Today we embarked on a new and exciting worship series, "Beguiled by Beauty: Cultivating a Life of Contemplation & Compassion.” This six-week series will guide us in exploring how the pursuit of beauty can deepen our compassion, foster justice, and draw us closer to Divine Goodness and one another.
Each week, we'll post an opportunity for you to go deeper into the practice of lectio divina, or “divine reading,” an ancient practice of engaging deeply with sacred texts, inviting us into a transformative encounter with God's word.
This practice unfolds in four movements: Lectio (Reading), where we carefully listen to the text with an open heart; Meditatio (Meditation), where we ponder the words, allowing them to resonate within us; Oratio (Prayer), where we respond to the text by conversing with God; and Contemplatio (Contemplation), where we rest in God's presence, embracing the silence and mystery of divine love. Each week, as we embark on this journey, may these steps guide us closer to the heart of God and the beauty that surrounds us.
WEEK 1
Beauty, Contemplation, and Radical Compassion
"The difficulty and crisis of the world is overwhelming. It is virtually impossible to bear it without very deep resources." — Wendy Farley —
Like the cedar of immeasurable height and splendor, all beings possess an intrinsic beauty, a sacred essence rooted in the Divine. This beauty, unseen by the eye but felt by the soul, is the fertile ground from which compassion and justice grow. It is the threshold to a profound connection with the sacred, a gateway to radical empathy.
Yet, the world is often a stormy sea, and its difficulties can be overwhelming. As Wendy Farley wisely observes in her book Beguiled By Beauty, "The difficulty and crisis of the world are overwhelming. It is virtually impossible to bear it without very deep resources." To navigate these turbulent waters, we must cultivate an inner strength as vast as the ocean itself.
Contemplative living is not an escape but a purposeful dive into the depths of our being. We discover the resources needed to weather life's storms by tending to the sacred garden within. As cherished members of the cosmos, we are called to embody this inner radiance and share its healing light with the world.
Lectio (Reading)
Read Ezekiel 31:3-7 slowly and attentively. Allow the words to sink into your heart.
Look to Assyria, once a Lebanon cedar
beautiful branches, dense shade, towering height;
its top among the clouds.
Springs nourished it,
and deep waters made it grow tall;
their streams flowed around its base,
sending their channels to all the trees in the countryside.
So it towered high above every other tree of the field.
Its boughs grew larger and its branches extended out,
nourished by an abundance of water.
All the birds of the air nested in its boughs;
under its branches wild animals gave birth to their young.
All the great nations thrived in its shade.
It was majestic in its beauty with its spreading boughs,
its roots reaching deeply into an abundance of water.
Meditatio (Meditation)
Using the haiku and video below, reflect on the metaphor of the cedar tree. Like the tree, each person has an intrinsic beauty and sacred essence rooted in the Divine. Consider how beauty is not just seen but felt deeply in the soul, serving as the foundation for compassion and justice.
branches touch the sky
cedar's grace within it's strength
roots reaching water
Oratio (Prayer)
Offer a prayer for the strength to cultivate an inner beauty and compassion as vast and deep as the ocean. Ask for the grace to be a source of healing and light in a world that can often feel overwhelming.
Contemplatio (Contemplation)
Sit in silence, imagining yourself as a cedar tree with deep roots, strong branches, and the capacity to shelter and nourish others. Feel the peace that comes from being deeply rooted in the Divine.
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