A Way to Listen

One of the things I have learned about the tradition of Celtic spirituality from recent readings is the way it underscores God speaking through the creation.  It goes so far as to say that God speaks not only through the written Word, but also through the creation which is around us.   It is easy to understand why some would say the Celtic tradition is pantheistic which from the reading I have done does not seem to be the case.  What does seem to be true is that those who stand in the stream of Celtic spirituality have a greater awareness of the way the creation points toward God.

 

With all this turning over in my mind today, I found myself thinking about the different ways we are pointed toward God through some aspect of the creation.  The sun rising could be a reminder to us of the One who spoke of Himself as the Light of the World.  The light of the full moon penetrates the darkness.  The wind causes us to think of the Spirit.  And, of course, the world around us is full of things which point to Biblical images.  Some of the things which come to mind are grape vines, fruit producing trees, sowing and harvesting fields, wells from which water can be pulled from the earth, trees planted by the streams, grazing animals, birds of the airs, and flowers growing around us. 

 

An interesting experiment which would surely have some spiritual value to us would be to carry a pad and pen with us though one day's run of the sun and write down all the things which are a part of creation that somehow bring to mind the presence of God in the world, or some teaching which provides nurture for our spiritual life.  Once we start looking, once we allow ourselves to be pay attention, there is no end to the things which can be seen and surely in the midst of it all, we will hear a Word from God.