"The gestation of a child lasts for nine months. Our gestation as sons of God, a whole lifetime.
The child in its mother's womb has little room to dispose of; in God's womb there is all the room in the world.
But even if we can run and do all sorts of things in it, this is still 'inside', and hence we still can't see the face of our begetter.
"In him, we are, we move, we breathe" (Acts 17:28), but we do not see.
When we eventually emerge, we shall see him face to face, as Scripture tells us.
Now, God wraps us up like this, and the darkness of his activity is called faith; the incentive to become our complete selves is called hope, and the love sustaining all this is called charity.
It is hard for us not to forget that he is there.
It is hard because everything that happens to us, happens in silence, and the silence frightens us.
We should like him to say, "here I am" or reveal his presence with thunder or lightening...but he prefers silence...the things of God have no need of words.
"The heavens proclaim God's glory,
the sky displays his creative skill;
day after day, this is re-attested,
night after night, this is re-affirmed.
Not by speaking, not by talking,
not by any sound that can be heard,
but, by spanning the entire earth,
this message reaches the whole world."
Things speak for themselves; the heavens themselves speak. But God comes in silence...
I know that the path of faith, hope and charity leads in the opposite direction from the path of illusion.
It leads towards God's silence.
Towards the starkness of the Cross.
Towards the transparency of night.
It is like light. In the cosmos all is dark, outside the atmosphere all is dark.
Yet nothing is more luminous than this pure darkness.
-Carlo Carretto
Summoned by Love
This is very beautiful. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteI agree- this is a wonderful analogy, and yes the silence, as welcome as it can be,can also be a scary thing. Sometimes I am afraid of just what I will hear God say.
When a child enters into the world he/she begins to learn and be influenced from both good and not so good sources. But I wonder if we who have now experienced many things in the lessons of life, should not also surrender attention to the great spiritual lessons taught by God through the child in gestation - that is, the beauty and necessity of silence and the hidden life, as well as dependency and trust in our Mother. Another edifying post Anne!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne. I've used that image in retreats. Jesus says we are branches connected to the vine. I like to say that we all exist in the womb of God and receive eternal life through Him, through the sacraments. Mortal sin cuts us off from the source of life and nourishment. It's a spiritual death. It's like an abortion. But through the Sacrament of Reconciliation we are reconnected to God. We need not fear physical death but spiritual death because when our bodies die, we are born, leaving the womb to enter the eternal life of heaven.
ReplyDeleteWhat a thought-provoking post. I had never connected the two, but it has a special resonance for me as I approach my baby's birth.
ReplyDeleteAnne, I have nominated you for a Catholic Meme. If you get a chance, you can read about it at http://giorriabeag.blogspot.com/.
Hope all is well with you and your family.
Beautiful. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThere's plenty to think about here.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Like Colleen, I had not read this before. It is just beautiful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Thanks for posting it.
ReplyDelete