Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.
John 1:16
Eight bells, Winslow Homer
One sentence from Matthew Fox's Christian mystics launches today's reflection...
"When we can no longer feel the grace of nature we need to pause and allow grace to bless us again. "
Grace
Here laid before us are hints of seasonal change, of changeable weather - 'we no longer feel grace'. What do we do if and when we finally clock this new situation or condition? Try harder at something, feel desperate and grab for the nearest blanket, Linus style? 'We need to pause', is our instruction. Stay still, be silent, you are not alone. The unceasing Presence lingers still. Be present before the everpresent Presence. 'Allow grace'. 'Allow grace' whispers Wisdom.
Allow grace
(Pause)
Allow grace to bless us
(Take a deep breath in)
Allow grace to bless us again.
(Pause)
For what we have tasted we will taste again.
Grace allowed
In one line Fox gently reminds us of the blessing that is always present. Will I receive grace when it is offered (in whatever extraordinary or simple form) and the blessing that gradually unfolds with its incremental unwrapping?