"Wonder and awe..."
Viewing the earth from thousands of feet in the air never ceases to amaze me. On a recent trip, as we made our approach into Albuquerque, New Mexico, I watched in awe at the topography passing below. The canyons and mountains and mesas -- the consequence of so much seismic activity and the rushing of primeval waters -- revealed divine artistry. I watched and watched. The sunlight played on the snow and the sinuous waters below. I took out my iPhone to see what it might make of this scenery. Look!
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Even the dirt on the outside of the airplane window could not diminish the excitement I felt, and still feel, at seeing -- just for a moment -- the play of the sun reflecting in the river below. What is also amazing to me it that I could catch this moment with my iPhone! Speaking of wonder and awe... Many Christians have heard of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. For Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Presbyterians a prayer for these gifts is integral to the baptismal liturgy. In the ritual of laying-on-of-hands that occurs in the Roman Catholic rite of Confirmation, the prayer lists those gifts as "a spirit of wisdom and understanding...right judgement and courage...knowledge and reverence...[and] wonder and awe in your presence." The last gift, "wonder and awe' used to be referred to as "fear of the Lord," and it still is the translation in the Spanish version of this prayer. But I think this newer translation offers us greater insight into how the Holy Spirit graces us with gifts ever available, not just on Confirmation day. |
The gift of "wonder and awe" can be described in terms I've already mentioned in other reflections: the capacity for "normal mysticism" and "radical amazement." To do photography as a spiritual practice is to exercise this gift of the Holy Spirit. Canadian Redemptorist lay missionary Ann Walsh has done a series of short videos on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Below is the 10-minute video she made on "wonder and awe." Before you go out to do photography this week, if you have time take a look at this 10-minute video. Then set forth -- near or far -- and call on the Spirit to guide your steps and make your heart ready to receive whatever wonders might come your way!
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