Contemplation and nature

The contemplative sees everywhere the One from whose life all life comes. All of life, the contemplative knows, reflects the face of God. To live with nature as an enemy is to fail life. To walk through nature as its dictator is to wrench the balance of life. To fail to see the voice of God in the balance of nature, the beauty of nature, the struggle of nature is to go through life blind of heart and deaf of soul.

 

To be a contemplative it is necessary

to walk through nature softly,

to be in tune with the rhythm of life,

to learn from the cycles of time,

to listen to the heartbeat of the universe,

to love nature,

to protect nature,

and to discover in nature

the presence and the power of God.

 

To be a contemplative it is necessary to grow a plant, love an animal, walk in the rain, and profess our consciousness of God into a lifetime of pulsating seasons.



                                                     —Intro to 2022 Joan Chittister Calendar