I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
--Excerpt from " Saint Patrick's Breastplate
We should all be able to sum up the reasons we live as eloquently as the previous words attributed to Saint Patrick. The writer looked around at his surroundings and could capture the universe that surrounded him and recognize his place as a part of it. After all, could a universe--the wind, earth, rock, sea--even exist without our souls seeing and feeling it? Kind of a which came first, the chicken or the egg question. The surrounding universe or the breath of God? The sacredness of the observations that sum up reasons to keep pursuing living are all there. With each observed element of the verses there could also contain a diverse range of represented human experiences.
Wind, for example, can come in many forms and represent many symbolic ways of living. Real wind can be a gentle breeze that cools or a hurricane gale that seeks destruction of whatever lies in its path. It can sculpt the snow into drifts that hold a beauty that is hard to describe and turn cold air into freezing death for the homeless. It can move a sailboat to far destinations or dash it on a reef. Fragrance from blossoms can be delivered to the sense of smell of violent gusts can fill our eyes with dust.
Symbolically, we humans can breeze through life or leave a path of devastation and hurt, depending on which form of wind we choose to ride. Will we use our wind to create lasting symbols in the hearts and lives of the community of man? Or will we be remembered like the hurricanes?
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
--Excerpt from " Saint Patrick's Breastplate
We should all be able to sum up the reasons we live as eloquently as the previous words attributed to Saint Patrick. The writer looked around at his surroundings and could capture the universe that surrounded him and recognize his place as a part of it. After all, could a universe--the wind, earth, rock, sea--even exist without our souls seeing and feeling it? Kind of a which came first, the chicken or the egg question. The surrounding universe or the breath of God? The sacredness of the observations that sum up reasons to keep pursuing living are all there. With each observed element of the verses there could also contain a diverse range of represented human experiences.
Wind, for example, can come in many forms and represent many symbolic ways of living. Real wind can be a gentle breeze that cools or a hurricane gale that seeks destruction of whatever lies in its path. It can sculpt the snow into drifts that hold a beauty that is hard to describe and turn cold air into freezing death for the homeless. It can move a sailboat to far destinations or dash it on a reef. Fragrance from blossoms can be delivered to the sense of smell of violent gusts can fill our eyes with dust.
Symbolically, we humans can breeze through life or leave a path of devastation and hurt, depending on which form of wind we choose to ride. Will we use our wind to create lasting symbols in the hearts and lives of the community of man? Or will we be remembered like the hurricanes?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment