The Book of Nature and the Book of the Word

One of the interesting currents in the tradition of the Church is the idea of the two Books. And by that I do not mean the Old and New Testaments. The two are the “Book of Nature” and the “Book of the Word” (a dual meaning referring to Christ and to the Holy Scriptures). In the beginning there was only need for the book of nature. As our hymns proclaim:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the firmament proclaims the works of his hands
Day unto day pours forth speech;
night unto night whispers knowledge (Ps 19)

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What Are You Giving Up For Lent?

So…”what are you giving up for Lent?” Isn’t that always the question? As if that is the reason for the season. Growing up, everything I remember about Lent circled around the acts of self-denial – what food, entertainment or habit one would give up and how hard it was to deny oneself of that thing. It was not always made clear that the denial was meant to help one think about God and Christ’s sacrifice. Continue reading

Outside the Camp

He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp” (Lev 13:46) – frightening and dreadful words.  Spoken to a people in the wilderness, a people on the Exodus betwixt and between the slavery of Egypt and the promised land of Palestine. These are words spoken about brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers.

Can you imagine being on this long journey to freedom in which your entire life is comprised of the people with whom you travel.  There are no others. They are your life. The ones on whom your depend to carry the burdens of the encampment – searching for firewood, mending clothing, tending the livestock, repairing the tents, finding and hauling water, and the list goes on. They are the ones upon whom you depend for safety, for hunting. The one with whom you sit around the fires at night telling the stories of the Exodus, the time of slavery, time of Father Abraham and Mother Sarah. The stories of who you were and who you are.  There are no others. They are your life. Continue reading