In this region, we are well into winter. We’ve had snow, rain, and gusty winds. I must admit a particular delight with the snow, even in light of the effort needed to clear it from walkways and driveways. There’s a fascination with the luminous brightness of newly fallen snow that covers and highlights the landscape.
We recently received a short video showing one of the grandsons running across his snow-covered yard and then jumping to kneel on his sled for a frosty glide across the frozen surface. Toward the end of the ride, he rocked back and forth on the sled to inch out the remaining travel energy. Then he would begin again, resetting his sled and starting his run. It was exhilarating.
Walking To Pray
In college, I was blessed to live some distance from the classroom buildings. The walk to class led me through a grove of pine trees and an open pasture where the wind would blow bitter cold this time of year, and driving snow would sting my face. I enjoyed the trek through the field. The view was beautiful; it was a quiet, peaceful walk, even on the coldest days.
“Ice and snow bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” (Daniel 3:70)
Natural To Pray
I have found it prayerful to let nature speak to us in all its seasons and sensations. Creation is our home, of which we are a part. I believe God’s Holy Spirit invites us in these quiet settings, blowing snow, pathway walks, wind and rain, and all the diversity of our earth to find within ourselves what unites us to everything and everyone.
“…we know that authentic faith not only gives strength to the human heart, but also transforms life, transfigures our goals and sheds light on our relationship to others and with creation as a whole.” (Pope Francis, Laudate Deum, paragraph 61)
It is a fun discovery when young children first recognize they can see their breath in the cold winter air. It reminds me of the creation story where God enlivens humankind with His breath.
The Spirit Breathes Life
In a way, the natural world, in all its complexity, and the universe, in its expansiveness, are reminders of how the Creator breathes His life into us, keeping us looking beyond ourselves, seeking Him, and finding each other.
Let us pray in our families to be ever more sensitive to what God’s Creation enlivens within us.