Saturday at Dawn

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action, Book of Hours, Christopher Pramuk, Creator, God, Hagia Sophia, Holy Wisdom, hope, humility, joy, Kathleen Deignan, purity, reflection, silence, sweetness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, wholeness

Although Saturday can be a day to catch up on all sorts of mundane tasks and chores, occasionally I savor the opportunity for a bit of leisurely delving into reflection on something found in one of the many alluring books on my shelves. This morning I returned to Thomas Merton’s Book of Hours, noting that I had not visited with him – or mentioned him here – for quite some time. Rather than quotes from his various texts, Saturday’s entries in Kathleen Deignan’s book of Merton’s writings are all parts of his amazing prose poem, Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom).

In a commentary on this text of Merton, Christopher Pramuk, a professor of theology and spirituality at Xavier University, writes the following:

For years I have been haunted by Merton’s prose poem “Hagia Sophia.” The poem seems at once to multiply and silence all questions about God. Rather than succumbing to tired theological categories and preconceptions, it breaks them wide open, making old things new, daring us to imagine and hope again.

See if you agree. (I just quote his beginning here. I believe it is enough for one day.)

There is in all visible things an invisible fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious Unity and Integrity is Wisdom, the Mother of all, Natura naturans. There is in all things an inexhaustible sweetness and purity, a silence that is the fount of action and joy. It rises up in wordless gentleness and flows out to me from the unseen roots of all created being, welcoming me tenderly, saluting me with indescribable humility. This is at once my own being, my own nature, and the Gift of my Creator’s thought and Art within me, speaking as Hagia Sophia, speaking as my sister, Wisdom.

(I recommend reading this slowly and often, aloud if possible, to catch and feel the beauty and meaning.)

 

 

 

 

 

Holy Wisdom

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Book of Wisdom, Holy Wisdom, Mark, Scripture, servant of God, spiritual practice, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the spirit of wisdom, wisdom, Wisdom Schools

The gospel this morning speaks of a young man who has been observant of all religious laws throughout his life and desires to do more “to inherit eternal life.” (MK 10:17-30) To move him from being observant to being a servant of  God , Jesus, looking on him with love, told him to divest himself of his many possessions in order to be free to follow the path Jesus is walking. This was a logical directive since following Jesus meant becoming an itinerant, but it was too radical a shift for someone used to a different life. The gospel says he went away sad.

What Jesus was offering the man is found in today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom (7:7-11) where the author reports being given the spirit of wisdom and says; I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her…

Since Thursday evening I have been part of a group of seekers whose desire is to know this wisdom of which the Scriptures speak.* They do not desire to possess it but rather to experience the spirit of wisdom which is not found in possessions or through intellectual striving. Spiritual practices, we believe, lead one deeper into the heart of compassion and the love of God. It is difficult to define the journey toward Holy Wisdom (God’s “playmate” in the creation of the world); one only travels by following the heart’s yearning and finds that the journey is its own reward. We have found this to be true in our prayer together, our silence and our conversation, sharing scriptures and our own experiences, letting go of striving to let our hearts rest in the presence of God. We will take leave of one another tomorrow noon – but not really – richer for the experience and hopeful of continuing the journey, knowing that our oneness does not lie in our physical presence to one another but grateful for the touch of God in this place and time.

*For more information about these “Wisdom Schools, go to http://www.wisdomswork.com.