God is a bright ocean that distills and reveals hidden truths
so that my soul has a better understanding of how to trust Love,
and this water is a mirror in which You, Eternal Trinity, give me knowledge.
–Catherine of Siena
I breathe in fully and slowly exhale. I’ve come to the beach to spend an overnight retreat. My breath becomes gentle and quiet as I simply relax into the presence of the Holy Spirit. I settle comfortably and observe the waves breaking and rolling ashore, their continuous sound pulling me away from the busy schedule I’ve left behind for a few hours.
I consider the waves: their constancy, their rhythm. Like our breath, the waves come and go, a symbol of the Christian life of giving and receiving, emptying and filling, death and resurrection.
The wind that blows across the water forms these waves, just as the Holy Spirit breathes through our lives, stirring our longing, pushing and pressing us ever toward God.
One wonders what distant breeze began this wave’s journey that ends here, nourishing sea life, polishing cast off shells, washing sandy feet, imposing a constant and gentle rhythm on a restless soul.
Watching the waves moves us to reflect on the mysterious nature of God’s love. God within us and still beyond our imagination. God revealed to us and yet beyond our understanding. Creator God, the very source of all life. Self-emptying God. God of the beginning of time, God of ages to come. God of this very moment.
“Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what thou dost love,
And do what thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly thine,
Till all this earthly part of me
Glows with thy fire divine.
-Edwin Hatch
Peace, Blessings and Joy,
Bev
