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Thursday, January 11, 2007




An ambitious statement about God and our Relationship...




"A condensation of faith and belief. I wonder at 'visit' but accept that you feel this to be true. If I were to admit to faith I would see it as my task to visit the infinite." This note from the original posting of the poem in 2002 by another poet on The Atlantic Monthly Writer's Workshop is worth sharing. Though written in June of that year, I thought that the Epiphany is that we can know God, in many ways. One is through prayer, but mostly it is about seeking God. It seems I have spent most of my adult life, and even my childhood, interested in God. It wasn't until later in my life that I came closer, at least I feel that way.




Of course, it is unlikely, to say the least, that any of us will know the God through Christ in a way that Moses did as he was a friend of God. And a receiver of great, historical things from God for the good of mankind. What I am saying, is that the greatness of the figure in religious history is a greatness that points our way to this God, and it is a sense of the vast immensity of God that helps. Wisdom is knowing the fear of the Lord. So the saying goes, and I believe it.




Here I want to help point the way to God through this poem. Many times a poem says something better than a series of sentences. Hopefully, this is true here. Nonetheless, while I have your attention I want to introduce you to a book by Thomas Merton that helps in the same regard of finding God, but also leads a way to humility. For when we seek God, a way to know we are obtaining a knowledge of him, is through humility. The book, "Thoughts in Solitude" says this about faith:




"First, let us be sure that we know what we are doing. Faith alone can give us the light to see that God's will is to be found in our everyday life. Without this light, we cannot see to make the right decisions. Without this certitude we cannot have supernatural confidence and peace. We stumble and fall constantly even when we are most enlightened. But when we are in true spiritual darkness, we do not even know that we have fallen.




"To keep ourselves spiritualy alive we must constantly renew our faith."




Another quote:




"Humility sets us free to do what is really good, by showing us our illusions and withdrawing our will from what was only an apparent good."




Enough said.




Words seeking prayer


by Peter Menkin




Moses’ face shone


for he met with God


on the mountain.




Inner light, transforming


vastness of history,


you God love us.




The I AM.




Come visit us with your


immensity and allow


us the work of prayer


to speak with


and know you, too.




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