I love poetry that speaks of the holiness of the ordinary, the sacredness of all things. We make artificial divisions between sacred and secular, between what is worthy of our awe and gratitude and what is not. This is one of the elements I love most about Benedictine spirituality. In the Rule, Benedict wrote that “all utensils and goods of the monastery” are to be treated as “sacred vessels of the altar.” (RB 31:10-11) Esther DeWaal writes that Benedictine life “simply consists in doing the ordinary things of daily life carefully and lovingly, with the attention and reverence that can make of them a way of prayers, a way to God.”
What if we were to rise each morning and give thanks for the coffee that awakens our mind and body, offer gratitude for sleep and the renewal that comes with rest. What if we bowed down before the night offerings of sacred texts our dreams have laid on the altar of our wholeness. What if each bite of food we exclaimed wonder at the ways our bodies take in nourishment, at the flavor and gift of food. Savoring oatmeal becomes an act of praise. And as we read the morning news, what if we each took a moment to gather in all the sorrow of the world into our hearts and hold it there with great love and kindness so that we might carry this awareness to all those we encounter during our day.
What if each day we could find wonder in the way sunlight hits a small patch of pine needles or heavy frost lingering outside our front door?
What if each drop of water that flows from our faucets reminded us of baptism and the new birth that is possible in each moment?
Could we walk along our path each day and find joy in the footprints and other offerings left by those who have traveled this path before us?
Tonight is the first new moon of the new year. My last month has brought an abundance of gifts. When I share my joy, it blossoms, bursts forth to elicit joy from others. Each gift is like a pomegranate seed released from its yellow pith, a vibrant and juicy seed of wonder and delight.
What if you just began by treating all the utensils in your kitchen the way you might treat the sacred vessels used on an altar? What if your life itself slowly became the altar of your thanksgiving?
-Christine Valters Paintner
12 Responses
If I can adapt the Benedictine’s Rule to my life, then I can accomplish my domestic responsibilities with more cheerfulness! I see that Tune has left her heart-print on the beach. Its good that you can help her unleash her spirit.
The reference to the pomegranate seed is deeply beautiful to me. Photos, poem, and word…….Thank you for your ministry, Christine.
Blessings and Love,
Bette.
(p.s. please delete any duplicate posts. my computer hiccuped I think
This was a beautiful post. I particularly liked the idea that many everyday acts become sacred when we keep in mind the beauty and provision of the Lord’s creation. I did Wendy’s post idea too, but got it completely wrong!
Oh, I am looking forward to that poem.
Now this is strange. I have been reading several blogs on RevGal and many of the people have posted here. After all, there are almost 300!!! I am so excited to find this resource…hooray!
I am thinking about seminary in the back of my mind…finished a two year spiritual direction program and just don’t feel I have enough background to do it well. And…I am newly interested in the Bible…now THAT is mysterious!
You have such a lovely blog, Christine. I read it all the way through one night when I wasn’t able to sleep. Thanks for sharing you wisdom and gentleness. It’s soothing and stimulating…all at the same time!
Suz (that’s my usual nickname…along with Sue and Suzie…different parts of my life)
Welcome Sarah, and thank you for your very kind words!
Thank you Lucy! See you for tea later, another of those simple delights. . .
your words take my breath away because they resonate so deeply within me. there is such holiness in the smallest drop of water or footprint in the sand. thank you.
That poem was just beautiful. Your post gave much food for thought. Our Pastor recently preached about living every second of our lives in the Spirit, each action, each thought guided by worship, joy, peace, love…and all the other wonderful gifts of life in the Spirit. What a wonderful life it would be.
I have done a post for Wendy’s love letters to God too.
Oh dear, it was the NEW moon and I knew that and for some reason still typed in full. I have had a migraine for the last couple of days which is affecting my judgment.
Thanks Susan, glad to know I can give you a break from your reading. I have another wonderful poem I’ll share in a couple of days called The Zen of Housework which gives a whole new perspective on washing dishes.
Thanks for catching that about the moon J, still not sure why I wrote the exact opposite of what I meant. I have often wondered about those differences as well, not as much with regard to depression per se, but in feeling anything very deeply as I often do, means feeling the sadness as acutely as the wonder and joy.
Thanks Wendy for inspiring me to write it. I came across the poems and readings and they fit so well with what I was reflecting on.
Blessed New Moon to you all! Christine
Wow Christine, your post moved me so much! I keep thinking of your saying “What if you just began by treating all the utensils in your kitchen the way you might treat the sacred vessels used on an altar? What if your life itself slowly became the altar of your thanksgiving?”. Truly, this goes to the heart of things!
I hope you might continue to join in doing these reflections each new moon. Your reflections are always SO rich and meaningful.
Blessed Week…and Blessed New Moon : ) Wendy
The full moon? I’m pretty sure that’s not tonight. I think that comes later, like early Feb. Although this is a good reflection in any case….
The poem (which is a fave of mine, too, btw!) reminds me of a half-formed thought I’ve been having today about the connection between depression (which Anne Sexton was) and wonder. It was generated by an old interveiw I heard with Art Buchwald today, who was hilarious, you know, but who also was depressed some of the time. My wondering I think is if the “going down” makes you appreciate the “coming up” even more, by contrast.
Christine,
What a nice treat for the middle of the day! I found the poem, your words and your photos soothing and beautiful. I am struggling through a book that I have to read as an assignment and my “reward” has been to come to the computer every ten pages…so far, I have read this and seen your beautiful photographs three times.
I love the beauty of simple things, too, and your post was a little nudge that helped me get in touch with that again. We had a galley kitchen in Boston…no dishwasher or microwave and only room for one. Jud did most of the cooking and I did most of the cleaning. I found that I loved the act of washing dishes…the warm water, the smell of the soap, even the notion that my own effort was making them shiny and clean. I surprised myself.
The pleasure I have tuned into today is petting my Maltese, Sophie. Her hair is like a cat’s…very, very silky and almost silvery white. Unlike most cats, she will let me pet her for hours.
Thank you for your thoughts.