagle soaring in the air, to humanity.
We are the great benefactors and stewards of all that God created. It is our duty to preserve it for those who follow. We have not done so. God did not stop talking after John wrote Revelation. He continues to speak to us today through our prayers, our service to others, and our respect for all of His creation. We have a choice, either we love all of God’s creation, and I mean all, or we have no love at all; we have no capacity to love.
Jesus said that we cannot love Him, if we do not love the poorest of the poor, the refugee, the downtrodden, the mentally ill, the people of different faiths, with different skin tones. God shines his light on all of us.
Our very life, life with God within us is a communion of love that flows from God to our hearts and continues to shine for all whom we meet. God says yes to all His creation; we cannot say no to any of it and love God.
When I say that I love you, I am saying that I love the fact that you also are a cherished creation of God. I do not know you, where you come from, or how you pray, but you were created by the same creator as I was; therefore, you are perfect in my eyes. And, I am proud to live with you.
Meditating to Heal 