• About The Sophia Center

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

~ Spanning the denominations in NY's Southern Tier

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Tag Archives: mighty

Hymn to Matter

19 Wednesday Oct 2016

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

atoms, blessed, evolution, God, matter, mighty, stars, Teilhard de Chardin, The Heart of Matter, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth, violence

astarWhat follows is only the beginning of a text found in Teilhard de Chardin’s book, The Heart of Matter. It touched me with its power so I offer it as my thought for this third day of my retreat.

Blessed be you, harsh matter, barren oil, stubborn rock: you who yield only to violence, you who force us to work if we would eat. Blessed be you, perilous matter, violent sea, untamable passion: you who unless we fetter you will devour us. Blessed be you, mighty matter, irresistible march of evolution, reality ever new-born: you who, by constantly shattering our mental categories, force us to go ever further and further in our pursuit of the truth. Blessed be you, universal matter, immeasurable time, boundless ether, triple abyss of stars and atoms and generations: you who by overflowing and dissolving our narrow standards or measurement reveal to us the dimensions of God. (p.75)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Patience of Job

01 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

faith, Job, love, mighty, perseverance, St. Therese of Lisieux, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, union with God, wise

sttherese_faceOne of my early college courses was The Book of Job as Literature. I don’t remember much about the course but it was the first time that I had read that story about the faith and perseverance of Job who endured much suffering without ever giving up on God. There’s lots to be said about this poetic text of wisdom literature that explores the concept of suffering and asks the question, “Why do the righteous suffer?” In today’s reading (JB 9:1-16) where Job is answering the “friends” who want Job to blame God for his sufferings and losses, the following lines stand out for me.

God is wise in his heart and mighty in strength…He does great things past finding out, marvelous things beyond recording…Who can say to Him, “What are you doing?”

Job’s willingness to trust God utterly paid off in the end. This kind of total trust was also true in the life of Therese of Lisieux, a small town girl from France who entered the convent at age 15 and died at age 24 of tuberculosis. Ill most of her life (1873-1897) and not well-treated by her companions, she remained steadfast in her love and service to God and all she met. Never complaining and never traveling away from the town where she was born, she was proclaimed a saint in 1925 and co-patron of the missions (1927) because of her prayers for the world and the miracles attributed to her intercession. Her remarkable example of faith has touched the hearts of people the world over and made her one of the most beloved saints of Christianity. The Church celebrates her today.

My “take-away” from reflection on each of these two figures of faith is the same. While the question of human suffering remains one of the great mysteries of life, the centrality of love and the quest for union with God can become the way to peace in whatever circumstances we find ourselves each day.

Donate to The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Donate

Our other websites

  • Main website
  • Facebook page

Visitors

  • 95,952 hits

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,044 other followers

Recent Posts

  • The “O Antiphon” Meditations
  • Memorial to be held this Sunday
  • Mark your calendars
  • A note to readers
  • “Hope Springs Eternal…”

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Archives

  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Join 1,044 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...